U.K. DDoS Attacks Work as Smokescreen

Survey: 1 of 3 U.K. Enterprises Hit by Attacks
A new study from Neustar shows DDoS attacks in the United Kingdom are often used as a smoke screen for malware attacks or theft, says security specialist Susan Warner.

The survey shows one-third of U.K. enterprises reported a distributed-denial-of-service attack in 2013, Warner says in an interview with Information Security Media Group at the Infosecurity Europe 2014 conference in London. She previews the firm's second annual "United Kingdom DDoS Attacks and Impact Report," which will be released on May 8.

Of organizations surveyed that had a breach tied to a DDoS attack, 53 percent said the installation or activation of malware was involved, while 42 percent stated the assaults masked the loss of funds, customer data or intellectual property, Warner says.

"Anecdotally, we've heard ... how DDoS is always used as a distraction, and we wanted to quantify it, and with this report we did," Warner says.

In the interview, Warner:

  • Explains how enterprises react after their initial DDoS attack;
  • Discusses steps enterprises should take to protect themselves from DDoS attacks; and
  • Contrasts Britain's experiences with DDoS attacks with those of the U.S.

Warner is DDoS product marketing manager for Neustar Inc., which provides real-time information and analysis to the Internet, telecommunications, information services, financial services, retail, media and advertising sectors. She has more than 20 years of experience in all types of high-tech environments.

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