of terabit attacks. Given that a 5G device can transmit more than 10Gbps, attackers must target only 100 of these poorly protected smart devices to generate a full terabit attack. Most CSPs don't have the capacity on the backend to withstand this volume of data, which will easily congest the network and eventually bring customers down. Disabling even one part of a CSP’s core infrastructure can cripple a network. This hasn’t happened yet, but the possibility is very real—and imminent. 

This level of disruption can be devastating for CSPs, who are expected to give their customers uninterrupted connections and maximum speed for critical operations, as well as an assurance of privacy and protection against data breaches.

Strengthen your defenses

The first step in building a solid defense is to make cybersecurity a top priority rather than an afterthought, taking a native-integrated approach and investing in it as needed. Attacks are constantly refined and updated, and it’s imperative to keep defenses up to date in response. Before ruling out upgrades because of the expense, calculate the cost of downtime and damage to your brand and revenue if you do fall victim. 

Think twice about using threshold and signature-based detection methods, which are no longer sufficient. Organizations that rely on them may well experience major outages from newer, more evasive DDoS attacks and the emergence of small-sized attack traffic. A far more effective defense is a hybrid strategy that combines on-premises and cloud-based mitigation technologies, which can be used separately or in tandem. Platforms powered by machines with big data and deep learning capabilities can help with identifying and classifying customer traffic and with developing up-to-date defenses against ever-evolving attacks.

Many CSPs don’t have the staff, the technical expertise, or the budget to protect against advanced threats on their own. It can easily take millions of dollars to build a network able to provide global DDoS protection when you factor in start-up costs, technology maintenance, and support for both internal and external users. 

The best solution for many enterprises is a partnership with an experienced managed security provider that uses artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, with an emphasis on multi-dimensional and deep learning-based DDoS detection and mitigation. The right partner can provide the hardware, productization and operational support needed, so the organization doesn’t incur the hardware barriers and upfront costs associated with typical anti-DDoS service ramp-up.

The situation is serious, with DDoS attacks up 341.21 percent in March 2020 compared to the year before, according to our research. All indications point to attacks continuing to increase and become more sophisticated, further testing the effectiveness of authentication-based mitigation. In fact, some experts predict application attacks will double in 2021-2022. Our research shows that ransom DDoS attacks will increase by 30 percent; easy access to booter and stresser service means a lower cost for bad actors to carry out ransom DDoS attacks. DDoS attacks of 10Gbps or less will account for 99 percent of all attacks, as they’ll continue to be difficult to detect and economical to deploy. 

This challenging outlook only reinforces the need for CSPs to bolster their security—and step up efforts to protect their networks, infrastructures and customers, especially as we move fully into a 5G world.