DDoS Attacks in the United Kingdom – Neustar 2012 Annual Trends and Impact Survey
Click to Download Full ReportIn both 2011 and 2012, Neustar reported on the DDoS attack landscape in North America. This year, it also surveyed IT pros in the United Kingdom on the growth of attacks and their impact in 2012, as well as the types of DDoS protection organizations use. How severe was the danger? Does it differ between industries? What were the costs of downtime? Are companies prepared to protect their websites and their reputations?

In comparing threats to readiness, the answers are not encouraging.

UK DDoS survey findings summary

When DDoS attacks hit, organisations are thrown into crisis mode. From the IT department to call centres, to the board room and beyond, it’s all hands on deck until the danger passes. In April 2013, Neustar surveyed IT professionals across the United Kingdom to understand the impact of DDoS attacks and how companies are managing the crisis. Most respondents self-identified as working in IT, security, compliance or management roles. A total of 381 respondents shared details about attacks, defenses and financial losses. Of this group, 121 worked for ecommerce companies whose success depends on selling products or services online.

Attacks were higher in North America due in large part to the unprecedented wave of DDoS against major American banks.This report provides the UK results and compares the UK-specific responses to the April 2012 North American survey findings, detailed in Neustar’s report “Hope is Not a Strategy.” The 2012 findings outline the costs of DDoS attacks, how companies are responding to threats and the unique challenges for companies conducting ecommerce.

Key questions asked include:

Who has been attacked and who hasn’t?
What are the costs of DDoS outages?
How long have attacks lasted?
What types of DDoS protection are people using?
What are the sizes of DDoS attacks?

The survey also examined the operational impacts associated with DDoS attacks:

How many people per organization are involved in DDoS responses?
What areas of operation experienced the greatest cost increases in a DDoS attack?

Inforgraphic based on survey results: (Click to Enlarge)