A New Record for DDoS Attacks
Cloudflare has successfully mitigated the largest publicly disclosed DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack ever recorded, which peaked at a staggering 3.8 Tbps (terabits per second). According to the CDN provider, this attack was part of a broader campaign that lasted about a month, featuring high-volume “L3” and “L4” packet floods, exceeding 2 billion packets per second.
Understanding L3 and L4 Attacks
“L3” or Layer 3 attacks target a network’s infrastructure by overwhelming it with a massive number of packets, while Layer 4 attacks focus on exhausting the transport layer’s resources by flooding the network with connection requests or packets. Cloudflare’s defense systems, the company explains, responded autonomously and seamlessly—meaning that clients experienced no major disruptions and were largely unaware of the attack.
Attack Peak: 3.8 Tbps in Just Over a Minute
The peak of the attack, during which traffic reached 3.8 Tbps, lasted just over a minute. Specifically, the surge began at 3:01:25 PM and was neutralized by 3:02:30 PM. A significant portion of the malicious traffic originated from a large cluster of compromised ASUS routers. Cloudflare suspects these routers were exploited via a critical vulnerability rated 9.8 out of 10 in severity, recently identified by Censys researchers. However, it’s important to note that any internet-connected device—from laptops and smartphones to washing machines and light bulbs—can be a potential vector for a DDoS attack if the right vulnerability is left undetected or unpatched.
Where the Attack Came From
The bulk of the malicious traffic came from three regions: Russia, which accounted for over 12%, Vietnam with more than 11%, and the U.S. at nearly 10%. Italy also contributed significantly, making up 2.8% of the total. Cloudflare, like many of its competitors, has good reason to disclose such attacks, especially when they manage to repel them so effectively that clients—and by extension, end users—remain completely unaffected.
Sarah Reynolds is a dedicated culture and lifestyle journalist who brings fresh perspectives to stories that celebrate the diversity and vibrancy of life in the Pocono region.