Linux DDoS attacks increased significantly in the second quarter of this year. Find out why…
Linux Insider reporteded Linux DDoS attacks occurred within 70 different countries in the second quarter of 2016. China ended up taking the brunt of it with 77% of all attacks occurring within their borders. This operating system appears to be the primary target for DDoS attacks due to the potential vulnerabilities within the system. A major issue contributing to this, is the lack of security software that is available for this particular OS.
Additional contributing factors include the reputation Linux has. First, it is known for its level of security if it is properly configured; however this leads to a false sense of security. Employees may believe that because of this reputation, consistent maintenance and configuration is unnecessary, which inherently will leave security vulnerabilities. Secondly, a general lack of resources. As already stated, few security software programs are compatible with Linux OS; however, there is also a lack of security professionals to maintain the systems as well.
To work on correcting the issue, it is important users ensure their Linux systems are properly patched to close any security gaps that are present. PC Pitstop, Vice President of Cyber Security, Dodi Glenn, made the following statement to Linux Insider regarding additional actions that can be taken,
“Companies must ensure they are hiring the right people to maintain the Linux systems. Also, when securing these systems, create a baseline of the system or a profile of the system, noting its usage of resources in normal operation modes.”
