Malicious traffic has increased by 108% year over year, according to a report released this week by DDoS protection provider StormWall. The company used DDoS attacks against its clients in the Asia-Pacific region during the first quarter of 2024 as the basis for its analysis.
The most attacked country in Q1 2024 was India, with a 22% attack share. Taiwan (18% share) and Bangladesh (9% share) saw unusually high attack volumes due to elections, while Hong Kong (6%) and South Korea (3%) experienced a decrease in attacks compared to Q3 2023.
Singapore’s share of attacks steadily rose from 8% in Q3 2023 to 11% in Q1 2024, with hackers targeting the healthcare and banking sectors.
StormWall experts see a trend: DDoS attacks today tend to coincide with political events, which the report says makes them easier to predict. For example, StormWall predicts that Q2 2024 will see a concentration of attacks around countries with upcoming elections, such as India, Iran, North Korea and South Korea, with government, banking and telecommunications services potentially being the most targeted sector.
Elections in several APAC countries, notably Taiwan, Bangladesh and Indonesia, profoundly impacted the distribution and volume of DDoS attacks. In Taiwan, activists attempted to influence the election results by targeting critical services, resulting in a 148% increase in attacks year-over-year, making Taiwan the second most targeted country in APAC. A similar story unfolded in Bangladesh, where attacks increased by 74%.
Geopolitical factors play a significant role in the distribution of DDoS attacks across the region, StormWall’s report says. Countries with friendly relations with Russia generally experienced a higher proportion of attacks, with India bearing the brunt with 22% of all DDoS attacks in APAC. The second most attacked country is Taiwan (18%), which received a massive surge of DDoS attacks from China in the days leading up to the January 13 elections. China itself ranks third in terms of attack distribution, accounting for 16% of incidents.
The average number of devices in botnets skyrocketed from around 4,000 in Q1 2023 to 16,000 in Q1 2024, representing a 400% increase in power. The most powerful attack recorded and mitigated by StormWall reached an unprecedented 1.4 Tbit/s, targeting a client in China.
Government services experienced the highest percentage of cyberattacks at 28%, up 114% year-over-year. This sector witnessed the fastest growth in DDoS attacks, largely due to elections held in several APAC countries during the quarter. The financial services sector, in second place, accounted for 19% of attacks and a 54% year-over-year growth. Taiwanese banks were targeted just before and during the election period on January 13, 2024. The entertainment sector, particularly the gaming industry, accounted for 16% of DDoS attacks and grew 86% year-over-year. Multiplayer games in countries like China, India, and Korea were heavily targeted, as attacks can make games unplayable, leading to user outflow and financial losses for developers.
You can read the full report here.
