---
title: Cloudflare Successfully Detects and Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack Recorded
description: Cloudflare Successfully Detects and Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack Recorded
---

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# Cloudflare Successfully Detects and Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack Recorded

Cloudflare Successfully Detects and Mitigates Largest DDoS Attack Recorded

![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png) By Randy Hall Updated Jul 2024 3 min read Share [**](https://www.linkedin.com/sharing/share-offsite/?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2023/03/02/cloudflare-successfully-detects-and-mitigates-largest-ddos-attack-recorded) [**](https://twitter.com/intent/tweet?url=https://blog.securafy.com/2023/03/02/cloudflare-successfully-detects-and-mitigates-largest-ddos-attack-recorded&text=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3ECloudflare+Successfully+Detects+and+Mitigates+Largest+DDoS+Attack+Recorded%3C%2Fspan%3E) [**](mailto:?subject=%3Cspan+id%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper_name%22+class%3D%22hs_cos_wrapper+hs_cos_wrapper_meta_field+hs_cos_wrapper_type_text%22+style%3D%22%22+data-hs-cos-general-type%3D%22meta_field%22+data-hs-cos-type%3D%22text%22+%3ECloudflare+Successfully+Detects+and+Mitigates+Largest+DDoS+Attack+Recorded%3C%2Fspan%3E&body=https://blog.securafy.com/2023/03/02/cloudflare-successfully-detects-and-mitigates-largest-ddos-attack-recorded)

![](https://static.hsstatic.net/BlogImporterAssetsUI/ex/missing-image.png)During the weekend of Feb. 11-12, 2023, content delivery network provider Cloudflare detected and mitigated an unusually high number of hyper-volumetric DDoS attacks. It did not disclose the targets but mentioned some of the attacked websites. These included a gaming provider, hosting providers, cloud computing platforms, and cryptocurrency companies.

The attack ranged between 50 to 70 million requests per second (rps) and peaked at 71 million rps. That is the largest reported HTTP DDoS attack, surpassing the 46 rps recorded in June 2022.

**What Is a DDoS Attack?**  
 Short for Distributed Denial-of-Service, this is a malicious attempt by a third party to disrupt a server or network by overwhelming it with internet traffic.

Perpetrators need multiple sources of traffic to achieve this. A common tactic is to infect  
 several machines with malware. They exploit these systems to divert traffic to their target.  
 Most users do not even realize their computer or smartphone is infected and used for this  
 purpose.

The amount of traffic sent to a website can clog the network and make it unavailable to  
 customers. Not only could this disrupt business operations, but it could also lead to a loss of revenue and angry customers.

**Where the Attack Came From**  
 Cloudflare detected that the traffic source was coming from several cloud providers. They  
 worked together to stop the connection and prevent it from achieving its goal.

Damian Mensher, a security reliability engineer from Google, confirmed that Google Cloud  
 was among those affected providers. He said, "Thanks Cloudflare for your partnership in  
 getting the infrastructure dismantled."

Cloudflare does not believe that the attack was related to the recent health care website  
 ransomware attacks or the Super Bowl.

**How to Protect Against DDoS Attacks**  
 Many organizations rely on their websites to connect with their customers. Whether it is  
 gathering messages or taking orders, these are crucial parts of the operations. To prevent a  
 DDoS attack, companies can:

1. Fortify network architecture  
 2. Reduce attack surface exposure by using a CDN  
 3. Have early detection systems in place  
 4. Understand warning signs  
 5. Have a comprehensive security solution

Prevention is always better than cure. And with the rise of malicious attacks, cybersecurity is a smart investment for organizations.

Tagged Under IT Operations[Cybersecurity](https://blog.securafy.com/tag/cybersecurity)Business Continuity

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![Randy Hall](https://blog.securafy.com/hubfs/Randy%20Hall%202.png)

About The Author

Randy Hall · CEO & Founder

Randy Hall is the CEO and Founder of Securafy, with decades of experience helping organizations make smarter, safer decisions about technology.

 A frequent speaker and instructor at national IT events, Randy has advised thousands of organizations, from startups and SMBs to large enterprises and U.S. government entities, on secure, practical technology adoption. He writes about the decisions business leaders are often expected to make without enough context, including cybersecurity, compliance, AI, cyber insurance, IT strategy, and business resilience.

 Outside the office, you’ll often find Randy on Lake Erie enjoying time on his 38-foot Chris-Craft.

**Writes about:** Cybersecurity strategy, compliance, AI security, business resilience, cyber insurance, SMB risk, IT leadership

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