Ramon Lee
Attack on Availability: DDoS Attack on Blizzard Entertainment
An attack on availability refers to any cyberattack that disrupts or blocks access to systems,
services, or data, making them unusable for intended users. These attacks target the core
cybersecurity principle of availability by overwhelming or disabling critical resources.
A well-known example occurred in September 2022, when Blizzard Entertainment, the
gaming company behind Overwatch and World of Warcraft, was hit with a Distributed Denial
of Service (DDoS) attack. Players reported being kicked from games and unable to log back in
for hours. The attackers flooded Blizzard’s servers with massive amounts of fake traffic, causing
system overloads and downtime (BBC News, 2022). DDoS attacks like this are common against
gaming platforms because even a short outage can frustrate users, damage brand reputation, and
result in revenue loss.
The impact of availability attacks goes far beyond inconvenience. For companies, prolonged
disruptions can lead to lost profits, broken trust with customers, and increased operational costs.
For users, it means delayed access to services they rely on, such as banking, healthcare, or
communication platforms. As these attacks grow more complex, organizations must adopt
layered defenses like traffic filtering, rate limiting, and cloud-based DDoS mitigation services.
Cyberattacks on availability show how a single vulnerability can impact millions of users at
once. That’s why understanding and preparing for these types of attacks is essential for both
cybersecurity professionals and organizations that rely on digital infrastructure.
Reference
BBC News. (2022, September 14). Blizzard confirms DDoS attack after game servers
crash. https://www.bbc.com/news/technology-62896714