Distributed Denial of Service - the Cyber Monday DDoS Threat

Christmas is the time of year where retailers can make or break their profits. The threat of a distributed denial of service attack combined with the global credit crunch means online shopping needs all the protection it can get at these crucial times.

In America, so many shoppers splurge online over the three-day Thanksgiving weekend that the term Cyber Monday was introduced. Cyber Monday refers to the Monday that follows Black Friday – the day retailers go into credit after the holiday online shopping season begins between Thanksgiving and Christmas. Cyber Monday is a highly profitable day for retailers online and has evolved into a major shopping event. Online retailers offer exclusive promotions and low prices and millions of dollars are spent, which is why the words ‘distributed denial of service’ sends a communal chill down the spines of all online retailers.

Distributed denial of service – counting the cost
In the UK, Christmas is the most important time for online retailers. The Press Association reported that web shoppers spent £700k in just 60 seconds at 1.09pm on December 10, 2007. The amount is a record for the most money spent online by UK shoppers in just one minute. Throughout the day, shoppers were estimated to spend £370m online. So just imagine what a well-timed distributed denial of service attack could do to a major retailer’s profit margin. The seasonal splurge was even more crucial in 2007 thanks to the global credit crunch that impacted heavily on consumer confidence. A distributed denial of service attack could have brought the giants of retail to their knees.

A distributed denial of service threat – the reality
The very real threat of a distributed denial of service attack means more major retailers have taken precautions to protect their websites. And DDoS continues to pose a massive threat. In June, 2007 an email apparently sent by Marks & Spencer offering £100-worth of vouchers if you forward it on to friends was revealed as a hoax – part of a potential distributed denial of service attack. Emails spread like wildfire – duplicating rapidly, the results could easily end with a distributed denial of service attack on the email server of the retailer in question. It’s crucial that retailers throw resources at security and be vigilant against the distributed denial of service threat.

The future of retail
As shoppers move away from the High Street and more shop online, security needs to be shifted too. A distributed denial of service attack is more devastating to retailers now that e-retail sales in the 2007 Christmas shopping period were expected to hit £17.6bn according to Retail Decisions, which processes card payments online. That’s up 82% on the same period last year. The more people spend online, the more crucial distributed denial of service security becomes. Online spending in the UK is likely to hit £40bn this year, and is predicted to reach £162bn by 2020.

Webscreen is an IT network security technology that is designed to protect Web servers and other network appliances from a distributed denial of service attack (DDoS). A DDoS attack is a deliberate attempt (malicious) to stop a Web site from working by flooding it with thousands or simultaneous connections. This is usually done for financial gain but can be for political or commercial reasons. Webscreen's unique Guarantee of Service (GoS) technology not only mitigates the impact of denial of service (DDoS) attacks but enables IT managers to maintain access for critical users and priority customers during any high level network activity period. Including a range of network optimisation and monitoring tools, Webscreen helps deliver maximum performance from network infrastructure resources. Find out more, contact Webscreen call 0870 3890022.