DDoS attacks across the Asia-Pacific region increased by 92% in 2024 compared to the previous year, according to cybersecurity provider StormWall. The surge coincided with elections in 17 APAC countries, resulting in elevated hacktivist activity throughout the region.
StormWall have just released a report on the DDoS attack activity in the region, The State of DDos Attacks in APAC in 2024.
For example, during South Korea’s legislative elections in April, the country temporarily became APAC’s primary target, receiving 26% of all regional DDoS traffic. Similarly, Japan experienced a 300% spike in malicious traffic during the G7 summit in May, with attackers targeting government communications infrastructure.
In terms of the most attacked verticals, government services bore the brunt of attacks in 2024, accounting for 27% of all incidents, followed by financial services at 16% and telecommunications at 14%.
However, the attack landscape shifted dramatically between the first and second half of the year. While government-focused attacks dominated early 2024, they declined by 74% starting in September as attackers pivoted toward financial targets. This shift was particularly evident in Singapore, where attacks surged by 166% in September-October, primarily targeting banks and payment processors. The financial sector also saw a significant rise in sophisticated attacks, with Layer 7 and API-targeted incidents increasing by 85% and 76% respectively.
StormWall has mitigated multiple attacks in excess of 1 Tbps targeting multiple sectors of the economy. While most attacks were relatively brief, some proved remarkably persistent. The longest sustained attack lasted three days at a consistent load of 700 Gbit/s against a government service.
Breaking down the most attacked countries in APAC, India was targeted the most with 19% of attacks, displacing China, which fell to second place with 17%. Singapore maintained its position as the third most targeted country with 14% of attacks.
You can read the full report here.
