Latest DDOS Attack Was One of Sophistication

CYBERSPACE — With increasingly common reports of distributed denial of service attacks, webmasters in a number of industries are on the alert, and the adult industry is no exception.

The latest reported adult-related DDOS attack allegedly started on Jan.18 and involved two unidentified adult websites. The operator of one of the websites launched the attack in an attempt to shut down the other website, a competitor on Internet service provider ISPrime. The attack, which lasted about a day, was followed by another attack the next day. The attacks reportedly resulted in the occupation of about 5 GB/second of ISPrime’s bandwidth before the company was able to filter the hostile traffic.

“This attack was one of the larger and required a bit more effort for our support staff to deal with than typical attacks,” ISPrime CTO Phil Rosenthal told XBIZ, “and it certainly represents a disturbing trend in the sophistication of denial of service attacks, but it was still within our technological capabilities to countermeasure such attacks.”

Such attacks are expected by many to not only become more common, but also to become more sophisticated.

“The potential for being DDOS’d is a fact of life in this business,” affiliate program TopBucks Marketing Manager Q Boyer told XBIZ. “The attacks are actually a threat to everybody — not just our industry. Yahoo, CNN, etc., have had outrages due to DDOS in the past. It’s potentially a threat to anybody and everybody.”

The attacks involve “multiple locations, computers, networks, botnets [and such] sending traffic to your sites en masse in an attempt to overwhelm your infrastructure,” according to Boyer, who noted that he received help from a tech in the company’s department of system administration who preferred to remain nameless.

One form of a DDOS attack that has raised recent speculation is DNS amplification, which involves the implementation of DNS servers in the attack. This form was used in the ISPrime attack. Rosenthal said the latest attack involved about 750,000 legitimate DNS servers.

Regardless of form, DDOS attacks remain a threat that is constantly evolving just like worms and viruses because “people come up with new varieties all the time,” Boyer said.

Whether or not the attacks will become more common remains open to speculation, and the attacks are widely considered difficult to battle, but Boyer, as well as a number of DNS experts, noted that one of the best defenses webmasters can take is having “a good relationship with your upstream provider. Many attacks are unique, and without the help of your upstream provider, there might not be much you can do. The upstream provider can help filter legitimate traffic from the attack traffic.”

Boyer adds that, “Having a lot of available (i.e. excess) bandwidth helps, for sure, and good technical redundancy across your network helps, too. But the best way to prevent the attacks is to avoid making enemies, as strange as that might sound.”

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

Roxie Rae Relaunches Site Through XSiteAbility

Roxie Rae has relaunched her site through XSiteAbility.

Federal Appeals Court Vacates FTC 'Click to Cancel' Rule Pending Review

The U.S. Court of Appeals for the 8th Circuit on Tuesday vacated the Federal Trade Commission’s “click-to-cancel” rule aimed at making it easier for consumers to cancel online subscriptions, pending further review.

FSC Drops Florida AV Lawsuit in Wake of SCOTUS Decision

A U.S. district court judge granted on Tuesday a motion by Free Speech Coalition to dismiss the trade association’s lawsuit over Florida’s age verification law, a case that had been on hold pending the Supreme Court’s recent ruling on the constitutionality of state AV laws.

Ukrainian President Responds to Porn Legalization Petition

President Volodymyr Zelensky responded Tuesday to an OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine, stating that he would wait for the legislative process to play out “in accordance with established procedure.”

Only Tax Deductions Joins Pineapple Support as Sponsor

Adult industry accounting firm Only Tax Deductions has joined the ranks of over 70 adult businesses and organizations committing funds and resources to Pineapple Support.

Adult Empire Launches 'Conversations' Podcast Series

Adult Empire has launched a new official podcast series hosted by Nicole Chappelle and Charlie.

Sex Work CEO Launches 'Teams Plan' for AI Assistant

Sex Work CEO has introduced the new Teams Plan for its AI-powered, NSFW text generator, GPTease.

2025 XBIZ Amsterdam Website Launches With Call for Speakers

XBIZ is pleased to announce that the website for its annual European conference, XBIZ Amsterdam, is now live.

NC Governor Vetoes Bill Targeting Adult Industry, Override Possible

North Carolina Governor Josh Stein today vetoed a bill imposing new regulations that adult industry observers have warned could push adult websites and platforms to ban most adult creators and content.

25,000 Sign Petition to Legalize Pornography in Ukraine

An OnlyFans model’s petition to decriminalize pornography in Ukraine has amassed the 25,000 signatures required for official consideration by President Volodymyr Zelensky.

Show More