NETSCOUT launches ML-Based Adaptive DDoS Protection

NETSCOUT Systems, Inc. has unveiled the latest version of Arbor Edge Defense (AED), its cybersecurity solution that offers protection against Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. The updated version includes Adaptive DDoS Protection, which utilizes machine learning (ML) technology and global threat intelligence to counter the growing threat of dynamic DDoS attacks.

According to NETSCOUT’s recent DDoS Threat Intelligence Report, there has been a notable rise in dynamic DDoS attacks employing multiple vectors and techniques. These attacks aim to evade traditional static network and cloud-based DDoS defenses by launching botnet-based, direct-path, state exhaustion, and application-layer attacks. Enterprises face significant risks if they fail to deploy effective on-premises DDoS solutions to safeguard their network edge, internet-facing services, and critical infrastructure such as firewalls and load balancers.

AED’s Adaptive DDoS Protection offers IT teams a scalable solution for stateless packet processing. Leveraging extensive visibility into over 50% of global internet traffic, real-time DDoS threat intelligence, decades of mitigation experience, and ML software intelligence, the solution can automatically detect, adapt to, and mitigate dynamic DDoS attacks. This empowers enterprises to counter evolving cyber threats effectively.

Scott Iekel-Johnson, AVP, DDoS and Threat Intelligence at NETSCOUT, highlighted the need for IT teams to outsmart malicious actors in an ever-evolving threat landscape. With AED’s Adaptive DDoS Protection, enterprises can benefit from NETSCOUT’s expertise in DDoS attacks and reduce unnecessary workloads that may require expensive upgrades. The solution offers continuous protection and the ability to scale while managing multiple edge points from a centralized interface.

AED operates as an automated defense mechanism deployed at the internet edge, analyzing inbound and outbound traffic using stateless packet processing, ML, and global DDoS threat intelligence. By blocking incoming cyber threats, including DDoS attacks and malicious traffic, AED reduces the burden on firewalls, load balancers, and VPN concentrators. It also prevents the spread of malware within an organization and blocks outbound communications from compromised internal devices to malicious sites, mitigating the risk of data breaches and other malicious activities. AED enables IT teams to investigate and address threats before they can cause significant harm.

In the event of a large-scale volumetric DDoS attack, AED’s cloud signaling feature integrates with cloud-based DDoS protection providers, such as NETSCOUT’s Arbor Cloud. This coordination facilitates an intelligent and automatic response between on-premises adaptive DDoS attack protection and cloud-based volumetric protection.

NETSCOUT ASERT, the company’s security research and DDoS attack mitigation team, collaborates with over 500 Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to maintain a unique sensor network called ATLAS. Through ATLAS, ASERT receives an extensive volume of international transit traffic, providing unmatched visibility into more than 50% of all internet traffic and real-time DDoS attack activity. Leveraging the ATLAS Intelligence Feed (AIF), ASERT continually equips AED with curated intelligence that updates the IP addresses of participating bots and reflectors/amplifiers involved in DDoS attacks worldwide. AED’s Adaptive DDoS defense capabilities, based on ML algorithms, utilize this intelligence to recommend changes to attack countermeasures and effectively counter dynamic DDoS attacks.