Alabama Gov't Websites Suffer DDoS Attacks, Blames 'Hacktivists'

Alabama's state websites suffered multiple DDoS cyberattacks from so-called "hacktivists" last Tuesday, CNN reported.

A spokesperson from Alabama's Office of Information Technology said the state has already "diminished" most of the effects from the cyberattack as it worked with network service vendors.

All sites are reportedly "functioning properly and allowing normal business operations to occur" as of Thursday.

The DDoS attacks were reported just days after Birmingham, one of Alabama's largest cities, reported network service issues.

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey also claimed no breach of government networks or employee data has been reportedly stolen from the attack.

Cybercrime group Anonymous Sudan claimed responsibility for the attack to apparently call attention "to the dire situation in Sudan."

The group has been known to target Western organizations and governments that are believed to be engaging in "anti-Muslim activity," according to Cloudflare.

Among their common targets were Sweden, Denmark, the US, and Australia. The group is believed to have originated from or supported by Russia.

DDoS Attacks Ramp Up Amid Rising Political Conflicts

DDoS and other forms of cyberattacks have been reported to have been increasing over the past year, often targeting essential services like healthcare and network systems of government filings.

Several local agencies have already promised to improve their cybersecurity against possible attacks in the future.

The US and Europe first recorded a massive surge in cyberattacks following Russia's invasion to Ukraine in Feb. 2022.

How to Protect Website from DDoS Attacks?

Unlike other cyberattacks, DDoS, or distributed denial of service, attacks are considered an "effective" but unsophisticated method of online service disruption.

These kinds of attacks can easily be prevented and resolved, especially by larger tech institutions.

According to Cloudflare, employing DDoS protection plans like additional network layers, bigger bandwidth capacity, and a secured domain name system is a good way to protect websites from smaller DDoS attacks.

Using web application firewalls and limiting the traffic volume allowed on the site can prevent web networks from crashing when a surge of entries is suddenly recorded.

Most of these can be acquired through paid web protection services but some can still be accomplished by one person.