
Andre Reitenbach (Gcore): Cybersecurity and Combating DDoS Attacks
Andre Reitenbach, CEO of Gcore, shares insights on DDoS attacks, effective protective strategies, and priorities for advancing Luxembourg’s cybersecurity landscape.
Can you explain how a DDoS attack works?
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is like overcrowding a concert venue. Normally, a few people enter at a time, but imagine thousands trying to get in at once, blocking the entrance. In a DDoS attack, attackers overwhelm a website or online service with a flood of traffic, making it impossible for legitimate users to access it. Here’s how it works: 1. Too Many Requests: Attackers send a massive number of fake requests to the target, like a crowd of people attempting to enter a venue. 2. Overwhelming the System: The website’s servers can’t handle the load, slowing down or crashing, preventing normal access for users. This disrupts the service, much like a concert being cancelled due to overcrowding.
How can companies and Luxembourg protect themselves and reduce risks?
During the pandemic, we saw a significant shift from offline to online services, including sectors handling sensitive personal data, such as healthcare, e-commerce, and fintech. Just as we use doors and alarms to protect property in the physical world, we also need robust protection against online threats like DDoS attacks. To achieve this, companies can take several important steps. First, continuous monitoring and analysis of threats help identify risks early, enabling faster responses to minimize damage. Second, having a disaster recovery plan ensures businesses can recover quickly if an attack occurs, with backup systems and data recovery processes in place. Lastly, multilayered protection is essential. A combination of firewalls, intrusion detection systems (IDS), web traffic filtering, and specialized DDoS protection can block harmful traffic before it disrupts the network. AI-driven cyber threats are on the rise, and it is crucial to prepare in advance to avoid being overwhelmed
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©Marc Lazzarini
“"The recent DDOS attack raises several questions about resilience of the critical infrastructure.”
What would be your 3 priorities if you were Minister of digitisation?
Cybersecurity is one of the most critical challenges of our time. According to the latest Gcore Radar report, DDoS attacks have increased by 46% compared to the same period last year. Given the rise of AI-powered threats, we expect this trend to continue. For Luxembourg, it’s crucial to unite efforts. I believe in fostering public-private collaboration by creating platforms for companies to share threat intelligence and best practices. Collaborating with local firms that handle DDoS protection daily will help develop effective strategies. I also emphasize the importance of investing in advanced DDoS protection for critical networks in both the government and private sectors to strengthen national defence. Failing to invest now could lead to higher costs later. Finally, public awareness campaigns are vital to educating businesses on cybersecurity, alongside investments in training programs to build a skilled workforce.
