A recent report from Qrator Labs has highlighted a significant escalation in the scale and complexity of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. The report, shared with Hackread.com, indicates that the largest botnet currently tracked has grown to encompass 13.5 million devices, capable of launching attacks with a bandwidth of up to 2 terabits per second. This development poses a substantial threat to industries, particularly financial technology and betting, which have been the most targeted sectors in early 2026.
The botnet's rapid expansion is alarming, having increased tenfold in just one year. Initially identified in March 2025 with 1.33 million devices, it now includes a vast network of infected devices spread across the globe, with significant concentrations in the United States, Brazil, and India. This widespread distribution complicates efforts to block these attacks based on geographic location, as attackers can utilize IP addresses from numerous countries.
A notable aspect of the report is the use of the Aeternum C2 botnet loader, which leverages the Polygon blockchain to issue commands to infected devices. This method circumvents traditional central control mechanisms, making it difficult for law enforcement to dismantle the network. Additionally, the report notes an increase in multi-vector DDoS attacks, which combine different layers of attack methods, further complicating mitigation efforts.
The impact of these attacks is profound, with the financial technology sector experiencing 44.2% of all incidents, followed by banks and payment systems. Information technology companies and betting shops also remain frequent targets. The report details a particularly severe attack on a betting company, which sustained a peak attack of over 2 terabits per second for 40 minutes, illustrating the potential damage such attacks can inflict.
To combat these evolving threats, organizations are urged to bolster their cybersecurity defenses. This includes deploying advanced DDoS protection solutions capable of handling multi-vector attacks and continuously monitoring for unusual traffic patterns. As traditional defenses become less effective, staying ahead of these sophisticated threats is essential for maintaining operational security and resilience.
Source: https://hackread.com/botnet-device-drives-2-tbps-ddos-attacks-fintech/