KrebsOnSecurity last week was hit by a near record distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that clocked in at more than 6.3 terabits of data per second (a terabit is one trillion bits of data).
The brief attack appears to have been a test run for a massive new Internet of Things (IoT) botnet capable of launching crippling digital assaults that few web destinations can withstand. Read on for more about the botnet, the attack, and the apparent creator of this global menace. For reference, the 6.3 Tbps attack last week was ten times the size of the assault launched against this site in 2016 by the Mirai IoT botnet, which held KrebsOnSecurity offline for nearly four days.
Read more…
Source: KrebsOnSecurity
Sign up for our Newsletter
The latest news and insights delivered right to your inbox.
Related:
- UK Government website offline after hack infects thousands more worldwide
February 11, 2018
More than 5,000 websites have been hacked to force visitors’ computers to run software that mines a cryptocurrency similar to Bitcoin. Users loading the websites of the Information Commissioner’s Office, the Student Loans Company, as well as the council websites for Manchester City, Camden, and Croydon – and even the homepage of the United States Courts ...
- Ransomware: Is time running out for the biggest menace on the web?
January 26, 2018
Ransomware attacks like WannaCry and Petya caused major chaos last year, while the likes of Locky and Cerber were less high-profile, but still managed to generate large amounts of income for their criminal creators. 2017 was the year of ransomware, but it could be that the file-encrypting malware has already reached its peak, as an analysis of cybercriminal campaigns appears to show that malicious ...
- Analysts: U.S. nuclear modernization plan under-invests in cybersecurity
January 23, 2018
The nuclear posture review specifically mentions “expanding threats in space and cyberspace.” Since a leaked draft of the Defense Department’s nuclear posture review was revealed by the Huffington Post, analysts and arms control experts have sounded alarms about language in the document that suggests the Trump administration would broaden the scenarios where it would be acceptable ...
- New EU framework allows members to consider cyber-attacks acts of war
October 31, 2017
A forthcoming policy framework from the European Union will declare that cyber-attacks from hostile actors can be considered an act of war that under the most serious of circumstances justifies a response with conventional weapons. The Framework on a Joint EU Diplomatic Response to Malicious Cyber Activities is intended to be a strong measure of deterrence ...
- WPA2 Going the Way of WEP After Wi-Fi Researchers Find Critical Flaw
October 16, 2017
The WPA2 (Wi-Fi Protected Access II) protocol that’s used by most Wi-Fi networks today has been compromised, and a way to intercept traffic between computers, phones, and access points has been found. Today’s Internet and network connections rely on specific tools that are taken for granted, most of the time. From time to time, a way ...
- Cyberespionage Group Steps Up Campaigns Against Japanese Firms
October 14, 2017
Researchers are learning more about the cyberespionage group Bronze Butler. While the gang has been targeting Japanese heavy industry since 2012, not much is known about the group’s current modus operandi. In a report released Thursday by the Counter Threat Unit at SecureWorks, a subsidiary of Dell Technologies, researchers paint the most complete picture yet of ...

