Financial Crime World

Financial Institution Cybersecurity Threats in Saint Pierre and Miquelon: Experts Warn of Growing DDoS Menace

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Saint Pierre and Miquelon, a French overseas collectivity in the North Atlantic Ocean, is facing an unprecedented surge in cyber threats. The country’s financial institutions are bearing the brunt of these attacks, with Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks being particularly common.

Rising DDoS Threats


According to data from NETSCOUT’s global threat analysis platform, ATLAS, Saint Pierre and Miquelon has witnessed a significant increase in DDoS attacks. The country’s wired telecommunications sector is the most targeted area, with financial institutions being hit hardest.

Common Attack Vectors

ARMS Amplification

DNS Amplification

ICMP

NTP Amplification

SNMP Amplification

SSDP Amplification

TCP ACK

TCP RST

TCP SYN

TCP SYN/ACK Amplification

TFTP Amplification

UDP

WS-DD Amplification

These attacks have resulted in significant disruptions to online services, with the largest attack recorded at 47 Gbps.

Financial Sector Under Attack


The financial sector has been identified as the most targeted industry, with a staggering 100 DDoS attacks reported during the second half of 2023 alone. The average duration of these attacks is approximately 13 minutes, causing significant financial losses and reputational damage to the affected institutions.

Impact on Financial Institutions

Financial Losses

Reputational Damage

Experts warn that the increasing frequency and complexity of DDoS attacks in Saint Pierre and Miquelon pose a significant threat to the country’s financial stability. “The sophistication of these attacks highlights the need for financial institutions to have robust cybersecurity measures in place to detect and mitigate such threats,” said a spokesperson from NETSCOUT.

Action Required


In light of these findings, it is imperative that financial institutions in Saint Pierre and Miquelon take immediate action to bolster their cybersecurity defenses. This includes:

  • Investing in advanced threat detection systems
  • Collaborating with law enforcement agencies