DDoS attacks remain among the most disruptive risks to digital operations. They arrive without warning, exploit small configuration gaps, and can strain even well-protected environments.
F5 and MazeBolt are partnering to close that gap.
As AI-driven tactics accelerate, the combined capabilities of MazeBolt and F5 provide end-to-end automatic protection and visibility. MazeBolt provides insight across Layers 3, 4, and 7; then, F5 applies precise, rapid remediation – tuning policies, thresholds, and routing so defenses stay aligned with authentic traffic. The result is a continuously validated posture and measurable reduction in risk – with DDoS mitigation fine-tuned for optimized, automated protection and sustained business continuity.
Testing and Mitigating Vulnerabilities Faster
F5 delivers trusted DDoS protection and application security solutions for on-prem., cloud, and hybrid environments. Its protections are engineered to absorb high-volume floods, handle complex multi-vector attacks, and shield critical application paths.
RADAR™ by MazeBolt complements F5 XC DDoS Protection with continuous and nondisruptive DDoS vulnerability testing. The combined approach identifies and remediates vulnerabilities proactively before they are weaponized – reducing the likelihood and duration of damaging DDoS downtime.
By continuously and nondisruptively testing the live production environment, RADAR validates the entire attack surface. Its findings drive precise F5 tuning – policies, thresholds, and traffic steering – so protections are fully tailored to each customer. The result is an always-optimized DDoS defense that’s ready for emerging attack types and responds automatically, rather than being reliant on manual intervention processes during an incident.
Proactive DDoS Risk Reduction
Effective DDoS protection requires ongoing configuration and validation. A single routing error, a mis-tuned countermeasure, or a missing signature can create an opening for attackers. Because traditional DDoS testing often depends on maintenance windows, only limited checks are performed — in practice, many organizations validate less than 1% of their attack surface and end up relying on vendor Service Level Agreements (SLAs) and best-effort adjustments during an incident. Tuning in real time, while an attack is underway, usually means the impact has already begun.
Our latest research underscores the gap. In MazeBolt’s recent survey of 300 CISOs, 86% reported testing DDoS defenses once a year or less. RADAR telemetry shows the average organization is 37% exposed at any given moment. The implication is that most enterprises do not have insight into the true state of their DDoS readiness. Closing this gap requires continuous, nondisruptive testing so defenses are proven ahead of peak periods — and before attacks arrive.
How the Partnership Works in Practice
The F5–MazeBolt collaboration is operational, not theoretical. It reduces DDoS exposure through a repeatable cycle that runs throughout the year:
- Gain High-Resolution Visibility
RADAR™ continuously maps the full DDoS attack surface — identifying all exposed services, interfaces, and vectors — across Layer 3/4 (volumetric) and Layer 7 (application-layer), including known and emerging patterns. - Identify Vulnerabilities with Continuous, Nondisruptive Testing
RADAR safely tests the live production environment with thousands of focused simulations that mirror real attacker behavior. Findings pinpoint exact DDoS misconfigurations and vulnerabilities without impacting customers or services. - Remediate Fast
F5 experts use RADAR outputs to correct policies, update rules, refine mitigation profiles, and address root causes in coordination with origin and downstream systems. - Verify Automatically
RADAR immediately re-tests the same vectors. Closed issues receive audit-ready confirmation; open items cycle back for further tuning until remediation is fully validated.
This closed validation loop keeps DDoS defenses proactively optimized between attacks. In practice, the results we’ve seen have been consistent across our joint customers. For example, a financial services organization experiencing repeated DDoS disruptions reduced validated exposure from about 33% of its attack surface to near zero in under 30 days by combining MazeBolt’s nondisruptive testing with F5’s targeted remediation.
Better Together: Increased Visibility, Faster Remediation
As DDoS attacks become smarter and more disruptive, defenses must be equally agile. The F5 and MazeBolt partnership delivers a proactive, automated, and measurable approach to risk reduction that enables our joint customers to maintain business continuity and avoid damaging DDoS downtime.
To learn more about how F5 and MazeBolt partner to eliminate the risk of damaging DDoS downtime, speak with an expert!
