Microsoft’s Azure cloud platform has been the target of a record-breaking distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, underscoring the persistent challenge of defending cloud-based systems against such large-scale, sophisticated cyber threats.
According to Microsoft, the attack peaked at over 4 terabits per second (Tbps), surpassing the previous record of 2.4 Tbps set in 2023. The sheer scale of the assault overwhelmed Azure’s defences, temporarily disrupting the availability of some services for customers in multiple regions.
While Microsoft was able to successfully mitigate the attack and restore normal operations, the incident serves as a reminder of the vulnerability of cloud infrastructure to DDoS attacks, which are often used by cybercriminals and state-sponsored actors to disrupt business operations, extort organisations, or lay the groundwork for more sophisticated intrusions. As cloud computing continues to be the backbone of modern digital services, cloud providers and their customers must remain vigilant and invest in robust, multilayered DDoS mitigation strategies to safeguard against such potent threats.