DDoS attacks and destructive ripple effects against online gamers

COVID-19 The pandemic has undoubtedly caused global chaos and conflict . One of the consequences of a pandemic is a major shift in behaviour . The most obvious is , Blockade and social alienation measures have led to the remoteness of the entire workforce . Besides , The dramatic changes in social interaction have led many people to significantly change the way they spend their time , Because many activities are no longer possible . therefore , Online gaming and gambling activities have soared worldwide , It has become an increasingly popular way to pass the time 、 Escape from reality and connect with others through virtual platforms .

Although the proliferation of such activities has greatly benefited the online game and gambling industry , But it has also led to a surge in global cyber attacks , Rapid development of attacks , And is used to circumvent traditional network security measures . lately NETSCOUT Published its year Threat Intelligence Report , The report shows the weaponized distributed denial of service that has been designed to deliberately overwhelm online services so far this year (DDoS) How the number of attacks has put great pressure on global supply chains and networks , So we rely heavily on .

For online gamers

For online game platforms DDoS Attacks are nothing new . in fact , In the past decade , Attacks against individual players are becoming more common . However , The explosive growth of games during the pandemic is adding fuel to the fire . So how do these attacks work ？

One on one conversations and voice messaging services are common game practices , Through competition, unsuspecting potential victims can see the attacker directly . Most online gaming platforms usually hide the player's IP Address , So it's hard to target individuals . however , Many gamers who use private servers may inadvertently disclose their... To administrators or other players IP Address and information . Besides , Third party messaging applications used by players or teams may also inadvertently disclose their IP Information .

IP Addresses provide unique information to identify individual electronic devices connected to the Internet , This allows data to be exchanged between the device and its local network . Once positioned , An attacker can then launch an attack on a specific device of his target DDoS attack . When the attack begins , Personal game speed and quality will suddenly lag behind , Make them completely unable to play games . The result is that the attacker can win the game .

Supply chain damage

Although this seems to be a small return for a lot of efforts , But the impact is huge . These attacks can cause significant damage to service providers and their customer base . Besides , these DDoS Attacks often end up affecting a large customer base of Internet service providers that are adjacent to the target victim , So as to produce chain reaction in the wider connected supply chain .

The telecommunications industry is no stranger to cyber attacks . Due to their services for access to other key departments 、 Services and a large number of online users , So they are the main target . However , The increased volatility of the attacks caught these companies off guard . Besides , The damage caused by these attacks can lead to Internet disruption , So as to affect thousands of users on a large scale .

Final , The most damaging thing is to choose to deploy any DDoS The main target of the attacker of the attack . Disrupting ISPs essentially achieves two different goals at the same time , Allows attackers to shut down the company's operational infrastructure and its customer base . Internet service and telecommunications providers become secondary targets , Cyber criminals use these targets to gradually attack upstream and downstream connections , To defeat their main goal in video games .

prevent DDoS attack

For the best defense DDoS attack , Global companies in the industry need to understand the implications of these attacks . One way is to work with other companies , Joint learning and strategy development . Through their comprehensive experience and knowledge sharing , Suppliers can develop best security practice plans to effectively address possible threats . The provider should also develop the infrastructure needed to meet user needs , At the same time, it provides a high-quality and safe environment .

For online game platforms , Implement effective and powerful network security measures to protect their customers and players from attacks , At the same time, it is also important to ensure the safety of players when using their platform . in general , Companies need to test their... Regularly DDoS Defense system , To ensure that online systems are properly upgraded and integrated into a broader defense strategy . Besides , These measures need to be upgraded frequently to adapt to the changing threat situation .

DDoS An attack is a persistent threat , There may be a destructive chain reaction , And spread to other key industries and users around the world . The complexity and volatility of these attacks will only increase , Especially since the peak of arrogance . However , This should encourage vulnerable and critical industries to further invest in cyber security to defend against these attacks