Kaspersky Lab Survey: Half of Companies Put Themselves at Risk by Undervaluing DDoS Countermeasures

Woburn, MA – December 17, 2014 – According to a Kaspersky Lab and B2B International survey of worldwide IT professionals, only 50% of companies regard countermeasures against DDoS attacks as an important component of IT security. This leaves the other half of companies vulnerable to an attack that could impact both their finances and their reputation as a result of unavailable Internet services.

In recent years, DDoS attacks have become a common tool for cybercriminals. And while many different industries have experienced DDoS attacks in the past year, some have varying views on how important it is to protect against them. For example, only 60% of financial institutions, energy companies and utility services are conscious of the need of protection against DDoS attacks. There is also a noticeable difference of opinion among different sized organizations. Only 38% of small businesses consider protection against DDoS attacks an important component of IT security, compared to 60% of big companies.

Interestingly, the survey found no clear correlation between the level of threat faced and the recognition of the need for DDoS protection. For instance, the sectors with public facing online services most affected by these incidents included IT companies (49%), e-commerce (44%), telecom (44%) and the media (42%). At the same time, countermeasures against DDoS were named as important by 53% of telecom companies, 50% of IT businesses, 41% of e-commerce and 38% of media companies. The figure for the media was the lowest compared to any other segment, despite being among the four most frequently attacked industries. One recent case affected the Serbian website InSerbia News, which in October of this year was unavailable to readers for several hours because of a continuous attack.

To help organizations defend themselves against DDoS attacks, Kaspersky DDoS Protection monitors traffic for suspicious activity and filtering "junk" traffic at the clearing centers with the help of customizable "filters" capable of blocking almost any type of attack. In addition, the work of the solution is constantly monitored by Kaspersky Lab experts, meaning attacks can be detected almost immediately and filters modified if necessary.

For more information about the Kaspersky Lab and B2B International survey, please visit: https://press.kaspersky.com/files/2014/11/B2B-International-2014-Survey-DDoS-Summary-Report.pdf

Quotes:

Eugene Vigovsky, Head of Kaspersky DDoS Protection

Kaspersky Lab

“Even if a company does not have a public-facing website, its finances and reputation can be seriously affected by DDoS attacks. It is known that DDoS can be organized not only to incapacitate online services or for ransom, but also to mask other cybercriminal activities such as targeted attacks on the company to gain access to its confidential data. Therefore, protection against DDoS attacks is not reinsurance, but a logical precaution important for any company that has business processes dependent on Internet services. To provide this protection, companies should use specialized solutions from vendors who have a wealth of experience and expertise in combating cyberthreats"

 About Kaspersky Lab

Kaspersky Lab is the world’s largest privately held vendor of endpoint protection solutions. The company is ranked among the world’s top four vendors of security solutions for endpoint users*. Throughout its more than 17-year history Kaspersky Lab has remained an innovator in IT security and provides effective digital security solutions for large enterprises, SMBs and consumers. Kaspersky Lab, with its holding company registered in the United Kingdom, currently operates in almost 200 countries and territories across the globe, providing protection for over 300 million users worldwide. Learn more atwww.kaspersky.com. 

* The company was rated fourth in the IDC rating Worldwide Endpoint Security Revenue by Vendor, 2012. The rating was published in the IDC report "Worldwide Endpoint Security 2013–2017 Forecast and 2012 Vendor Shares (IDC #242618, August 2013). The report ranked software vendors according to earnings from sales of endpoint security solutions in 2012.

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Media Contact
Stephen Russell
781.503.1833
stephen.russell@kaspersky.com