Summary
This white paper discusses the increasing prevalence of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks targeting the gaming industry. It outlines the critical vulnerabilities that make online gaming an attractive target for cybercriminals, including the high sensitivity of gaming services to latency. The paper details the evolution of DDoS attacks, from early isolated incidents to sophisticated, large-scale operations facilitated by booters and botnets. It explains how attackers exploit vulnerabilities in game infrastructure and individual player connections to disrupt gameplay and gain unfair advantages. The motivations behind these attacks range from financial extortion to personal vendettas, with significant implications for game publishers and players alike. The document also highlights the challenges faced by server operators in maintaining uptime and player experience amidst these threats. Furthermore, it examines the chaotic nature of some attacks, driven by the desire for notoriety or competition among cybercriminals, particularly with the emergence of powerful botnets like Aisuru and Kimwolf.
