Security News > 2021 > January > Bad actors launched an unprecedented wave of DDoS attacks in 2020
For many enterprises, 2020 was a tough year for cyberattacks, with dozens suffering from devastating DDoS attacks due to the newfound reliance on digital tools, according to a new report from cybersecurity firm Akamai.
"In fact, across all attacks, 7 of the 11 industries we track saw more attacks in 2020 than any year to date. Think about that. This was led by huge jumps in Business Services, Education, Financial Services, Retail & Consumer Goods, and Software & Tech," the report said.
"During Cyberweek 2020 alone we saw: 65% more attacks launched against our customers vs Cyberweek 2019, the number of customers targeted was up 57% YoY, and threat actors launching attacks across an expanded industry base."
Tom Emmons, Akamai's principal product architect, said in an interview that he and other researchers observed a "Significant evolution in DDoS attacks throughout 2020, maybe the most DDoS disruption of any year on record."
In 2020, Akamai reported that 65% of the DDoS attacks they dealt with involved "Multi-vector assaults" and "As many as 14 different DDoS vectors were noted in a single attack."
There was a significant increase in extortion-related DDoS attacks that began in August but the unnerving aspect for Akamai researchers was the specificity of the surveillance done before the attacks.