DDoS Protection , Healthcare , Industry Specific

Automating DDoS Defense for Healthcare Amid Growing Threats

Radware's Neal Quinn on Evolution of DDoS Attacks, Need for Cloud-Based Security Tom Field (SecurityEditor) • September 4, 2024

Neal Quinn, head of cloud security services business, North America, Radware

Organizations, especially in the healthcare sector, are witnessing a surge in high-volume, complex DDoS attacks. While both historical and current attacks involve large UDP floods, the underlying HTTPS flood in recent assaults has the ability to change in less than five minutes, with signatures that morph according to the countermeasures in place, said Neal Quinn, head of cloud security services business, North America, at Radware.

"We were routinely seeing attacks involving 3 million to 5 million requests per second, and that number went up to 15 million in one attack," Quinn said.

To address this alarming trend, Radware offers adaptive security solutions, including an automated defense system that uses advanced algorithms. The company also has a threat research team that continuously monitors open-source intelligence and uses insights from its customer base to defend against potential attacks.

Healthcare organizations need to be engaged with a modern cloud defense provider with experience in the healthcare sector and an understanding of where clients need assistance, Quinn said. "There's no fighting this on your own."

In this video interview with Information Security Media Group at the 2024 Healthcare Cybersecurity Summit, Quinn also discussed:

How hacktivist groups such as KillNet are launching healthcare sector campaigns related to the Russia-Ukraine war and other geopolitical causes;
How unskilled adversaries can now launch sophisticated DDoS attacks using open-source tools;
The role Radware's real-time threat intelligence sharing plays in enhancing defense strategies.

Quinn has more than 20 years of experience in developing and managing cloud security services and DDoS mitigation strategies at companies such as Akamai. His expertise includes consulting with large enterprise accounts and facilitating tactical security responses in complex organizations.