Outages Result of DDoS Attack” Confirms Bandwidth CEO
Bandwidth.com CEO David Morken confirmed that a distributed denial of service attack caused the service outages reported on September 27. In an official statement, Morken stated that cybercriminals targeted several critical communications service providers during a rolling DDoS campaign. He apologized to customers who experienced disruptions and explained that Bandwidth teams worked actively to restore services and reduce further impact.
Cyberattacks continue to rise across industries, and this incident shows why businesses must understand how DDoS attacks work. These attacks disrupt operations, damage brand trust, and place companies at serious financial risk.
This article examines the Bandwidth.com DDoS attack and highlights lessons businesses can apply to strengthen cybersecurity defenses.
What Bandwidth.com Does
Bandwidth.com operates as a global enterprise cloud communications provider. The company delivers Voice over Internet Protocol services that allow businesses and consumers to place and receive calls through internet based networks rather than traditional phone systems.
Many organizations rely on Bandwidth as a core communications provider. When disruptions occur at this level, they affect managed service providers and end users across multiple industries.
What a DDoS Attack Is
A DDoS attack, or distributed denial of service attack, overwhelms a network, server, or website with malicious traffic. Attackers flood the system with requests until legitimate users lose access to services.
Hackers often use networks of compromised devices to generate massive traffic spikes. When the attack succeeds, systems slow down, fail, or shut down completely.
What Happened During the Bandwidth.com DDoS Attack
In September 2021, cybercriminals targeted Bandwidth.com as part of a larger attack campaign. The attackers also targeted other communications providers, including VoIP.ms, Voip Unlimited, and Voipfone. Several attacks included ransomware threats.
Ransomware locks organizations out of systems or data and demands payment for restoration. If organizations refuse payment, attackers may steal, sell, or destroy sensitive data. These combined attacks placed heavy pressure on communications infrastructure providers and triggered widespread service disruptions.
Bandwidth.com Status Updates and Business Impact
After the initial outages, Bandwidth.com released multiple status updates that confirmed partial service interruptions. The issues disrupted both inbound and outbound calling services. Internal teams worked around the clock to stabilize systems, but many customers had already experienced service failures.
Businesses that depended on Bandwidth reported downstream disruptions that affected their own clients. This cascade effect amplified the overall impact across the communications ecosystem.
How Businesses Can Protect Against DDoS Attacks
DDoS attacks continue to increase across North America, Europe, and Australia. Cybercriminals now target service providers that support large networks to maximize disruption and financial gain.
Businesses should plan as if an attack will occur. Preparation begins with employee awareness training that teaches staff how to identify phishing attempts and early warning signs of cyber threats.
Organizations should also partner with managed service providers that prioritize cybersecurity. Business leaders should ask providers how they monitor for DDoS activity, what protections they deploy, and how they respond during active attacks.
No business operates too small to attract cybercriminals. Companies that invest in proactive cybersecurity measures reduce downtime, protect customer trust, and limit long term damage.