Don’t Let the Biggest DDoS Attack on Record Disrupt Your Business

Imagine your business websites and cloud systems grinding to a halt—all in less than a minute. That’s exactly what happened to a hosting provider this May, when cybercriminals unleashed a 7.3 terabits-per-second (Tbps) distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack, the largest ever recorded. In just 45 seconds, over 37 terabytes of malicious traffic hammered their systems—enough to knock critical services offline, impact revenue, and erode customer trust.

This wasn’t a one-off headline for just “the big guys.” DDoS attacks are increasingly targeting hosting providers, SaaS apps, and the smaller businesses relying on them (Source: Cloudflare, 2025). For SMBs, downtime can mean lost customers, missed opportunities, and unforeseen costs that pile up fast.

Why SMBs Must Take DDoS Threats Seriously—Now

It’s easy to assume that only large enterprises need to worry about record-breaking DDoS attacks. However, fast-moving cybercriminals aim lower too—often targeting the most vulnerable points in the digital supply chain. For companies with fewer than 100 employees, a well-timed outage could have outsized consequences.

• Lost business revenue: Even a few minutes offline can disrupt e-commerce, productivity, or client services.
• Reputational harm: Customers may not wait for your site to come back up—and may not come back at all.
• Rising costs: Emergency response, legal consulting, and missed SLAs quickly wipe out IT budgets.

According to IBM’s 2023 Cost of a Data Breach Report, the average cost of downtime from cyberattacks for SMBs continues to grow, with elapsed time to recovery a critical driver of total cost (IBM, 2023). Having the right protections in place isn’t a luxury—it’s core business insurance.

Note: Think the cloud will automatically protect you? Not so fast. Many public cloud and hosting providers shift responsibility for “online availability” onto their customers!

Protecting Your Business: Key Takeaways from the 7.3 Tbps DDoS Incident

The good news? You don’t need enterprise budgets or teams of engineers to minimize your DDoS risk. Here are five actions SMB leaders can take—within 30 days—to secure, simplify, and reduce costs related to denial-of-service attacks:

1. Assess IT provider and cloud contracts. Know what DDoS protections are included—and where gaps exist. Don’t assume your provider “has it handled.”
2. Implement managed DDoS mitigation solutions. Partner with a specialist like BoltWork to monitor, detect, and absorb malicious traffic automatically before it reaches your business systems.
3. Review your incident response plan. Identify how employees should spot, report, and escalate service disruptions. Practice your response—minutes matter.
4. Strengthen endpoint and identity protections. Many attacks use multiple vectors, so combine DDoS prevention with robust device and identity security for true layered defense. See Device Threat Protection and Identity Threat Protection (ITDR).
5. Educate your team. Teach staff the signs of network slowdowns and phishing schemes often associated with DDoS campaigns. Human firewalls are your first line of detection.

Worried about coverage gaps? Book a free, 15-minute security consult with BoltWork—we’ll inventory your protections and recommend cost-effective steps for stronger uptime and peace of mind.

BoltWork: Simpler, Stronger, Predictable Cost DDoS Protection for SMBs

Our clients enjoy:

• 24/7 active monitoring and immediate DDoS traffic scrubbing
• Proactive incident response and coordinated communications
• Transparent, flat-rate pricing—no hidden “burst” fees or surprises
• Integrated IT support—one team for security and day-to-day technology needs

Remember: most DDoS disruptions are measured in seconds, not hours—rapid detection and response are essential, not optional. That’s what BoltWork delivers.

Don’t Wait Until Your Business Is Offline

No company is too small to be noticed by attackers. The scale of May’s record-breaking 7.3 Tbps DDoS assault proves that old assumptions no longer apply—and relying on luck is not a defense strategy. SMBs who invest now in managed DDoS, endpoint, and identity protection lower their risk, simplify IT, and control costs long-term.

Ready to make DDoS resilience your competitive advantage?

Book your free 15-minute security consult today and see how BoltWork can safeguard your business, reputation, and bottom line.

References

• Cloudflare, 2025
• IBM Cost of a Data Breach Report, 2023