Cloudflare mitigates the largest DDoS attack in history: 22.2 Tbps

Cloudflare has announced that it successfully prevented the largest distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack ever recorded, which peaked at 22.2 terabits per second (Tbps) and 10.6 billion packets per second (Bpps). The “hyper-volumetric” attack lasted only 40 seconds, but its intensity was twice that of previous records, according to Security Affairs.

Scale of the Threat

The attack occurred in late September 2025 and targeted a European network infrastructure company. Cloudflare automatically detected and neutralized the traffic at its source without operator intervention, preventing downtime for the client.

This record-breaking event followed a wave of massive attacks earlier in the year: in early September, Cloudflare mitigated an 11.5 Tbps attack (lasting 35 seconds), and in June — a 7.3 Tbps attack (45 seconds).

For context:

• 2 Tbps = equivalent to streaming 9,350 HD movies or downloading 9.35 million songs in one minute — about one year’s worth of continuous HD video.
• 6 Bpps = twice the previous record (5.1 Bpps).

The attack was volumetric, using a UDP flood. According to XLab (Qi’anxin), it was linked to the AISURU botnet, which has infected more than 300,000 IoT devices.

Context: Rising DDoS in 2025

Cloudflare reports a record surge in attacks:

• Q1 2025: a 358% increase year-on-year, with 700 hyper-volumetric strikes.
• Q2 2025: another 6,500 attacks, averaging 71 per day.

These assaults are evolving — shifting from simple floods to sophisticated strikes, increasingly coordinated with AI.

“This isn’t just an attack — it’s a test of the internet’s limits,” noted a Cloudflare spokesperson.

How to Defend Against It

Cloudflare’s strategy includes:

• Automated filtering: machine learning detects and blocks malicious traffic at the source.
• Global network capacity: 300+ data centers capable of absorbing extreme peaks.

For businesses, experts recommend:

• Implementing DDoS protection.
• Keeping software up to date.
• Continuously monitoring network traffic.

In Short…

The 22.2 Tbps attack sets a new record, underlining the escalating scale of DDoS threats. Cloudflare neutralized it in 40 seconds, but the surge in 2025 highlights the need for stronger defenses. Cybersecurity is no longer optional — it’s a priority for everyone.