Department of Homeland Security doles out $1.7 million for DDoS protection

Galois of Portland announced on Monday this week that the federal government has contracted the company to develop technology capable of countering DDoS attempts — elementary but often successful cyberattacks in which hackers cause a computer system to collapse by subjecting it to a sudden surge in traffic. Individuals ranging from politically-motivated hacktivists to state-sponsored cyberwarriors have relied on DDoS attacks to take entire systems offline. And yet while the lasting effects may be minimal, downtime suffered by the likes of a major financial institution — or, as Galois’ contract suggests, a government agency — may cause immeasurable damages.