In fact, the company has built a DDoS attack defense model that it can apply to customer interfaces immediately once a problem turns up. For ServerCentral customers that use Radware's DefensePro and DefenseSSL, ServerCentral's Network Operations Center and engineering staff are notified of detected DDoS events in real time.Īfter years of experience operating a resilient, high-performance network, Winward says ServerCentral was prepared to support its customer through the extortion-based DDoS attack. ServerCentral engineering staff regularly reviews the network reporting data and performs DDoS forensic research using historical flow analysis when needed. "Attacks can also be detected by our network monitoring tools, which can identify anomalies and alert our Network Operations Center of the incident." They may recognize it as an attack or simply see something out of the ordinary," Winward says. "In some instances, customers will contact us, noting that something isn't right. In the case of the extortion-based attack, the customer notified ServerCentral of the threat. ServerCentral detects DDoS attacks in many different ways. "We are equally focused on providing 100% uptime to their customers and end users." Detecting Extortion-Based DDoS Attacks "ServerCentral takes as much pride in our customers' ability to execute and offer service as we do in our own ability to provide infrastructure in support of mission-critical applications and business functions," says Ron Winward, the company's Director of Network Engineering. The incident underscores the important role that ServerCentral plays in its customers' network security.
The group's MO is simple: threaten to attack a network if an organization does not meet its demands for payment.Īfter refusing to negotiate with the criminals, the ServerCentral customer was hit with a 20GB DDoS attack. After the victim pays up, the attacker promises to stop the DDoS attack.Įarlier this year, one of ServerCentral's customers-a company that offers a web-based tool for project management-was the target of an organized DDoS attack that involved attempted extortion.
The Chicago-based firm routinely identifies network and distributed denial of service attacks, which occur as frequently as every few days and range from small protocol floods to full-blown DDoS attack campaigns designed to extort money. These companies must not only have DDoS attack defense strategies in place to protect their own networks and data but also serve as effective guardians on behalf of their customers and their customers' customers.Īs an IT infrastructure solutions provider, ServerCentral fills these dual roles. But as DDoS attacks and security threats rise, so too have the stakes for DDoS attack defense for managed services providers. The business case for managed services can be compelling. We live in a managed services world where organizations across industry sectors are outsourcing significant pieces of their operations to third-party specialists.
Download a Copy Now Pay Up or Else: IT Infrastructure Solutions Provider Helps Customers Navigate Distributed Denial of Service Attacks After the victim pays up, the attacker promises to stop the DDoS attack. Indeed, the report noted a huge similarity to the Quantum system, which was reportedly used to help the NSA and British authorities perform targeted surveillance.The Chicago-based firm, Server Central, routinely identifies network and distributed denial of service attacks, which occur as frequently as every few days and range from small protocol floods to full-blown DDoS attack campaigns designed to extort money. Its internal coding can be used to both redirect traffic to launch full-on assaults on unsuspecting web victims, but it can also be used for surveillance. What makes the Great Cannon so interesting is that it’s a sort of Janus-faced attack mechanism.
“How governments are working to hack dissidents and spy on them.” “I focus on the Middle East,” he told Business Insider. Thus, a project involving China - who is known for surveillance and censorship - was somewhat new to him. Marczak’s background is primarily in regimes and organizations launching active cyber attacks. China's censorship has been around for so long and so well-known, that it was a great way for him to test how internet censorship works. His academic interest focuses on network measurement and how online communication. Weaver has been studying the Great Firewall for quite a while. The two researchers have slightly different backgrounds, but their expertise met when they analyzed these attacks.