Telcos face increasing frequency and sophistication of DDoS attacks - Nokia

According to the Finnish kit maker's latest Threat Intelligence Report, the number of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks on telco networks has increased from one or two per day in June 2023 to "well over 100 per day" in many networks by June 2024.

Nokia says the surge has been fuelled by the proliferation of unsecure IoT devices hooked up to increasingly fast broadband networks. In short, the number of compromised devices that can be exploited to send massive volumes of data to a targeted server – causing it to crash – has exploded.

Botnets remain the preferred tool of this unscrupulous trade, accounting for 60 percent of DDoS traffic monitored by Nokia. Geographically speaking, North America saw the highest number of attacks, which Nokia attributed to the high concentration and scale of telco infrastructure and large enterprises.

"The telecom industry is the backbone of our daily communications and vital infrastructure," Nokia said. "An attack on the industry can have far-reaching consequences, disrupting services, jeopardising security and undermining operational logistics."

Nokia's report is based on information gathered from a variety of internal sources. It includes data from its Cyber Security Centre in France, its managed security services teams based around the world, and DDoS traffic monitored by Nokia's Deepfield Emergency Response Team (ERT).

Furthermore, Nokia's cybersecurity consultants keep on top of the latest trends in cybersecurity regulation, while the big brains at Nokia Bell Labs keep tabs on quantum-safe network security. The report also takes into account CSP assessments of their own cybersecurity postures, plus priorities identified by TM Forum.

According to this latest edition, the issue of cyberattacks has been compounded by AI and automation, Nokia said, which enable attackers to rapidly alter attack patterns in response to defence tactics. This not only makes DDoS attacks harder to stop, but also makes it harder to detect DDoS traffic in the first place.

"The use of Generative AI and automation for nefarious purposes is leading to a stepwise increase in malicious actors' capabilities and threat potential," warned Rodrigo Brito, head of security at Nokia's Cloud and Network Services unit. "The Threat Intelligence findings further reinforce the need for operators, vendors, and regulators to work more collaboratively to develop more robust network security measures, practices, and awareness."

As with most things AI though, the technology represents a solution as much as it does a problem.

According to Nokia, 69 percent of telcos have incorporated – or are in the process of incorporating – GenAI technology into their cybersecurity systems. AI speeds up data retrieval and analysis, and by extension speeds up the detection – and response – to potential threats.

"By constantly learning from data, generative AI keeps up with new threats, reducing the chances of breaches and lessening their impact if they occur. Security teams benefit from detailed insights into how threats work. This helps them plan targeted responses and strengthen their defences against future attacks," Nokia said.

Despite new defensive measures enabled by AI, the cost of cyberattacks is expected to continue to rise over the coming years.

A report produced by Statista in February predicted that the global cost of cybercrime will increase from $8.15 trillion in 2023 to $9.22 trillion this year. By 2028 it is expected to reach $13.82 trillion.

With cybercrime showing no signs of abating, it is more critical than ever for industry players to do all they can to ensure they're not the next victim.