Preparing for the DDoS storm

by. Susan Warner, Neustar

AffirmX welcomes guest blogger Susan Warner, DDoS mitigation expert from Neustar, a leading provider of IT/Security services. On May 13 at 1 PM Eastern, Susan will join panelists Jane Pannier and Jesse Boyer from AffirmX for a free webinar: Is Your Credit Union Prepared for a DDoS Attack? If you haven’t signed up yet, register here.

DDoS attacks are like an emergency storm warning: when they arrive, you start running around your house, locking all the windows, and getting the flashlights out—all the while forgetting just about everything else. In the same way, DDoS attacks act like a smokescreen, distracting institutions from protecting against more dangerous cyber attacks.

In one alarming case, thieves used DDoS to help steal customer information and extract $9 million from several ATMs in just 48 hours. Incidents like these have caused regulatory agencies to release warnings about criminals increasingly using DDoS attacks to access more valuable assets like intellectual property and funds. The numbers are a little frightening—according to Neustar’s research, 49.36% of companies who experienced a DDoS attack and a data breach had a virus or malware installed or activated, 25.53% involved customer data theft, 19.15% resulted in the loss of intellectual property, and 10.64% effected financial theft.

However, institutions shouldn’t ignorantly believe that these attacks are solely IT’s problem—the harm spreads much more widely. According to the Neustar 2014 Annual DDoS Attacks and Impact Report, departments outside of IT and security—like customer service and marketing—together pay over half of attack-related costs.

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