In 2021, DDoS attacks were most often directed at the financial sector, retail and the gaming industry

31 january 2022

StormWall experts have analyzed the indicators of DDoS attacks on companies in 2021. The experts found that the most frequently attacked industries last year were the financial sector (43%), retail (31%) and gaming (18%). Also last year, hackers attacked the telecommunications sector (4%), the education sector (3%) and others (1%). According to the study, the number of DDoS attacks on the financial, retail, gaming and education sectors increased significantly in 2021 compared to 2020. StormWall customer data was used for the analysis.

According to experts, the number of DDoS attacks on the financial sector in 2021 increased by 84% compared to the previous year. The financial sector is always attractive for hackers and they are constantly looking for new tools to organize cyberattacks. In 2021, new botnets became such tools, with the help of which attackers were able to organize attacks on financial organizations with a capacity of up to 1.2 Tbit/s. The number of DDoS attacks on online retail increased by 75% in 2021 compared to 2020, with August and November being the most attacked months. The number of DDoS attacks on retail in August 2021 increased by 62% compared to the same period last year, and the number of attacks in November 2021 increased by 330% compared to November 2020, due to the incredible activity of hackers during Black Friday last year.

The gaming industry was also hit hard by hackers last year. Experts compared the indicators of 2021 and 2020 and found that hackers' interest in gaming companies increased significantly last year. The number of DDoS attacks on the gaming industry increased by 62% in 2021 compared to the previous year. To disable the resources of gaming companies, hackers used the most advanced tools for organizing attacks. The maximum capacity of DDoS attacks on the gaming industry has reached 2 Tbit/s, which is an absolute record in the history of cyberattacks. The number of DDoS attacks on the education sector has increased by 36% in 2021 compared to 2020, with most attacks organized by students last year.

"In 2021, the number of DDoS attacks has increased significantly compared to 2020. The problem is that cybercriminals have become more inventive, they use new tools to organize DDoS attacks, such as botnets, and it is difficult for companies to stop a powerful attack on their own. Attackers have also learned to combine botnets to make the attack even more destructive. In 2021, there were many attacks on the financial sector, although hackers attacked the entertainment sector most frequently in 2020. DDoS attacks are expected to target the financial, retail, telecom, and medical sectors in 2022 due to the ongoing pandemic and challenging economy. According to preliminary forecasts, this year could see an increase in peak attack performance to 2.5-3 Tbit/s," said Ramil Khantimirov, CEO and co-founder of StormWall.