How DDoS Attacks Disrupt Gaming

Introduction

Did you know that the gaming industry generates more than 3X the revenue of the recorded music and movie industries combined? Gaming is a $184.4 billion market, comprised of more than 2.5 billion gamers globally. Its size is impressive, but it also means it has a target on its back as threat actors increasingly focus on capitalizing on its prominence.

As the number of games and subscription services increase, so do the number of user accounts which means more opportunities to launch DDoS attacks. Between 2023 and 2024, DDoS attacks in gaming increased 94% on a global basis.

In this blog, we’ll explore how DDoS attacks disrupt online gaming, the impact on gameplay, and what can be done to prevent these cyber threats that don’t just disrupt gamers, but game providers and the services that deliver them.  

Understanding DDoS Attacks 

Imagine trying to enter a stadium for a football game, but instead of a steady stream of people, everyone is trying to enter at the same time. That’s what happens in a DDoS attack, only the people are digital traffic, and the stadium is an online service or website. Threat actors flood a targeted server with illegitimate traffic, frequently using botnets to send traffic from multiple different systems at the same time. The goal is to slow down the performance of the website or service or knock it offline completely to deny users access.

There are many different reasons why threat actors launch DDoS attacks, including:

• Corporate advantage: Some threat actors want to damage a competitive company by taking down their website in the hopes of inflicting financial losses and attracting business from them while their services are disrupted. They may also use a DDoS attack as a distraction while they conduct corporate espionage by moving laterally across the network looking for intellectual property or trade secrets to exfiltrate.
• Hacktivism: Disgruntled individuals and hacktivists may want to take down an organization’s service to send a message or express disapproval of a business practice.
• Financial gain: DDoS attacks can also be used in combination with other attack types to extort money from the target organization. The threat actor launches a DDoS attack and then follows-up with a ransomware attack, requesting hundreds of thousands of dollars or more in return for bringing their services back online. To put even more pressure on the target to pay, the threat actor might also exfiltrate sensitive information and threaten to leak it unless payment is made.

DDoS Attacks in the Gaming World

When it comes to DDoS attacks on the gaming industry, motivations including corporate advantage, hacktivism, and financial gain still apply. However, there’s another motivation for an attacker that’s unique to this industry: to win the game, cause a rival to lose, or influence the outcome in some other way.

On average, gamers tend to be technically savvy individuals, so they are able to become a threat. Additionally, a variety of free DDoS tool kits are available online and pre-built services can be rented for less than $100 which lower the barrier to execute attacks. With knowledge of specific IP addresses and access to these tools, these “troublemaker” threat actors have demonstrated they are quite capable of launching DDoS attacks against game providers or other players.

Impact on Online Games

The most notable example of a DDoS attack against a game provider was the attack on Sony’s PlayStation Network and the Xbox Live Network in December 2014. In a “Grinch-like” maneuver, the attack affected 160 million gamers and lasted for three days over the Christmas holiday.

In March 2021, sore losers launched a DDoS attack against legitimate top-ranked players of the game Apex Legends, to cheat and win. More recently, DDoS attacks forced a League of Legends online gaming tournament to be suspended, impacting players and viewers.

How DDoS Attacks Work in Gaming

Here’s how a DDoS attack can play out in a gaming scenario:

1. Amplify: The attacker uses a botnet (a network of interconnected devices that they have infected with malware and control remotely) to send a massive amount of traffic to the game’s servers.
2. Overwhelm: The server quickly becomes overwhelmed with bogus traffic and can’t process data.
3. Outcome: The server slows down or crashes completely and players experience lag, disconnections, or can’t access the game at all.

In some cases, attackers directly target players’ computers to knock them offline during a game. When the player comes back online, they see they’ve lost their lead, or the game is over and they’re entirely out of the competition.

Effects on Gaming

Whether the target is a game provider or individual players, DDoS attacks ruin the gaming experience in several ways.

• Lag: The game becomes slow and unresponsive.
• Disconnections: The player can get dropped from the game repeatedly.
• Server downtime: Play is entirely suspended until the server is back online which could be hours or days later.
• Lost progress: Players lose their position in the game and, in some cases, also lose rewards earned during the game.
• Competitive disadvantage: In competitive or ranked play, DDoS attacks can impact a player’s standing.

For gaming providers, a service disruption from a DDoS attack can have a huge impact on the company, including:

• Lost revenue: DDoS attacks can last for hours or even days. The longer a game is unavailable, the greater the potential for lost revenue.
• Reputational damage: When gamers lose their connection and their ranking and competitive position are at risk, a game provider’s reputation can also take a hit.
• Recovery costs: In addition to the costs of bringing services back online, recovery costs can also include forensic analysis and upgrades to defenses. Depending on the impact on gamers, there may also be costs associated with their regaining trust and loyalty.
• Follow-on attacks. Threat actors can use a DDoS attack as a way to disguise their real intentions. While the security team is distracted by addressing the denial of service, the threat actor shifts their focus to compromise other systems for other types of attacks such as data breaches and ransomware.

Advanced DDoS Protection for the Gaming Industry

For gaming providers and ISPs that support the gaming industry, the most effective and efficient way to prevent DDoS attacks is with a proven DDoS protection solution that mitigates the gamut of DDoS attacks and provides uninterrupted service availability even in the midst of a DDoS attack.

Advanced DDoS protection should include AI-assisted threat intelligence to continually learn from new data and adapt in real time to stay ahead of emerging threats, counter evolving methods, and keep defenses sharp. An automated, AI-assisted service can deliver preemptive, predictive attack mitigation, before the first attack is even seen. These solutions can also react instantly to protect against follow-on malicious activity including data leakage, ransomware attacks, and other threats to operations.

How Gamers Can Mitigate DDoS Attacks

There are several best practices and tools players can use to mitigate and prevent DDoS attacks to their systems, including the following:

• Implement strong cyber hygiene: Sticking to rules like: never share your IP address, don’t click on links you don’t recognize, avoid cheat tools that can contain malware, and use strong passwords can go a long way to preventing DDoS attacks.
• Update software: Whether you’re gaming on a PC or mobile device, be sure to accept software updates as soon as they are available as they often include security updates that are effective at preventing DDoS attacks.
• Update hardware: Keep your router or modem up to date with the latest firmware version, or consider a newer gaming router which often has DDoS protection capabilities built in.
• Install/update anti-virus or anti-malware software: Viruses and malware evolve frequently so keep your security software up to date.
• Change IP addresses: Particularly after a gaming session, unplug the router for several minutes and then plug it back in. This removes the IP address from your computer so the ISP will automatically assign your PC a new IP address.
• Use a VPN: This technology hides your IP address. For an extra layer of security, it also encrypts your outgoing traffic so threat actors can’t read it.

Conclusion

DDoS attacks in gaming increased 94% last year. And as the number of games and subscription services increase, so do the number of user accounts which means more opportunities to launch DDoS attacks.

When it comes to the gaming industry, attacker motivations including corporate advantage, hacktivism, and financial gain still apply. However, there’s another motivation for an attacker that’s unique to this industry: to win the game, cause a rival to lose, or influence the outcome in some other way.

DDoS attacks can ruin the gaming experience for players and the impact on game providers can be costly. Providers may face revenue, reputational, and financial losses as they struggle to bring services back online as quickly as possible.  

There are several best practices and technologies gamers can use to mitigate DDoS attacks, including practical tips like good cyber hygiene, updating software and hardware, changing IP addresses frequently, using a VPN, and installing anti-virus/anti-malware software.  

For gaming providers and ISPs that support the gaming industry, the most effective and efficient way prevent DDoS attacks is with a proven DDoS protection solution that mitigates the gamut of DDoS attacks and provides uninterrupted service availability even in the midst of an attack. Advanced DDoS protection should include AI-assisted threat intelligence to continually learn from new data and adapt in real time to stay ahead of emerging threats, counter evolving methods, and keep defenses sharp.

Visit our threat intelligence research center for more information on DDoS defense in depth.