VK will launch its own AI-based protection system against DDoS attacks

The company hopes that the trained AI models will be able to distinguish between the actions of real users and malicious traffic based on the data collected. By the end of the year, it is planned to implement the system in VK Video, Odnoklassniki, Zen and Mail. Previously, its protection was provided by third-party information security solutions.

As VK clarified, AI models are trained with anonymized data on user behavior and enable early detection of malicious traffic, even if it looks like normal traffic. In addition to combating DDoS attacks, the system detects analyzer programs that collect open data on users and brute force programs that probe passwords. The company does not reveal the amount of the investment in the project. However, according to a source close to VK Tech, the possibility of selling the WARP system to external clients as a cloud solution is being discussed.

Evgeny Chereshnev, vice president of strategy and innovation at MTS, added that AI is not typically needed to combat DDoS attacks, as it is more of a data management issue. However, in the case of countering bots, AI is necessary. DDoS-Guard specialists emphasize that AI systems require a wide range of data to function effectively, as attack methods are constantly changing.

Aleksey Lukatsky, business consultant on information security at Positive Technologies, recalled that in the Russian market there are still no examples of successful information security solutions from companies that do not specialize in this area.

According to Qrator Labs, in the third quarter of 2024, the number of DDoS attacks increased by 319% compared to the same period last year. During the period analyzed, attacks on the macro-segments of fintech (31.94%), e-commerce (21.13%) and IT and telecommunications (9.58%) predominated.

A DDoS attack is one of the most common and destructive cyberattacks that can paralyze the work of servers, websites and entire companies. RB.RU talked about how protection against DDoS attacks works and how to know if a site is under attack.