This trend towards shorter attacks may be a strategic adaptation by attackers, who are increasingly using brief assaults as smokescreens for more damaging operations, such as ransomware.

Experts, including Andrey Slastenov from Gcore, stress the urgent need for businesses to invest in DDoS detection and mitigation strategies to protect against potential financial and reputational damage.

Despite being the most attacked sector, the gaming industry experienced a 31% reduction in DDoS incidents, dropping from 49% to 34% of total attacks, thanks to improved defenses.

The financial services sector has faced a dramatic rise in DDoS attacks, now accounting for 26% of total incidents, a significant increase from 12%, reflecting a 117% surge.

DDoS attacks are evolving, becoming shorter yet more intense, with the longest recorded attack lasting just five hours, down from sixteen hours earlier in 2024.

Technological factors, including the availability of DDoS-for-hire services and the proliferation of IoT vulnerabilities, are contributing to the rising frequency of these attacks.

The technology sector has seen its share of DDoS attacks surge from 7% to 19%, as attackers increasingly target its critical infrastructure for potential widespread disruption.

Gcore's DDoS Radar report for the latter half of 2024 reveals a staggering 56% year-on-year increase in DDoS attacks, with the largest attack peaking at an unprecedented volume of 2 Tbps.

Regions such as the U.S. and the Netherlands are significant sources of DDoS attack traffic, with Brazil emerging as a growing hub for network-layer attacks.

Network-layer attacks, particularly UDP floods, dominate the landscape, accounting for 60% of total attacks, while ACK flood attacks are also on the rise, complicating mitigation efforts.

Geopolitical tensions are shaping the nature and targets of DDoS attacks, particularly against financial services and critical infrastructure.

Southeast Asia is also witnessing increased DDoS activity, with Indonesia reporting an 8% rise in application-layer attacks.