Radware Ltd.

08/21/2024 | Press release | Distributed by Public on 08/21/2024 09:16

The Gen AI Revolution: Transforming DDoS Attack Tools

In the past, launching a DDoS attack required a certain level of technical expertise. Hackers needed to understand network protocols, identify vulnerabilities, and coordinate the attack from multiple sources. However, with the advent of Gen AI, this landscape has drastically changed.

Gen AI has democratized the field of cyber-attacks. Today, even a novice hacker can launch a sophisticated DDoS attack. Gen AI provides user-friendly interfaces and automated processes that make it easy for anyone to create and deploy DDoS attack tools. This has led to a significant increase in the availability of these tools.


Figure 1: The Most Useful AI Tools according to:
Blue Manakin

Moreover, Gen AI has enhanced the sophistication of DDoS attack tools. These tools can now adapt to the target's defenses in real-time, making them more effective and harder to mitigate. They can change their attack patterns, switch between different types of attacks, and even disguise their traffic to evade detection.

In addition, Gen AI has improved the evasion techniques used by DDoS attack tools. One example is the MHDDoS attack tool that is available on GitHub. These tools can mimic legitimate traffic, making it difficult for traditional defense mechanisms to distinguish between legitimate and malicious traffic. This increases the chances of the attack going unnoticed and prolongs the duration of the attack.


Figure 2: MHDDoS attack tool available on GitHub

Furthermore, Gen AI has reduced the time to market for DDoS attack tools. What used to take weeks or even months can now be accomplished in a matter of hours or days. This rapid development and deployment of DDoS attack tools have made it challenging for organizations to keep up with the evolving threat landscape.

As a result of these advancements, we are witnessing a massive surge in DDoS attacks, especially on the application layer. The ease of use, sophistication, and effectiveness of these tools have made Web DDoS attacks a preferred method for many cybercriminals. This trend is likely to continue as Gen AI continues to evolve and improve.


Figure 3: Number of Web DDoS attacks per quarter (source: Radware H1 2024
Global Threat Analysis Report)
(source: Radware H1 2024 Global Threat Analysis Report)

In conclusion, Gen AI has revolutionized the way DDoS attack tools work. It has made these tools more accessible, sophisticated, and effective. However, this has also led to an unprecedented surge in Web DDoS attacks. Therefore, it is crucial for organizations to invest in advanced defense mechanisms that specialize in Web DDoS Tsunami attacks and can keep up with the evolving threat landscape, while preserving the legitimate user's experience.