Analysts reported an increase in the number of DDoS attacks on online stores

MOSCOW, Sep 22 — PRIME. The number of DDoS attacks on online stores from August 23 to August 31 increased by 72% compared to the previous week and by 28% compared to the same period last year, according to a study by cybersecurity company StormWall, the results of which are available to RIA Novosti.

“This year, during the preparation for the school, the attention of hackers was again directed to retailers. StormWall experts analyzed the data of the company’s customers and found that from August 23 to August 31, 2022, the number of DDoS attacks on online stores increased by 72% compared to the previous week of August and increased by 28% compared to the same period last year,” the experts found out. It is noted that the attacks were mainly aimed at online stores of electronics, furniture, clothing and stationery.

According to the company’s specialists, the reason for the increase in DDoS attacks may be competition between retailers, which has intensified before the start of the school year. “This year, competition has become even fiercer than in 2021, as evidenced by the impressive growth in attacks. Apparently, the current economic situation is forcing online stores to use all available ways to fight competitors,” the study says.

The maximum power of the attacks was 450 thousand requests per second, many online stores could not reflect them, and because of this, the sites did not work for several hours, which caused great damage to the business. As a result, as specified, they had to seek help from specialists who were able to stop the attacks.

Experts note the great interest of hackers in online electronics stores. At the end of August, the number of DDoS attacks on them amounted to 53% of the total number of cyber incidents, online furniture stores accounted for 26%, clothing stores – 12%, stationery – 7%, and all others – 2%.

“We are constantly seeing bursts of e-commerce attacks, and this is not surprising, since the competition in this area is huge. We were ready for an increase in attacks in August this year during preparation for school. However, the number and power of the attacks exceeded our expectations. We had to make a lot of efforts to help our clients repel the entire hurricane of attacks that came from competitors,” commented Ramil Khantimirov, CEO and co-founder of StormWall, whose words are quoted in the message.