DDoS Attacks Intensify Despite Decrease in Frequency: Link11 Report

• •DDoS attacks decreased by 42%, but intensity surged to record levels.
• •The highest bandwidth attack reached 2.3 Tbit/s, 85% higher than last year.
• •Law enforcement actions have reduced attack frequency but not intensity.

Link11's European Cyber Report for the first half of 2026 reveals a 42% decrease in DDoS attacks on European organizations, yet the intensity of these attacks has reached unprecedented levels. The highest recorded bandwidth attack peaked at 2.3 Tbit/s, an 85% increase from the previous year. Packet rates also surged to 322 million packets per second, up 56% from 2025. Cumulative data traffic rose by 61%, from 438 to 705 terabytes. This increase in intensity is attributed to super-botnets like Aisuru and Kimwolf, along with hijacked cloud servers. Law enforcement actions, including the takedown of NoName057(16) and major IoT botnets, have contributed to the decline in attack frequency. However, organizations must remain vigilant, as being attacked once increases the likelihood of subsequent attacks. The report emphasizes that the most dangerous attacks may not be the most visible ones, highlighting the need for comprehensive monitoring.