Escalating DDoS Threat Situation Calls for Strategic Responses

Over a period of 24 hours, attackers attempted to overload the systems of the state authority using various methods. However, thanks to Myra's certified security infrastructure, the attacks were immediately detected and repelled at all network levels. The sophisticated automation processes enabled a lightning-fast response.

In the third quarter of 2024, the number of malicious web requests increased by 46.6 percent compared to the previous year. A central event in Q3 was the massive wave of DDoS attacks surrounding the Austrian National Council elections, during which a central national authority successfully defended against a 24-hour attack.

July marked the strongest increase in malicious traffic in Q3, with a 69.7 percent rise compared to the same month the previous year. Notably, this significant surge occurred in parallel with the extensive CrowdStrike outages that affected many companies worldwide and further strained IT security departments.

In August, Myra's monitoring systems recorded an increase in malicious requests of 41.48 percent. One reason for this rise is the increasing professionalization of cybercriminals and the trend towards Cybercrime-as-a-Service offerings. Additionally, attackers are increasingly using Artificial Intelligence (AI) to create malware or phishing campaigns quickly and cheaply – already, every second company is concerned about AI-driven attacks.

On September 16, the Austrian Computer Emergency Response Team (CERT.at) warned of a large-scale DDoS attack campaign against authorities and organizations in the country. The websites of ministries, administrative agencies, energy suppliers, public transportation providers, and political parties were particularly affected. The wave of attacks can also be traced through the mitigation data from the Myra SOC, with a notable mention of a 24-hour attack on an Austrian authority.

Over a period of 24 hours, attackers attempted to overload the systems of the state authority using various methods. However, thanks to Myra's certified security infrastructure, the attacks were immediately detected and repelled at all network levels. The sophisticated automation processes enabled a lightning-fast response.

In the third quarter of 2024, the number of malicious web requests increased by 46.6 percent compared to the previous year. A central event in Q3 was the massive wave of DDoS attacks surrounding the Austrian National Council elections, during which a central national authority successfully defended against a 24-hour attack.