Digital currency operators and Bitcoin exchanges are the most common targets of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, according to a report entitled "Q3 2017 Global DDoS Threat Landscape." Imperva Incapsula said that three out of every four Bitcoin sites were victims of DDoS attacks in the third quarter of 2017 alone. A DDoS attack occurs when multiple users flood a specific system's bandwidth or resources with traffic, preventing legitimate parties from accessing the site or service.
The report also cites that the reason behind the attacks is Bitcoin's phenomenal price increase, which more than doubled over the quarter.
Part of the report says:
"We] saw attacks aimed at a relatively high number of exchanges and services of cryptomoney. This was probably related to a recent increase in the price of Bitcoin, which more than doubled over the quarter. Overall, more than 73 percent of all Bitcoin sites using our services were attacked this quarter, making it one of the most targeted industries, despite its relatively small size and web presence.
Other highlights of the report
According to the report, other sectors such as Internet service providers and online gaming operators were also affected by DDoS attacks. For DDoS attacks on the network layer, the countries that experienced the most attacks and most targets include the USA, China, Hong Kong and the Philippines.
For DDoS attacks at the application layer, the most select countries include the USA, the Netherlands and other developed countries with mature digital markets such as Singapore, Japan and Australia.
The report also states that the countries where most botnet traffic originated include China, Turkey and India. China has maintained its position as the main location for attack devices with more than 40 percent of the total.
It does not mean that we should not invest. But, just an information.
