Cyber Week 2024: An In-Depth Analysis of Internet Trends and Cybersecurity Challenges

Internet Traffic Trends During Cyber Week 2024

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On Thanksgiving, the United States experienced a 20% decline in daily internet traffic compared to the prior week, with the sharpest drop of 33% occurring at 3:45 PM Eastern Time. In contrast, Black Friday and Cyber Monday spurred a global surge in activity. Cyber Monday 2024 recorded a 36% increase in global HTTP request volumes compared to 2023, with 5% of these requests blocked as potential attacks.
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Cloudflare reported a peak of 99.8 million HTTP requests per second on Cyber Monday at 3:33 PM UTC. Throughout the day, the platform processed approximately 5.4 trillion requests, of which 5% were identified as malicious. On Black Friday, a total of 5.1 trillion HTTP requests were handled, with 6% blocked for similar reasons.

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Regional Traffic Trends in the U.S.

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In the United States, Cyber Monday emerged as the busiest day of Cyber Week, followed by Sunday, December 1, and Black Friday. Internet traffic on Cyber Monday increased by 12% compared to the previous week and by a staggering 57% compared to Cyber Monday 2023. States such as Arizona, West Virginia, and Arkansas led with over 20% week-over-week traffic growth, while states like California, Florida, and New York showed more than 10% increases.At Integrity, we believe that with the right strategies and tools, remote work can lead to exceptional outcomes and employee satisfaction.

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Shopping Websites and Mobile Device Trends

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Retail and e-commerce platforms hosted in the U.S. saw heightened activity during Cyber Week. Cyber Monday took the top spot as the busiest day, followed by Black Friday and the intervening weekend. Traffic to these sites began climbing as early as Monday, November 25, showing a 7% rise compared to the previous week and a 57% increase compared to early November.

Mobile devices played a significant role in this trend. On Thanksgiving, mobile traffic accounted for 51.7% of all web activity, compared to 42.4% the week prior. The share grew further on Black Friday, with mobile traffic reaching 51.9%, up from 43.9% the week before.

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Cybersecurity Challenges: A Spotlight on Cyber Week 2024

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The heightened activity during Cyber Week 2024 also attracted increased cyber threats. Cloudflare recorded a surge in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks aimed at e-commerce platforms and online services. Despite these threats, proactive security measures ensured uninterrupted service for most users.

Key threats included:

• DDoS Attacks: Large-scale attacks sought to overload servers during peak shopping periods.
• Bot Activity: Automated bots attempted fraudulent transactions, exploited discount codes, and mimicked legitimate user behavior.‍
• Phishing Campaigns: Cybercriminals employed advanced phishing techniques to steal user payment information.

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Global Internet and Cybersecurity Trends

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Cyber Week highlighted varied regional internet traffic patterns and a rise in cyber threats worldwide:

• Europe: Countries like the U.K. and Germany saw traffic surges exceeding 40% during Cyber Monday.
• Asia-Pacific: Australia and India reported significant weekend traffic spikes leading up to Cyber Monday.‍
• Latin America: Brazil and Mexico demonstrated the growing importance of online shopping, with Cyber Monday being the busiest day.

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Mobile-First Era

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Globally, mobile devices dominated internet usage during Cyber Week 2024, surpassing 50% of total web traffic. Developing regions, where mobile internet prevails, reported even higher shares of mobile activity.

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Year-on-Year Comparisons: Cyber Week 2023 vs. 2024

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The comparison between Cyber Week 2023 and 2024 revealed remarkable growth:

• Traffic Growth: Global internet traffic surged by 36% year-over-year.‍
• Increase in Cyberattacks: Malicious activities rose, reflecting cybercriminals’ focus on exploiting peak periods.

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Cloudflare’s Role in Cyber Week 2024

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Cloudflare played a pivotal role in safeguarding online platforms:

• Performance: Managed record traffic peaks with minimal disruptions.‍
• Security: Advanced threat detection and mitigation systems ensured seamless service for users.

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Future Implications

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Cyber Week 2024 underscored the importance of strong digital infrastructure and security:

• Mobile optimization and enhanced mobile security are critical.
• Proactive defense systems must evolve to counter sophisticated threats.
• Global cooperation will be essential to secure the digital ecosystem.

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