Data Is The New Weapon in New Style of Online Attacks

CYBERSPACE — A new form of cyber-terrorism involves the deployment of massive amounts of data to clog up the world's largest online networks.

According to new online security reports, a new breed on virtual troublemakers dispatch malignant code that tricks groups of machines into thinking they're part of a collective that then does nothing but send out countless numbers of these packs of data.

This technique is known as "distributed denial of service," or DDOS, and it can bring down websites, entire networks, and potentially even the machines that constitute the backbone of the Internet itself.

The report comes down from the security and tech firm Arbor Networks.

For perspective, the largest network connections typically deal with 10 gigabits of data, and DDOS attacks can hit a network with as many as 40 gigabits – easy outgunning an unsuspecting network.

Danny McPherson, Arbor Networks' chief security officer said that e-commerce sites have been a common target.

"Most enterprises are connected to the Internet with a one-gigabit connection or less," he said. "Even a two-gigabit DDOS attack will take them offline."

Arbor Networks representatives said that these kinds of attacks have been happening since 2006, and that despite their considerable power, the Internet isn't likely to crash anytime soon. AT&T Chief Security Officer Edward Amoroso said that his company's servers came equipped with large amounts of excess capacity just for these kinds of situations.

"We have a big shock absorber," he said. "It works, but it's not going to work if there's some Pearl Harbor event."

Related:  

Copyright © 2025 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More News

JuicyAds Wins Trademark Infringement Case Against Fraudulent Domain

JuicyAds has won its World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) case against a website using a similar domain to impersonate the company's site and defraud customers.

Anissa Kate, Jordan Starr Top AEBN for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top-selling stars for the second quarter of 2025, with Anissa Kate landing atop the leaderboard for straight theaters and Jordan Starr heading up the gay rankings.

AEBN Reveals Eva Maxim as Top Trans Star for Q2 of 2025

AEBN has published its top trans stars list for the second quarter of 2025, with Eva Maxim landing atop the leaderboard.

France Reinstates Age Verification Rule for EU Sites

France’s highest court, the Council of State, on Tuesday reinstated age verification rules for EU-based sites under the country’s Security and Regulation of the Digital Space (SREN) law, ruling in favor of the French government and against Hammy Media.

Whisper Fans Joins Pineapple Support as Supporter-Level Sponsor

Whisper Fans has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Utherverse Launches 'Red Light Center' Virtual World

Virtual reality and metaverse technology company Utherverse has launched its new virtual world, RedLightCenter.io.

European Commission Approves AV Guidelines, Unveils Prototype App

The European Commission on Monday released its final, approved guidelines for protecting minors online under the EU’s Digital Services Act (DSA) and made public a “white label” age verification app intended to help sites and platforms comply with age verification rules under the DSA.

New Membership Site 'Sluts Corner' Launches

R18 Entertainment has launched a new membership site, SlutsCorner.com.

Show More