What will you do if your organization is the next target of a distributed denial of service attack? Hacktivists recently launched DDoS attacks that caused online outages at several major U.S. banks. Each institution was warned in advance; none were able to prevent disruptions. And while banks are the current targets, any organization could be next. Join this panel for expert insight on: Why these recent DDoS attacks elude traditional defenses; New security solutions to help detect and respond to DDoS attacks; How to respond if you are attacked – from ramping up fraud prevention in other channels to what to tell customers about the attacks. Background Beginning in mid-September, hacktivists initiated a series of sophisticated DDoS attacks against major U.S. banks, including Bank of America, Chase and Wells Fargo. The attackers claim to be waging a cyber war against top-tier banking institutions because of outrage over a YouTube movie trailer believed by the hacktivists to be anti-Islam. In each instance, the group has given at least 24 hours notice before launching the DDoS attacks. But no institution so far has successfully avoided online outages resulting from the attacks. These incidents send two clear messages to security leaders: The sophistication and strength of the DDoS attacks are greater than organizations have seen before. One industry expert measured the DDoS traffic flow at one institution to be 65 gigabytes per second – roughly 65 times heavier than previous DDoS attacks. Any organization is susceptible. Banks are today’s DDoS target, but tomorrow it could be a government agency, merchant or healthcare entity that offends a hacktivist group with the resources to launch an attack. If banks, with their mature security programs and state-of-the-art defenses, cannot ward off these attacks, then what other organization can? In this panel webinar, industry leaders with expertise in DDoS defense will present the unique qualities of these latest attacks, why no organization should feel immune, then discuss successful solutions that can empower organizations to detect, prevent and respond to attacks. Leading the discussion is Matthew Speare, SVP of IT at M&T Bancorp. He will set the stage by discussing how his institution responded to the attacks against other banks, including preparation, security controls and customer communication strategies. Speare then will be joined by thought-leaders from Akamai, Fortinet and Neustar, who will discuss a range of DDoS-related topics, including: Sophistication of Attacks – In the past, DDoS meant brute-force network attacks. Now, experts say, they are not only stronger, but also morphing into application layer attack, which makes them harder to detect and block. What have we learned from these attacks, and which new solutions are best for identifying and rerouting the DDoS traffic? A Cover for Fraud? – Sometimes DDoS attacks are meant as a distraction – to keep security personnel focused online while the fraudsters turn to other channels, such as the call center, to commit fraud. What are the account anomalies you need to be equipped to detect? Incident Response – Not only does your organization need to be prepared to respond internally to DDoS attacks, but you also need to know how to communicate externally to customers. What’s your message, and how can you take this opportunity to better explain your security posture? Source: http://www.bankinfosecurity.com/webinars/new-wave-ddos-attacks-how-to-prepare-respond-w-308

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The New Wave of Distributed Denial of Service ‘DDoS’ attacks: How to Prepare and Respond