What Happened?
- Kaveri 2.0, Karnataka’s property registration portal, faced severe server outages in December 2024 – January 2025.
- Investigation revealed it was a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, not a technical glitch.
- Attackers flooded the system with fake database entries and excessive requests, disrupting services.
Relevance : GS 3(Internal Security , Cyber Safety)
Impact of the Attack
- 62 email accounts from 14 IP addresses were involved.
- In January 2025, 6.2 lakh requests were sent in two hours, overwhelming the system.
- Registrations dropped sharply on February 1 and 4.
- Portal was restored on February 5, but the incident exposed cybersecurity vulnerabilities.
What is a DDoS Attack?
- A DDoS attack overwhelms a target (server/network) with massive internet traffic, making it inaccessible.
- Unlike a DoS attack (single-source), DDoS uses multiple compromised systems (botnet).
- It doesn’t steal data but disrupts services, causing financial and reputational damage.
- Attackers often use it as a distraction for bigger cyber threats.
How Can Such Attacks Be Prevented?
- Traffic Filtering: Differentiating real users from malicious bots.
- Monitoring Tools: Identifying unusual traffic spikes in real-time.
- Rate Limiting: Restricting excessive user requests.
- Bot Detection: Using CAPTCHA and behavioral analysis.
- Cybersecurity Collaboration: Working with security agencies to track attackers.
- User Awareness: Preventing phishing-based account compromises.
Other Major DDoS Attacks
- X (formerly Twitter) Attack (August 2024):
- Elon Musk reported a massive DDoS attack that caused disruptions before his conversation with Donald Trump.
- GitHub Attack (2015):
- China-based botnet targeted censorship circumvention tools on GitHub using malicious JavaScript injections.
Takeaway
- The Kaveri 2.0 attack highlights the urgent need for robust cybersecurity measures, especially for government digital infrastructure.
