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DDoS Attacks Skyrocket and Hacktivist Activity Surges Threatening Critical Global Infrastructure According to Netscout’s 1h2024 Threat Intelligence Report

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NETSCOUT

NETSCOUT SYSTEMS recently released findings from its 1H2024 DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, citing a dramatic 43% increase in the number of application-layer attacks and a 30% increase in volumetric attacks, especially in Europe and the Middle East. Attack duration varied with 70% lasting less than 15 minutes. The escalation of attacks involves a range of threat actors, including hacktivists targeting critical infrastructure in the banking and financial services, government, and utilities sectors. These attacks pose significant threats by disrupting vital civilian services in countries that oppose hacktivists’ ideologies. Key industries, already facing frequent and intense multi-vector attacks, experienced a 55% increase over the past four years.

“Hacktivist activities continue to plague global organizations with more sophisticated and coordinated DDoS attacks against multiple targets simultaneously,” stated Richard Hummel, director, threat intelligence, NETSCOUT. “As adversaries use more resilient, take-down-resistant networks, detection and mitigation are more challenging. This report gives network operations teams insights to fine-tune their strategies to stay ahead of these evolving threats.”

Attack Sophistication Strains Networks Worldwide

DDoS attacks continue to evolve, using innovative technologies and approaches to disrupt networks. During the 1H2024, NETSCOUT observed several significant trends, including:

  • NoName057(16), a pro-Russia hacktivist group, increased its focus on application-layer attacks, particularly HTTP/S GET and POST floods, leading to a 43% rise compared to 1H2023.
  • Bot-infected devices increased by 50% with the emergence of the Zergeca botnet — and the continued evolution of the DDoSia botnet used by NoName057(16) — which uses advanced technologies like DNS over HTTPS (DoH) for command-and-control (C2).
  • Distributed botnet C2 infrastructure leveraging bots as control nodes enabling more decentralized and resilient DDoS attack coordination.

These attacks have triggered widespread disruptions, affecting industries on a global scale. Service slowdowns or outages can cripple revenue streams, delay critical operations, hinder productivity, and significantly elevate organizational risks.

Attackers Targeting New Networks

NETSCOUT also found that the emergence of new networks and autonomous system numbers (ASNs) play a pivotal role in increased DDoS activity. Over 75% of newly established networks are involved with DDoS activities, both as targets or abused participants in furthering attacks on others, within the first 42 days of coming online, as adversaries launch attacks using resilient nuisance networks and bulletproof hosting providers. Organizations need to plan for DDoS protection when splitting off a portion of a network to a new ASN rather than assume automatic protections from upstream service providers.

NETSCOUT’s global internet visibility is backed by decades of experience working with the world’s largest service providers and enterprises. It collects, analyzes, prioritizes, and disseminates data on DDoS attacks from 216 countries and territories, 470 vertical industries, and over 14,000 ASNs. Powered by its ATLAS platform, the company gains insights from more than 500 terabits per second (Tbps) of internet peering network traffic.

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INTRODUCING ORBITAL – AN AI-POWERED OPERATING SYSTEM FOR MODERN MARKETING

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TEAM LEWIS today announced version one of Orbital (OS1), a secure AI operating system. It is designed for multi-market organizations to connect insight, creativity, messaging and public-facing delivery.

Built by marketers for marketers, Orbital brings together data from across PR, CRM, paid media and web activity. It gives teams a clearer view of the factors shaping reputation, demand and AI visibility — and helps them respond with greater speed and confidence.

Marketing teams have access to more data than ever, but turning that information into action, fast, remains difficult. Fragmented platforms, dispersed teams and growing expectations around measurement have made it harder to see the full picture. Orbital has been developed to help close that gap.

Version one of the platform is structured around three connected areas:

Intelligence
Orbital works with each organization’s own data and context to identify the signals influencing reputation, demand and AI visibility.

Creativity
It helps teams turn insight into high-quality creative work at pace and at scale. It also keeps the judgement and originality that strong marketing needs.

Delivery
Orbital also supports the people representing an organization — from media interviews to keynote presentations and leadership moments — helping them communicate clearly and confidently.

Rather than replacing existing marketing infrastructure, Orbital is designed to work alongside it, through API integrations. Client data remains isolated within secure, enterprise-grade environments, supporting the governance and residency requirements expected by regulated industries.

Fairil Yeo, EVP of AI & Growth at TEAM LEWIS, said:

“The advantage increasingly lies with organizations that can act quickly on what they already know. Orbital is designed to shorten the distance between insight and action — helping marketing and communications teams work more effectively across markets, channels and teams.”

Yvonne van Bokhoven, Chief Operating Officer at TEAM LEWIS, added:

“Technology can connect information, but it cannot replace judgement. Orbital gives our specialists a clearer view of what matters, more quickly. The decisions — and the responsibility for making them well — remain human.”

Orbital is now available as part of TEAM LEWIS’s global offering. Its first release, Orbital OS1, establishes the foundation for an ongoing development programme, with further capabilities planned for future releases.

At a glance

  • One connected system for marketing intelligence, creativity and delivery
  • Uses data from PR, CRM, paid media and web activity
  • Designed for complex, regulated and multi-market organizations
  • Secure, enterprise-grade client environments
  • Designed to complement existing marketing infrastructure
  • Combines AI capabilities with specialist human judgement
  • Orbital OS1 is the first release in a continuing platform roadmap

For further information, visit teamlewis.com/orbital.

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Intersec Global 2027 and EACOH partner to advance safer, healthier and more inclusive workplaces

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Intersec Global 2027, the leading international exhibition for safety, security and resilience, has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Emirates Association for Occupational Health (EACOH) to strengthen collaboration on workplace health and safety, wellbeing, and inclusion.
The agreement was signed today in Dubai, marking the start of a strategic partnership ahead of the 2027 edition, which takes place from 12 to 14 January 2027 at Dubai World Trade Centre and will bring together government officials, regulators, industry leaders, innovators, and buyers to drive commercial growth and set industry benchmarks.

Under the agreement, EACOH will lead the new Workforce Safety, Resilience & Inclusion Hub on the final day of Intersec Global, anchoring the event’s dedicated Safety & Wellbeing domain. The partnership reflects Intersec’s broader remit beyond traditional fire and security into organisational resilience, business continuity and occupational health. In turn, the dedicated show-floor feature provides EACOH with a direct platform to connect its expertise in workforce wellbeing and preventive health with an international audience of cross-sector leaders.

The Hub’s live and interactive format will showcase innovations in workforce safety, human performance and inclusive workplace design, including rapid-fire demonstrations, a Human Performance Challenge and an interactive critical infrastructure incident scenario.

Moving beyond conventional conference content, the Hub will offer hands-on, practical engagement while bringing together adaptive technologies, smart personal protective equipment (PPE), AI-driven monitoring and solutions that empower People of Determination. “Intersec Global continues to evolve in line with the changing needs of the industries it serves,” said Nathan Waugh, Portfolio Director, Security, Technology, Production at Messe Frankfurt Middle East, the organiser of Intersec Global 2027. “Safety, security and resilience are no longer separate conversations. They are intrinsically linked. Our partnership with EACOH and the launch of the Workforce Safety, Resilience & Inclusion Hub reflect our commitment to creating innovative, highly interactive experiences that connect stakeholders, showcase emerging solutions and help shape more resilient organisations and communities worldwide.”
Professor Dr Nahyan Helal MD, MSc, PhD, President of EACOH, added: “Workforce health, safety and wellbeing are fundamental to economic resilience and sustainable development. Across the UAE and the wider region, organisations are placing greater emphasis on preventive health, occupational safety and inclusive workplace practices. Through this partnership with Intersec Global, we have a valuable opportunity to share expertise, highlight regional priorities and engage an international audience in advancing safer, healthier and more resilient workplaces for the future.”

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From 350+ Applications to One Champion: School of Cyber Defense Final Stage at GISEC GLOBAL 2026

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The second edition of the School of Cyber Defense competition reached its final at GISEC GLOBAL 2026, bringing the strongest student cybersecurity teams in the UAE to Dubai Exhibition Centre, Expo City. Building on its 2025 debut, the competition came back larger in scale and tougher in format: this year, participants had to do more than defend systems. They had to design working solutions to real industry challenges.

The competition was hosted by the Dubai Electronic Security Center (DESC) and organized by Techfirm. It drew more than 350 applications from students at more than 30 universities across the country. The road to the final ran through three stages:

Qualification. More than 300 participants from over 90 teams completed an automated, scenario-based qualification round. Over 90% of active teams scored above the 70% threshold needed to advance.

Case challenge. More than 70 teams submitted solutions to one of 15 official challenge briefs. An expert jury assessed each submission on fit to the brief, relevance, a working prototype, technical depth and innovation.

Live final. Only the seven highest-scoring teams reached the GISEC stage, fewer than one in ten of the teams that submitted a case. Finalists presented and defended their solutions live in front of the jury. The finalists represented BITS Pilani Dubai, American University of Sharjah, Al Ain University, Middlesex University Dubai, University of Wollongong in Dubai, University of Dubai and Abu Dhabi Polytechnic.

Winners of the School of Cyber Defense 2026:

  • 1st Place: Unlisted (Middlesex University Dubai)
  • 2nd Place: AUSec (American University of Sharjah)
  • 3rd Place: ADPoly CyberGuard (Abu Dhabi Polytechnic)

The competition featured a prize pool worth AED 55,000, shared among the winning teams.

The competition was made possible by partners committed to developing young talent and strengthening the region’s cybersecurity workforce. The Competition Industry Partners include AMD, Dahua Technology, Kaspersky, KERNO and M1 Global Infrastructure. The Competition Gold Partners are Anker Innovations, Circularo, HPE, Huawei, KnowBe4, RAS Infotech and Spire Solutions. Secureway is the Competition Silver Partner.

Now in its second year, the School of Cyber Defense has become a recurring platform where the UAE’s future cybersecurity professionals test their skills against the demands of the real industry.

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