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Akamai Takes Krebs' Site Off Server After Cyberattack

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Per some media reports, Akamai Technologies, Inc. (AKAM - Free Report) has taken the website of Brian Krebs, a security journalist, off its servers following a “record” cyberattack.

The Story

Brian Krebs’ website www.krebsonsecurity.com has been a victim of a sustained cyber-attack since Tuesday. The attackers used the distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) method to take down the site, wherein huge traffic is channeled artificially toward a website, disrupting its accessibility by legitimate users.  

To be more precise, in excess of 620 Gbps/second of traffic was directed at Krebs’s website that was nearly double of what Akamai has witnessed in the past.

Reason Behind the Attack

It is being surmised that Brian Krebs’ recent report on vDOS, a website offering cyberattacks for hire operated by two Israeli men, may be the reason behind the attack.

Notably, the two attackers Itay Hari and Yarden Bidani have been arrested by the police following Krebs’ report.

Our Take

Akamai is a leading player in the Content Delivery Network (CDN) space. The company is also poised to benefit from the increasing demand for cloud infrastructure solutions, mobile products, security and online video.

Additionally, Akamai’s collaborations with some technology majors such as Microsoft Corporation (MSFT - Free Report) , and Cisco Systems, Inc. (CSCO - Free Report) among others are likely to create financial synergies for the company in the long run.

Although the Brian Krebs website fiasco has put the company in a challenging situation, Akamai has handled the situation deftly, protecting the other websites on its servers.

Zacks Rank & Key Picks

At present, Akamai carries a Zacks Rank #3 (Hold).

A better-ranked stock in the broader technology space is Lantronix, Inc. (LTRX - Free Report) , sporting a Zacks Rank #1 (Strong Buy). You can see the complete list of today’s Zacks #1 Rank stocks here.

Notably, Lantronix witnessed one positive estimate revision in the last 30 days.

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