Short, Sharp, Catastrophic


Gcore breaks down the 6 Tbps AISURU DDoS targeting hosting providers


Andrey Slastenov, Head of Security at Gcore, explains how the 6 Tbps AISURU DDoS attack unfolded and what it reveals about rising short-burst assaults and global infrastructure weaknesses.


One of the largest DDoS attacks ever recorded has been blocked by Gcore, after a short-burst, high-intensity assault targeting a hosting provider serving the gaming sector peaked at 6 Tbps and 5.3 Bpps.


Although the attack lasted less than 45 seconds, its methodology and scale matched recent AISURU botnet activity, underlining how rapidly modern botnets can overwhelm critical infrastructure.


More than half of the malicious traffic originated from Brazil and nearly a quarter from the US, reflecting how unsecured, high- density device regions continue to fuel large-scale botnet operations. Gcore’s globally distributed network and AI-driven DDoS Protection were able to mitigate the incident without service disruption—an outcome that reinforces the growing need for integrated, real-time defence as attacks evolve in volume and complexity.


Te incident echoes findings from Gcore’s latest Radar Report, which warns that the gaming sector remains one of the most targeted industries and has seen a 41 per cent rise in DDoS activity in recent months. With attack patterns shifting toward short, powerful bursts and multi-regional origins, the case highlights why gaming companies and their hosting providers must strengthen resilience with sophisticated, AI-enabled cybersecurity.


Speaking to G3, Andrey Slastenov, Head of Security at Gcore, outlines how the company mitigated a 6 Tbps DDoS in real time and why attackers are shifting to rapid-burst, application-layer tactics.


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Andrey, what made the recent DDoS attack one of the largest ever recorded, and what indicators confirmed its association with the AISURU botnet?


We were able to confirm its association with the AISURU botnet because the methodology and short-burst volumetric flooding that characterised this attack are consistent with the behaviour and scale of recent AISURU-attributed incidents. It is one of the largest attacks recorded due to its peak volume of 6 Tbps and peak packet rate of 5.3 Bpps.


Te attack lasted only 30 to 45 seconds but reached 6 Tbps. Why are these short-burst, high-intensity attacks becoming more common, and what makes them so difficult to defend against?


Short-burst, high-intensity attacks have historically been the standard employed by DDoS threat actors. In Q1-Q2 2025, they made up 57 per cent of global attacks. However, this is the first time we are seeing an attack of such unprecedented magnitude – 6 Tbps. Te unpredictable, irregular traffic patterns of such attacks closely mimic legitimate user behaviour, complicating real-time detection and mitigation efforts. Attackers can use large bursts to quickly overwhelm infrastructure before traditional defences activate, thus causing massive disruption in seconds.


Tese short-burst attacks are also a preferred tactic because they allow attackers to probe resilience without committing to long campaigns, enabling them to analyse and understand defence


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