Gilat Satcom Warns: DDoS Attacks on African Networks Increase

Gilat Satcom has raised alarm on increased Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks on IT networks in Africa.

The Company said that among top 10 sectors most likely to be targeted by DDoS attacks, Telecomunication, Finance, IT and Government sectors are at first out of all hits in 2015.

According to IT security experts, (DDoS) attack takes place when multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, usually one or more web servers.

By implication, an attack is often the result of multiple compromised systems (for example a botnet) flooding the targeted system with traffic.

Gilat Satcom said that DDoS attacks intensity grows rapidly over the years, reaching a peak of 500 Gbps in 2015.

In response to increasing attacks on businesses in Africa, Gilat Satcom has introduced a range of new and innovative security measures to ensure that all of its fiber and satellite customers in Africa are fully protected from Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.

In particular, ISPs, Cellular companies, Banks and IT companies in Africa are all under near-constant attack.  If successful, these attacks can make websites and servers unavailable to legitimate users as well as block both local and international links.

“Typically,” the Company said, “Organizations in Africa have security solutions on their own networks to prevent cyber-attacks. However, this approach requires a significant CAPEX and OPEX investment - and most importantly, will not secure their international connectivity”.

Gilat Satcom has integrated the latest technology which mitigates and prevents a service outage during DDoS attacks so that its customers’ international broadband service is unaffected by an attack and service continuity is ensured.

Dan Zajicek, CEO of Gilat Satcom, said “Losing connectivity, even for a few hours, is extremely disruptive and can significantly impact a brand.  Cyber attacks have become a fact of life, with denial of service attacks targeting high-profile businesses and organizations making headline news on a daily basis. Our customers are now able to manage this risk. Gilat Satcom will be launching a number of other new value-added services later in the year.”