Once again slow internet at UvA due to DDoS attacks
The UvA is once again experiencing slow internet due to large-scale DDoS attacks on the network. After taking measures, the network seemed stable again yesterday afternoon, but this morning the attacks started again.
Yesterday afternoon, the situation at SURF, the ICT cooperative of Dutch education and research institutions, seemed under control. After 2pm on Thursday afternoon, the cyber attacks stopped and the network seemed stable again. SURF expected that the measures they had taken would ensure that the consequences of another attack would be limited.
That turned out not to be the case, this morning at 8.20am there was another major DDoS attack on various parts of the network, no longer only in the south of the country. A DDoS attack involves deliberately sending a lot of data traffic to a computer or network with the aim of disrupting or shutting down its operation. Currently, to educational institutions in the Netherlands, it means that the internet is slow, not working, or e-mails do not arrive.
“We have almost daily to weekly DDoS attacks on our network,” says the SURF spokesperson, “but never of this magnitude. This is really big.” SURF is investigating whether yesterday’s measures had any positive effect and whether they can restore connections. That should become clear in the next few hours. They are getting help with this from the National Cyber Security Centre. How long the situation will continue, the spokesperson cannot yet comment.
Update 11.40 am. The DDoS-attacks have stopped, reports SURF, and the internet is working again.
