DDoS's Evolution Doesn't Require a Security Evolution They may have grown in sophistication, with more widespread consequences, yet today's distributed denial-of-service attacks can still be fought with conventional tools. (Image: Alexey Novikov via Adobe Stock) Distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks that take down online systems are nearly as old as the public Internet. But over the years, they have morphed and evolved into larger and more destructive forms — increasingly focused on monetization. Today, as organizations expand partnerships and supply chains — and with employees working from home due to the pandemic — the stakes are higher than ever. "DDoS attacks have grown in sophistication as well as in bandwidth and throughput," says Roland Dobbins, principal engineer for network performance firm NetScout. "We see new DDoS vectors discovered or developed by more skilled attackers, more rapidly weaponized, incorporated into DDoS-for-hire services, and made accessible to anyone who can click a mouse and is intent on wreaking havoc."