Cyber smokescreen to steal data

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults – which overwhelm an online service with fake requests – are increasingly being used to mask attacks to steal sensitive information from a company

Launches DDoS

Large clusters of cellphones,

1. Attacker:

2. Botnets:

assault to exhaust server

resources (memory) and

clog “pipelines” to network

PCs or routers, infected with malware,

allow remote control

by hacker

Victim

company

2

3

1

4

Attacker

Malicious code, such as

4. Attack:

DDoS assault does not

3. Firewall:

SQL-injection,

tells database

breach security perimeter but forces

IT team to mitigate damage, masking

real attack

server to bypass authentication

and retrieve customers’ bank and

credit card details

DDoS attacks detected

74%

of DDoS attacks are

(Oct 1-7, top five countries affected)

smokescreens for other attacks…

U.S.

Russia

France

India

Germany

256,212

211,948

118,670

34,809

30,732

126,516

652,371

482,754

DDoS attacks

in seven

days

other

attacks

26%

…of which

are sensitive

data theft

Source: Kaspersky Lab Denial of Service report

Cyber smokescreen to steal data

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults – which overwhelm an online service with fake requests – are increasingly being used to mask attacks to steal sensitive information from a company

Launches DDoS assault to

1. Attacker:

exhaust server resources (memory) and

clog “pipelines” to network

Victim company

2

3

1

4

Attacker

Large clusters of cellphones, PCs

2. Botnets:

or routers, infected with malware, allow remote

control by hacker

DDoS assault does not breach

3. Firewall:

security perimeter but forces IT team to mitigate

damage, masking real attack

SQL-injection,

Malicious code, such as

4. Attack:

tells database server to bypass authentication

and retrieve customers’ bank and credit card details

DDoS attacks detected

(Oct 1-7, top five countries affected)

U.S.

Russia

France

India

Germany

256,212

211,948

118,670

34,809

30,732

652,371

DDoS attacks

in seven

days

74%

482,754

of DDoS attacks

are smokescreens

for other attacks…

other

attacks

126,516

26%

…of which

are

sensitive data theft

Source: Kaspersky Lab Denial of Service report

Cyber smokescreen to steal data

Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) assaults – which overwhelm an online service with fake requests – are increasingly being used to mask attacks to steal sensitive information from a company

1. Attacker:

Launches DDoS

assault to exhaust

server resources

(memory) and clog

“pipelines” to network

Victim company

1

Attacker

2

2. Botnets:

Large clusters of

cellphones, PCs or

routers, infected with

malware, allow

remote control by

hacker

Victim

3

3. Firewall:

DDoS assault

does not breach security

perimeter but forces

IT team to mitigate

damage, masking

real attack

4

Malicious code, such as

4. Attack:

SQL-injection,

tells database

server to bypass authentication

and retrieve customers’ bank and

credit card details

DDoS attacks detected

(Oct 1-7, top five countries affected)

652,371

DDoS attacks

in seven

days

U.S.

Russia

France

India

Germany

256,212

211,948

118,670

34,809

30,732

482,754

other

attacks

74%

of DDoS attacks

are smokescreens for other

attacks…

126,516

26%

…of which

are sensitive data theft

Source: Kaspersky Lab Denial of Service report