A DDoS attack overwhelms a website with traffic from many sources. This makes the site hard to use or even shut down. The attack can last from minutes to hours, depending on the number of devices involved.
DDoS attacks target a website system directly. They flood a server with data, making it hard to handle real requests. This is often used to harm a competitor’s site or make a website unusable.
Using a web application firewall (WAF) can help protect against DDoS attacks. A WAF blocks unwanted communication between web browsers and servers. It uses rules to block certain URLs, redirect traffic, or stop connections.
A WAF works without affecting the user or server. It guards against malicious traffic. It can also block unauthorized access to web applications.
A WAF can stop DDoS attacks by blocking known malicious traffic. This helps prevent malicious activity and blocks unwanted traffic. It also stops brute force attacks by monitoring login attempts and blocking invalid ones.
Types of DDoS Attacks
DoS attacks are a type of DDoS attack that aims to overload a system with data. An attacker sends a large number of packets, overwhelming the system. This can make a website slow or even crash.
Because these attacks aren’t specific, a website can be hit by many attacks at once. This can take a website offline.
Attacks come in several types. Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks
- SYN Flood
- ACK Flood
- TCP Flood
- UDP Flood
- HTTP Flood
- DNS Flood
- Smurf Attack
- Ping of Death
- Smurf Attack
- Flood and Ping of Death
SYN Flood attacks send a flood of packets to a server, causing it to jam up. The attacker then sends “SYN” packets to many servers at once. This makes it hard to stop.
UDP Flood attacks send a large number of UDP packets to the target. This can overwhelm the target’s network and disrupt services. Using TCP-based proxy servers can help filter out UDP packets.
DNS Flood attacks try to return multiple responses from the victim’s DNS server. It’s also known as Server Flood or DNS Amplification.
A DNS Flood attack floods a DNS server with many DNS requests. This causes network congestion. It’s used to overwhelm systems or test security.
The attacker directs the requests to the target DNS server.
The requests are sent from a flooded source, many requests per second, over a limited bandwidth, in order to saturate the target DNS server infrastructure.
A DNS server translates domain names into IP addresses. It keeps track of which domain names map to which IP addresses. When a client requests a website, the DNS resolves the name to the IP address.
The DNS systems on most networks allow 3 responses per request. This lets the DNS servers handle 3 requests for every 1 response. DNS flood makes this useless by flooding the system with requests.
In most cases, the attacker spoofs the IP addresses from which DNS requests are coming. Some DNS servers provide an API, which allows the attacker to spoof information like the domain itself.
NTP Flood: In this attack, the attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server.
Smurf Attack: In this type of attack, the attacker sends spoofed packets to the victim server. This triggers its own servers to send spoofed packets. This creates a chain reaction, with the victim server sending spoofed packets back to its own servers. This type of attack is difficult to filter out at the network level, and is usually detected only by monitoring traffic.
HTTP Flood is an attack method in which an attacker sends several requests, often 10 to 100 times per second, to a website’s back-end servers in an attempt to overload resources and crash the server. While the number of requests is relatively small, the sheer volume of requests can overload the server and prevent it from responding to legitimate requests. In order to reduce the chances of being targeted by this type of attack, it is recommended that a website should request no more than 100 requests per 1-second window;
but if an attacker is able to overwhelm a website’s servers, even this limit can be bypassed.
The Flood and Ping of Death attack is a type of DDoS attack. It can take down a website. This attack is dangerous because it’s easy to launch and works well.
With these attacks, hackers can control a website, crash it, or steal user info. To stop this, website owners need DDoS protection.
How does a DDoS attack work?
DDoS traffic is made to seem like it comes from real sources. A DDoS attack is cleverly designed to hide its true identity. The attacker sends spoofed packets to a server, which then sends more spoofed packets to others.
This creates a chain reaction. The attacker uses many different IP addresses to make the traffic look real. This makes it hard to tell the attack apart from normal traffic.
A DDoS attack is a continuous assault that uses many types of attacks. It floods a server with fake traffic, causing it to send out fake packets. This cycle keeps going until the server fails.
The attacker often uses different protocols to start this cycle. For example, in an NTP attack, they use both TCP and UDP. These protocols are used by real traffic too. When the attacker sends packets, the server responds with TCP and UDP packets.
When the attacker sends packets, the server sends back TCP and UDP packets. This keeps happening. The server keeps sending packets back, causing a cycle.
Effects of a DDoS attack:
DDoS attacks overwhelm a server with too many requests. This can make a website or service unavailable. It can lead to lost revenue and slower service.
- Too much traffic exhausts a server’s resources, slowing it down.
- A long DDoS attack can crash a server.
- It causes a lot of downtime and can lead to data loss.
To protect against DDoS attacks, follow these steps:
- Set up an intrusion detection system (IDS).
- Regularly update your firewall and IPS.
- Use TCP-level prevention like packet filtering.
- Prioritize traffic based on importance.
- Seek help from a third-party provider.
DDoS Mitigation by Evasion:
Evasion makes it hard to detect an attack by hiding the attacker’s identity. Attackers use many ways to avoid being caught.
DDoS Attack Detection:
- IDS and IPS can spot DDoS traffic.
- Network mapping and telemetry can find attack sources.
- Network analysis can uncover attack methods.
Prevention:
DDoS protection stops attacks. It can be set up at the network, server, or DNS level.
At the network level:
Firewalls and intrusion prevention systems can block attacks.
At the server level:
Anti-DDoS software, like Incapsula, protects websites. Incapsula uses scrubbing centers to defend against attacks.
At the DNS level:
DNSSEC and DNS filtering can prevent attacks.
What is the impact of DDoS Attacks on your business?
DDoS attacks can severely harm your business. They flood a target with traffic, causing service disruptions. This can be a targeted or mass attack, hurting businesses and causing revenue loss.
Companies hit by DDoS attacks often see a 40% drop in revenue. But, those that recover see a 20% increase in revenue.
DDoS attacks are costly. Downtime and lost revenue are expensive. To avoid these costs, invest in threat prevention.
CAPTCHA:
What is CAPTCHA?
CAPTCHA stands for Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart. It’s a test to see if you’re a human or a computer.
CAPTCHA helps stop automated programs from getting into a website or program.
Here’s how CAPTCHA works:
- You enter a word or phrase that’s unique to the website.
- This word or phrase is shown to a CAPTCHA program.
- A human can spot the word or passage right away.
- A computer has to solve the CAPTCHA puzzle.
- CAPTCHAs keep automated programs out, but they can also annoy users.
CAPTCHA protection:
There are ways to avoid CAPTCHAs on your website. Here are a few:
- Eliminate CAPTCHAs to avoid annoying users.
- Automated programs can solve CAPTCHAs, so removing them might work.
- Make sure your CAPTCHA system works right. Test it often before sending users to it.
- Use a CAPTCHA to block spam bots.
- Choose a CAPTCHA that fits your audience.
- Use a CAPTCHA that tests both humans and computers.
- CAPTCHAs can stop bots but might also upset users. Use them wisely.
CloudFlare:
What is CloudFlare?
CloudFlare is a content delivery network, or CDN. It stores your website’s content in many data centers worldwide. This way, if one data center gets attacked, your site is still available from another.
CloudFlare offers many security services:
- It protects websites and apps from DDoS attacks.
- It blocks malicious bots and protects users from phishing.
- It uses SSL encryption to protect against cyber-attacks.
- It has an anti-phishing service.
- It fights spam and malware.
- It keeps websites safe from bots and spammers.
- Its global data centers protect against DDoS attacks.
- Its content caching service makes websites load faster.
Conclusion
DDoS attacks can harm your IT infrastructure. But, there are ways to prevent them. Use threat prevention tools and a good DDoS protection service.
For malware protection, regularly test your website. Also, invest in malware protection software. Protect your website’s security with threat prevention.
CloudFlare is a CDN that stores your website’s content in many data centers. This way, if one data center is attacked, your site is still available from another.
