Manchester-based technology firm UKFast is investing £4m to expand its network globally, launching new points of presence (POPs) in Amsterdam, Seattle and Manchester.
The landmark move marks the first phase in a series of global network investments for the firm.
The expansion more than doubles the capacity of UKFast’s distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) mitigation network, DDoSX.
DDoS attacks flood a website or server with malicious traffic, making it unavailable to its intended users. Attacks are still on the rise, with attackers harnessing insecure Internet of Things (IoT) devices to create ever-larger attacks.
The largest DDoS attack ever delivered occurred in 2018, measuring 1.3Tbps.
DDoSX uses complex algorithms and AI to analyse malicious online behaviour and defends organisations against the significant impact of DDoS attacks, absorbing traffic and filtering it away from the target’s IT systems.
The global DDoSX infrastructure also offers clients access to content delivery network (CDN) and web application firewall (WAF) services.
UKFast CEO Lawrence Jones said: “The rise in the intensity and regularity of DDoS attacks in recent years is alarming. A decade ago we might have seen one DDoS attack a year. Nowadays it can be three or four a day.
“The latest investment in DDoSX enables greater performance and resilience for clients, whilst giving us the capacity to absorb attacks of even greater strength. The new POPs are also strategically positioned to allow our network to deliver content at incredible speed to our clients’ end users around the world.
“Whilst attackers often use proxy servers to mask their identity, everything is traceable on the internet. There are more and more people being prosecuted for DDoS and similar attacks. Our AI platform uses data from multiple touch points across the network and security operations centre, collating information about specific IPs and locations to keep on watch lists. We are working closely with law enforcement agencies to help protect people online.”
DDoS attacks are also used as a decoy while hackers attempt to access IT environments.
UKFast CTO Neil Lathwood added: “DDoS attacks on eCommerce websites traditionally spike around peak shopping periods, creating the maximum amount of disruption possible. It’s not unknown for it to be used to blackmail business owners or bring down competitors.
“Downtime from a DDoS attack is incredibly damaging for the countless organisations that depend on being up and running 24/7/365.
“DDoSX is a simple, plug-and-play solution that’s proved incredibly popular in the marketplace. With attackers creating botnets by targeting IoT devices, DDoS attacks continue to increase in intensity and remain a significant threat.”
