September 24, 2014 Akamai Warns of Large DDoS Attacks from Spike DDoS Toolkit
Akamai Contacts Rob Morton
Media Relations
617-444-3641
rmorton@akamai.com
or
Tom Barth
Investor Relations
617-274-7130
tbarth@akamai.com
New denial of service attack toolkit was used in large DDoS campaigns this summer
Botnet builders target a wider range of Internet-capable devices
Advisory shares rule sets for DDoS mitigation and prevention of bot infection
CAMBRIDGE, Mass September 24, 2014 Akamai Technologies, Inc. (NASDAQ: AKAM), the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimizing and securing online content and business applications, today released, through the company's Prolexic Security Engineering & Response Team (PLXsert), a new cybersecurity threat advisory. The advisory alerts enterprises to a high-risk threat of powerful distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks from the Spike DDoS toolkit. With this toolkit, malicious actors are building bigger DDoS botnets by targeting a wider range Internet-capable devices. The advisory is available for download from Prolexic (now part of Akamai) at www.prolexic.com/spike.
This summer Akamai mitigated huge multi-vector DDoS attack campaigns that we traced to bots controlled by the new Spike DDoS toolkit, said Stuart Scholly, senior vice president and general manager, Security Business Unit, Akamai. This DDoS kit is designed to build botnets from devices and platforms that system administrators may not have thought to be at risk for botnet infection in the past. Enterprises need system hardening to prevent initial infection and DDoS protection to stop DDoS attacks from the Spike bots.
Huge, multi-vector attack peaked at 215 Gbps, 150 Mpps
The multi-vector toolkit can launch infrastructure-based and application-based DDoS payloads. Attacks include SYN flood, UDP flood, Domain Name System (DNS) query flood, and GET floods. Several campaigns have been reported against hosts in Asia and the United States. DDoS attack campaigns launched from the botnet have targeted Akamai customers. One DDoS attack campaign mitigated by Akamai peaked at 215 gigabits per second (Gbps) and 150 million packets per second (Mpps).
Botnet builders use more types of Internet-capable devices
The Spike DDoS toolkit runs on a Windows system, but it can communicate and execute commands to Windows, Linux and ARM-based devices infected with its binary payloads. The ability to generate an ARM-based binary payload suggests that the authors of this malicious tool are seeking to control devices such as routers and Internet of Things (IoT) devices (i.e., smart thermostat systems and washer/dryers). The capability to infect and control a broader range of devices could allow DDoS attackers to propagate botnets in a post-PC era.
DDoS mitigation of Spike DDoS attacks
Most the infrastructure DDoS attacks launched by the Spike DDoS toolkit can be mitigated by implementing access control lists (ACLs) that filter out unwanted traffic. To mitigate against the toolkits application-layer GET flood attack, PLXsert has produced a SNORT signature, which is available in the threat advisory.
System hardening recommended
The multi-platform infection code in this kit increases the threats complexity and sophistication and makes it necessary to apply system hardening measures to each of the targeted operating systems and platforms. Links to industry recommended hardening techniques are provided to system administrators in the advisory. The advisory also provides a YARA rule to identify bot payloads used to infect devices and make them part of the botnet.
PLXsert anticipates further infestation and the expansion of this DDoS botnet.
Get the Spike DDoS Toolkit Threat Advisory to learn more
In the advisory, PLXsert shares its analysis and details about the Spike DDoS toolkit, including:
Indicators of binary infection
Command and control panel
Toolkit variations
Bot initialization
DDoS payloads
Details of an observed attack campaign
DDoS mitigation, including a SNORT rule to stop the GET flood attack
System hardening resources
YARA rule for preventing bot infection
A complimentary copy of the threat advisory is available for download at www.prolexic.com/spike.
About Akamai
Akamai is the leading provider of cloud services for delivering, optimising and securing online content and business applications. At the core of the Companys solutions is the Akamai Intelligent Platform , providing extensive reach, coupled with unmatched reliability, security, visibility and expertise. Akamai removes the complexities of connecting the increasingly mobile world, supporting 24/7 consumer demand, and enabling enterprises to securely leverage the cloud. To learn more about how Akamai is accelerating the pace of innovation in a hyperconnected world, please visit www.akamai.com or blogs.akamai.com, and follow @Akamai on Twitter.
Top
Most recent headlines
01/01/2026
Latin Grammy Cultural Foundation Announces 2026 Noel Schajris Scholarship The scholarship will cover tuition and housing for one Berklee College of Music stud...
01/01/2026
New year, new games, all with RTX 5080-powered cloud energy. GeForce NOW is kicking off 2026 by looking back at an unforgettable year of wins and wildly high fr...
31/12/2025
Back to All News
NFL Christmas Gameday on Netflix Scores Again With the Lions-V...
30/12/2025
As the College Football Playoff Enters the Quarterfinals, ESPN Blows Out Its Meg...
30/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Original ArticlesTake a look back at all our coverage of big-time productions, game-changing technologies, and state-of-the-art new faci...
30/12/2025
MELBOURNE, Fla., Dec. 30, 2025 - L3Harris Technologies (NYSE: LHX) will release its fourth quarter 2025 financial results before the market opens on Thursday, J...
30/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
30/12/2025
It marked the first civilian operational authorization for a HAPS flight in Europe, led by Space42's subsidiary, Mira Aerospace
The flight demonstrated HAP...
29/12/2025
San Francisco 49ers Strike Gold With Halftime Laser SpectacularStunning display caps $200 million renovation of Levi's Stadium techBy Dan Daley, Audio Edito...
29/12/2025
The Cup's Around the Corner: An Inside Look at Broadcast Preparations for th...
29/12/2025
SVG's Best of 2025: Longform VideoWatch the standout keynote conversations, deep dives, and panel discussions from the year for free on SVG PLAY!By Brandon ...
29/12/2025
From crisper Lossless audio and immersive music videos in beta to new Audiobooks+ plans, custom transitions between tracks, and in-app Messages, we keep levelin...
29/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
27/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
26/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
25/12/2025
Holiday lights are twinkling, hot cocoa's on the stove and gamers are settling in for a well-earned break.
Whether staying in or heading on a winter getawa...
24/12/2025
What is AI good for? Posted by MTI Film on December 24, 2025
What is AI good for?
What is AI good for?
It's been three years since ChatGPT first cap...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
The Boyfriend' Season 2 Unveils Heartwarming Trailer, Key...
24/12/2025
Back to All News
Love, Fights, and Everything in Between: Badly in Love' Returns for Season 2
Entertainment
24 December 2025
GlobalJapan
Link copied t...
24/12/2025
Scripps Research study links sleep variability with sleep apnea and hypertension How consumers' digital activity trackers could enable personalized health s...
23/12/2025
How guilas Cibae as Dominican Winter League Games Are Locally Produced for Glob...
23/12/2025
BitFire's Jim Akimchuk on Supplying Scalability and Customization in the Clo...
23/12/2025
CAMB.AI Enables European Athletics to Offer Multi-Language SupportPlan is to eventually offer translation into all languages spoken in EuropeBy Ken Kerschbaumer...
23/12/2025
Analysis: As sports media values trend negative, scarcity and quality are king By Callum McCarthy, Editor-at-Large
Monday, December 22, 2025 - 14:08
Print ...
23/12/2025
ESPN, Disney, and NBA Return to the Animated Altcast Fray With Second Edition of...
23/12/2025
End the Year on a High Note and Donate to the Sports Broadcasting Fund Today!By Ken Kerschbaumer, Editorial Director
Tuesday, December 23, 2025 - 12:25 pm
P...
23/12/2025
The year is winding down, the weather outside is frightful, and it's the perfect time to escape into a story that warms the heart. For listeners looking for...
23/12/2025
A Zeus motor is hot fire tested at L3Harris' Camden, Arkansas, solid rocket ...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Lightware will exhibit several major product innovations at ISE 2026, including the new USB-C BOOSTER-V1, Google Meet. integration for various Taurus UCX models...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Share Share by:
Copy link
Facebook
X
Whatsapp
Pinterest
Flipboard...
23/12/2025
Taking the Stage at Carnegie Hall-On a Global Scale Boston Conservatory Orchestra students reflect on their epic concert marking the 80th session of the UN Gene...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Netflix's The Great Flood and Culinary Class Wars 2 Top Gl...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
Stranger Things By the Numbers: How the Global Phenomenon Shap...
23/12/2025
Experience the power of WO Automation for Radio's newest service, the System Effectiveness Review. Designed to help you achieve more, a System Effectiveness...
23/12/2025
23 Dec 2025
VEON's Beeline Kazakhstan and Rakuten Symphony Collaborate to A...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
How Steamy Can It Get? Single's Inferno' Season 5 Pre...
23/12/2025
Back to All News
33 Million Global Viewers on Netflix Watched Jake Paul vs. Ant...
September 24, 2014 Akamai Warns of Large DDoS Attacks from Spike DDoS Toolkit 
