Pokémon Go Hit By DDoS Attack

Pokemon Go login servers were hit by hackers with a DDoS attack, leaving players frustrated and unable to log into the game. In light of this news, Paul Heywood, MD EMEA, Dyn, the Internet Performance expert commented below, on best practice for businesses when it comes to preparing for DDoS attacks.

 Paul Heywood, MD EMEA at Dyn: 

 “Since the launch of Pokémon Go, it’s all people can seem to talk about. But perhaps following this weekend, conversations haven’t been all that positive, as players found themselves unable to log in to the game as the result of a suspected DDoS attack. As we can see, DDoS attacks are not only frustrating for eager Pokémon hunters to deal with, but they can have very real, detrimental consequences for businesses such damaged brand reputation. In today’s digital-first world, such incidents must be eliminated – so what can we learn from this attack to avoid a similar scenario in the future?

“It starts with being prepared and aware. By using tools that allow you to know and understand your company’s network’s normal behaviour, IT teams can be made aware of any abnormal incidents such as DDoS attacks, enabling them to make any necessary remedial actions quickly. Some tools in the market can even pre-emptively understand when a DDoS attack may be about to occur using modelling from past DDoS attacks and alerting companies of the risk. Secondly, outsourcing to an internet performance management company with traffic monitoring, failover and rerouting capabilities can ensure users are directed to other hosts that aren’t down to ensure gamers can carry on gaming.”