Cyber Incident Victim: Move, Inc.
Date:
Jun 2014
Location:
United States of America
Summary
Move, Inc. experienced a significant distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack that disrupted its operations, though no evidence of data compromise was identified. The attack overwhelmed the company's web infrastructure, consistent with industry trends where such incidents increasingly leverage massive traffic volumes exceeding 300 gigabits per second to incapacitate networks. While DDoS attacks sometimes serve as diversionary tactics for more severe breaches like data theft, the organization reported no indication of secondary exploitation targeting sensitive information. The incident impacted a platform serving approximately 28 million monthly users, though operational and financial consequences beyond service disruption remained unspecified. Attribution, precise methodology, and full scope of the attack were undetermined at the time of reporting.
| CIA Posture | Motives | Tactics, Techniques & Procedures |
|---|---|---|
| Available to members | 1 motive | 1 technique |
| Threat Actors | Type | Location |
|---|---|---|
| 0 actors | Available to members | Available to members |
Description
On June 18, 2014, Move, Inc., operator of real estate platforms including Realtor.com, experienced a major distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack that disrupted its online services. The company's spokesperson confirmed the incident but stated investigators had not yet identified the attackers' motives, methods, or origins. Initial assessments found no evidence that customer data, financial information, or proprietary content had been compromised during the outage. Despite speculation linking the attack to hacktivist groups due to realtors' contentious public perception, no organization claimed responsibility for the disruption. Move did not disclose technical specifics regarding attack duration, targeted infrastructure components, or operational recovery timelines.
The incident occurred amid industry-wide escalation in DDoS attack frequency and intensity, with typical assaults generating 20-50 gigabits per second of malicious traffic—sufficient to incapacitate corporate networks. Contemporary attacks exceeding 300 Gbps had become more prevalent, often serving as smokescreens to divert security teams while attackers pursued secondary objectives like credential theft or intellectual property exfiltration. Move reported 28 million monthly unique users at the time, with Q1 2014 revenue reaching $58 million—a 7% year-over-year increase—and full-year 2013 revenue exceeding $227 million. The company's stock performance remained tied to housing market trends rather than immediate cybersecurity developments, having risen steadily during the broader real estate sector recovery preceding the attack. No subsequent disclosures elaborated on forensic findings or long-term operational impacts.