28th October 2026 13:00-14:00 CET
Artificial intelligence is increasingly being seen as a vector for new forms of DDoS attacks. The ability of AI Agents to produce unique and never-before seen attack modes is putting strains on existing DDoS monitoring and mitigation services that rely on historical patterns and methodologies to identify attacks. This is particularly relevant within the R&E sector which historically has always had network usage models that differ from the expected patterns found within commercial ISPs leading to a range of false positives. Now AI can be used to dynamically learn network usage models and identify new attack patterns.
As Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks continue to evolve in scale, sophistication, and impact, posing significant challenges for National Research and Education Networks (NRENs), universities, research institutions, and their communities, NRENs and Institutions need to be able to understand the changing DDoS landscape.
This session will provide attendees with a practical introduction to modern DDoS threats, beginning with the fundamentals of how these attacks work, why they continue to be effective, and how the threat landscape has changed since the early attacks. Participants will gain insight into the trends shaping today’s environment, including larger attack volumes, multi-vector campaigns, and the growing complexity of mitigation efforts.
The webinar will focus specifically on the challenges faced by the research and education sector. NRENs support highly distributed environments, open collaboration models, and diverse user communities, which can create unique security considerations. Through real-world examples and case studies, attendees will explore how DDoS attacks can affect educational institutions, research programs, online learning platforms, and critical digital services.
The session will also examine current best practices for strengthening resilience against DDoS attacks. Topics will include improving visibility across network infrastructure, accelerating attack detection, understanding the role of layered defense strategies, and developing effective mitigation plans that reduce operational disruption.
Key Learning Objectives
By attending this webinar, participants will:
- Understand the fundamentals of DDoS attacks and their evolution over time.
- Identify the major trends and challenges shaping the 2026 DDoS threat landscape.
- Learn why research and education institutions are attractive targets and how attacks can affect their operations.
- Review examples of real-world attacks and lessons learned from the sector.
- Explore industry best practices for DDoS detection, response, and mitigation.
- Gain practical recommendations for improving network resilience and service availability.
