DDoS extortion is back… ANALYSIS A growth in ransom-related DDoS (RDDoS) attacks has accompanied a growing sophistication and diversity in attack vectors over the last year, according to a range of security vendors quizzed by The Daily Swig. Types of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks can include volumetric, protocol-based, and application-based assaults. Many are slung from so-called botnets of compromised computers, mobiles, or IoT devices. Means, motive, and opportunity The most common motives for launching a DDoS and jamming an adversary/competitor’s web performance include extorting victims for financial gain or to serve as a decoy tactic for another cyber-attack.