Neustar Survey: Businesses Focus Security Investments on DDoS Protection

A new survey from Neustar says more than half of respondent companies have invested more in security tools to counter distributed denial-of-service attacks as compared to the previous year.

The report highlights trends such as the attackers’ growing focus on what Neustar describes as “targeted, smaller” attacks intended to disrupt a company’s network while installing malware that is designed to steal data, Neustar said Wednesday.

“It’s a kind of ‘low and slow’ DDoS attack—steady and problematic, though not tsunami-like,” said Mark Tonnesen, chief information officer and chief security officer for Neustar.

“In launching such an attack, the attacker accomplishes several things: he disrupts operations, distracts the website and security teams, and makes sure the target network is still operational—that is to say, accessible,” added Tonnesen.

One in 10 surveyed firms said they risk losing at least $1 million in the event of a compromised website.

DDoS attacks affect customer support (41 percent), brand (35 percent) and marketing spend (25 percent), according to the report.