Azure stops biggest DDoS attack ever, according to Microsoft
Microsoft stopped over 350,000 DDoS attacks just in the second half of 2021.
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What you need to know
Microsoft saw an ‘unprecedented level’ of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks in the second half of 2021. The company explains in anAzure blog postthat both the complexity and frequency of DDoS attacks reached new levels during that time. In the second half of the year, Microsoft mitigated an average of 1,955 attacks per day. A total of 359,713 unique attacks were stopped by Microsoft in the final six months of 2021.
DDoS attacks essentially spam a website to prevent it from working properly. They are often used by gamers to harm other people’s networks to ensure victory. Last year, DDOS attacks targeted Blizzard games, Titanfall, Final Fantasy 14, and several other big-name titles. DDoS attacks can also be used for more malicious purposes, such as shutting down a retail website during the holidays.
A DDoS ransom attack uses the same methods as a traditional DDoS attack, but the malicious actor demands payment in exchange for allowing a site to work again.
Cloudflare has a video explaining and illustrating how DDoS attacks work.
TheMicrosoft Azure YouTube channelhas a video on how to defend against DDoS attacks, though it doesn’t have cute animations like Cloudflare’s video.
Microsoft mitigated a DDoS attack with a throughput of 3.47 Tbps in November 2021. The company believes it to be the largest DDoS attack in history. The attack involved 10,000 sources from several countries, contributing to an offensive that lasted roughly 15 minutes.
While not quite as large as the November attack, Microsoft also mitigated 2.5 Tbps and 3.25 Tbps DDoS attacks in December 2021.
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Microsoft’s blog post explains that Azure’s DDoS protection platform works by having pipelines that can “scale enormously.” This allows the platform to absorb even the largest of DDoS attacks.
Sean Endicott is a tech journalist at Windows Central, specializing in Windows, Microsoft software, AI, and PCs. He’s covered major launches, from Windows 10 and 11 to the rise of AI tools like ChatGPT. Sean’s journey began with the Lumia 740, leading to strong ties with app developers. Outside writing, he coaches American football, utilizing Microsoft services to manage his team. He studied broadcast journalism at Nottingham Trent University and is active on X @SeanEndicott_ and Threads @sean_endicott_.
