The DDoS scrubbing center NaWas by NBIP mitigated almost 2,000 DDoS attacks for its participants in 2024. This is slightly fewer than in 2023. However, according to Octavia de Weerdt, managing director of NBIP, this does not mean that the threat of DDoS attacks is decreasing.
‘We see fluctuations in the number of DDoS attacks every year. The time when the number of attacks was the most telling indicator of the threat landscape is now behind us. In 2024, we not only saw one of the largest attacks ever mitigated by NaWas, but we also observed many attacks that were particularly complex. This also makes them more difficult to mitigate. These types of attacks were often aimed at important infrastructure or public organisations. They are clearly part of broader campaigns intended to cause disruption.’
Developments in the threat landscape
In 2024, DDoS attacks were carried out on the websites of political parties during the European Parliament elections in June 2024. These attacks were intended to disrupt the process of open, free and democratic elections. They were claimed by Hacknet, a pro-Russian group.
The example of the European elections shows how DDoS has become part of geopolitical trends. For several years now, DDoS attacks have been part of hybrid conflicts involving groups supported by state actors. This has made more resources available to bad actors to develop and carry out (complex) attacks.
De Weerdt: ‘After peaking during the corona pandemic in 2021, DDoS attacks seemed to be declining in importance as a cyber threat. However, nothing could be further from the truth: from 2022 onwards, the threat landscape has changed dramatically, with more resources and knowledge appearing to be available to design and execute attacks. The European cybersecurity agency ENISA reported in the autumn of 2024 in a report that DDoS is now the most common cyber threat in Europe.
Therefore, you must make sure you are prepared, emphasises De Weerdt. ‘Get your DDoS protection in order. And don’t be caught off guard by new or complex attacks. Obtain information about the threat landscape from trusted, independent sources. Seek out collaboration if you can. It has been amply proven that many organisations can organise their resilience against DDoS attacks much better in collaboration than if they act individually.’
Click the button below to download the infographic with the 2024 statistics and analysis.
