The Evolution of DDoS Attacks: Why APIs are in the Crosshairs

In today’s hyper-connected world, Application Programming Interfaces (APIs) have become the backbone of all digital interactions. They’re all around us. From booking flights to using a ride sharing app, sending a mobile payment, or checking your car’s repair status on your phone, you’re using an API. APIs seamlessly connect applications, enabling the data flow that powers our digital lives. But as the API economy thrives, so do the threats against it.

A recent research report has highlighted that India faced an alarming 3000% rise in API-targeted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks in just three months. The report documents over 1.2 billion attacks that include 271 million API attacks last quarter. Unlike traditional attacks that flood websites with traffic, these sophisticated breaches exploit the very mechanisms that make APIs efficient.

What’s Changing in DDoS Attack Patterns?

In the early days, DDoS attacks were relatively straightforward, relying on sheer volume to overpower systems by flooding a network/server with massive traffic until it buckled under the pressure. DDoS attacks have now transcended into highly sophisticated, AI powered threats, targeting critical digital infrastructure rather than just a single network.

Throughout the digital fabric ecosystem, DDoS and bot attacks have surged dramatically. In Q3 alone, more than 377 million DDoS incidents and 215 million bot attacks were intercepted. This marks a staggering 145% year-on-year increase in bot activity. Alarmingly, DDoS attacks now affect 60% of websites, while bot-driven threats impact 90%. The challenge is amplified even more by the growing threat landscape.

Three type of attacks are rising:

1. API-based DDoS Attacks: APIs act as the “banks” of the internet, centralising vast amounts of transactions and communications across multiple channels. This centralisation makes APIs attractive targets for cybercriminals. APIs’ critical role in the digital ecosystem makes them high-value targets for attackers.
2. Bot-driven DDoS: a group or network of computers or other devices that are internet-connected. Using malware, attackers infect these devices and turns them into an army. These bots can mimic legitimate traffic, overwhelming systems with stealth and precision.
3. Carpet Bombing: Unlike traditional DDoS attacks targeting a single system, carpet bombing spreads disruption across multiple IP addresses, maximising the damage. This method overwhelms entire networks, making recovery even more challenging. According to Vercara’s Bi-annual DNS and DDoS Traffic and Trends Analysis reports, the first half of 2024 recorded a staggering 186% increase in DDoS attacks. Specifically, 75% of these DDoS attacks were carpet bomb attacks, emphasising the rise of a new attack vector.

The age of static defence mechanisms is over. Modern threats demands a shift to dynamic, predictive, and autonomous security ecosystems, because a single day of downtime can cost businesses millions of dollars.

The Impact on Businesses

DDoS attacks today are no longer isolated events, they are systematic assaults on business continuity, reputation, and expose vulnerabilities at an unprecedented scale. Here’s how they impact organisations:

1. Massive Financial Losses: Prolonged downtime costs businesses crores, with industries losing up to INR 10.3 million per hour with 69% of businesses facing such issues. Additionally, mitigating expenses and regulatory fines amplify financial strain.
2. Reputation & Customer Trust Erosion: frequent disruptions drive customers to competitors, tarnish brand credibility, and attract negative media attention, leading to long-term loss in market share. According to a report, 75% of the consumers stop interacting with an organisation if it has suffered from a cyber-incident.
3. Operational Chaos and Security Risks: Modern DDoS attacks disrupt workflows, supply chains, and service delivery while exposing sensitive APIs and creating gateways for follow-up breaches like ransomware.

With everything interconnected through APIs, the stakes have never been higher. What we’ve touched upon here is the surface of a much deeper issue. Further, these attacks are rapidly evolving, becoming more sophisticated by the day.

How Can Enterprises Stay Ahead of the Curve?

As enterprises increasingly stitch their digital fabric, in the pursuit of innovation, more vulnerabilities/loopholes open up for malicious actors to exploit. Here’s how organisations can enhance their defences:

1. Intelligent Threat Detection: Modern threats demand modern solutions. Intelligent threat detection systems powered by AI and ML analyse network traffic patterns, detect anomalies in real time, and distinguish between legitimate users and malicious traffic. Enterprises need to say one step ahead and neutralise threats before they escalate.
2. Cloud-Based DDoS Protection: Cloud-based DDoS protection solutions offer scalability, ensuring your defence mechanisms adapt to the size and scale of the attack. These solutions work by absorbing and mitigating malicious traffic at the network edge, protecting your core systems without affecting user experience.
3. Profile-based Testing: Not all APIs are alike. Profile-based testing rigorously examines potential vulnerabilities within an API ecosystem, creating detailed behavioural profiles and reinforcing security where it’s needed most.

Neglecting these measures leaves enterprises exposed, much like a bank without robust security, an open invitation to threats that could jeopardise their survival.

Conclusion

The rise of API-based DDoS attacks and the increasing use of powerful botnets, fuelled by geopolitical tensions and global events, has expanded the range of organisations at risk. Threat actor sophistication is increasing, and organisations are struggling to defend against these threats on their own. But they don’t need to. Businesses can rely on Comm-tech solution providers that can help invest significant resources. A well-prepared, comprehensive security strategy is far more resilient against these cyber-threats. Protecting APIs isn’t just a technical necessity, it’s a cornerstone of maintaining trust and continuity in this interconnected world.

Tata Communications offers DDoS protection service, enabling enterprises across the globe to avoid business downtime due to a DDoS attack, which might result in monetary loss and reputation damage. Click here to know more.