• NetScout's October 20, 2026, report recorded 9,146,021 global DDoS attacks in the first half of 2026.
• Attacks exceeding 1 terabit per second or 1 billion packets per second surged 1,286% year over year to 1,095.
• Direct-path attacks accounted for 64.4% of attacks, increasing pressure for selective mitigation that preserves legitimate traffic.
• DDoS-for-hire services increasingly compete on effectiveness rather than bandwidth, using residential sources to help attacks blend into legitimate traffic.
• The findings underscore demand for intelligent mitigation capacity, with on-premises protection complemented by cloud services for attacks exceeding local capacity.

Disclaimer: This news brief was created by Public Technologies (PUBT) using generative artificial intelligence. While PUBT strives to provide accurate and timely information, this AI-generated content is for informational purposes only and should not be interpreted as financial, investment, or legal advice. NetScout Systems Inc. published the original content used to generate this news brief on October 20, 2026, and is solely responsible for the information contained therein.