Venezuela’s recent presidential elections in July were marked by a disputed outcome, leading to the current president claiming victory and the opposition seeking international assistance. Amidst the street demonstrations, a significant conflict emerged in the digital realm, indicating a notable shift in Venezuela’s cyber landscape.
Research indicates a rise in cyber attacks in Venezuela.
ASERT NETSCOUT was among the first to notice a notable shift in Venezuela’s online landscape following the elections. Just one day after the vote on July 29, internet traffic to the country surged by 109 Gbps, marking a 16% rise from the day before. This abrupt uptick in traffic signaled that political unrest was manifesting in the digital realm.
ASERT NETSCOUT observed a significant rise in DDoS attacks, which surged by ten times on July 29 amidst increased online traffic. This spike reflects a trend of utilizing such attacks for online protest or political activism, particularly targeting Venezuelan networks to disrupt them.
Most DDoS attacks in Venezuela involve UDP reflection and amplification, with the majority utilizing DNS reflection/amplification. These attacks mainly target a specific telecommunications provider hosting online infrastructure for a political party claiming election victory.
The DDoS attacks that were witnessed did not involve large amounts of data, but their frequency and timing made them significantly disruptive. ASERT NETSCOUT emphasized the necessity of establishing strong DDoS defense systems to safeguard networks from such seemingly minor attacks that could lead to significant disruptions.
Conclusion
Internet traffic has risen sharply, leading to a surge in DDoS attacks. This shows that political conflicts now extend to digital security, highlighting the need for strong cyber protection measures, particularly during challenging times, to maintain online service stability.