The environmental services sector experienced an extraordinary rise in distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks during 2023, witnessing a staggering 61,839% increase in attack traffic compared to the previous year. According to Cloudflare’s DDoS threat report for the fourth quarter of 2023, these attacks, predominantly HTTP-based, accounted for half of all HTTP traffic in the industry.
Security researchers highlighted the alarming trend, noting that the surge coincided with COP 28, held from November 30th to December 12th, 2023. This pattern has become an annual occurrence, notably during COP 26 and COP 27, as well as other United Nations environmental events.
The rise in attacks against environmental services websites underscores a growing intersection between environmental issues and cybersecurity, becoming a focal point for cyber attackers in the digital age, the researchers emphasized.
Despite this new focus on the environmental services sector, the cryptocurrency industry remained the primary target for HTTP DDoS attacks, accounting for over 4% of all such attacks in Q4 2023. Gaming, gambling, and telecommunications emerged as the second and third most targeted industries.
The United States and China were identified as the main sources of HTTP DDoS attack traffic, jointly contributing to over a quarter of global attack traffic. Notably, the U.S. has maintained its position as the largest source of HTTP DDoS attacks for five consecutive quarters since Q4 2022. Other significant contributors include Brazil, Germany, Indonesia, and Argentina, accounting for the next 25% of attack traffic.
To safeguard against the rising tide of DDoS attacks targeting the environmental services industry, organizations should prioritize robust cybersecurity measures. User can implementing a comprehensive web application firewall (WAF) and regularly updating and patching software vulnerabilities can fortify defenses. Additionally, fostering employee awareness through cybersecurity training and closely monitoring network traffic for suspicious patterns are crucial prevention strategies.
