What is DDoS Attacks & How to Mitigate DDoS Attacks: Techniques and Best Practices

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are a growing concern for businesses and organizations of all sizes. These attacks involve overwhelming a targeted server or network with a flood of traffic, making it impossible for legitimate users to access the targeted service. In this blog post, we’ll take a closer look at the different types of DDoS attacks and the best practices for mitigating them.

What is a DDoS Attack?

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a type of cyber attack in which an attacker attempts to overload a website or online service with a flood of traffic from multiple sources. The goal of a DDoS attack is to make the targeted website or service unavailable to legitimate users by overwhelming its infrastructure with a large amount of traffic. The attack is launched from multiple compromised devices, such as computers or IoT devices, that are often part of a botnet, a network of devices controlled by an attacker without the knowledge of their owners. DDoS attacks can cause significant disruption to online services and can be costly to mitigate.

How does a DDoS Attack Work?

A DDoS attack works by overwhelming the targeted website or online service with a flood of traffic from multiple sources. The attacker achieves this by using a network of compromised devices, known as a botnet, to simultaneously send a large amount of traffic to the targeted site. This flood of traffic can come in various forms, including HTTP, UDP, and ICMP requests, and can be directed at different layers of the targeted website’s infrastructure.

Also Read: IP Communication Protocols 101: A Beginner’s Guide

What are Some Common Types of DDoS Attacks?

There are several types of DDoS attacks, each with its own method of carrying out the attack. Some common types of DDoS attacks include:

1. Volumetric attacks: This type of attack aims to overload the target’s internet connection by sending a large amount of traffic to the targeted site.
2. Application-layer attacks: This type of attack targets a specific layer of the website’s infrastructure, such as the application server, to overload it and make the site unavailable.
3. Protocol-based attacks: This type of attack exploits vulnerabilities in the targeted site’s network protocols to overload it and make the site unavailable.
4. Amplification attacks: This type of attack uses a network of compromised devices, known as reflectors, to amplify the traffic sent to the targeted site, making the attack more powerful.

Once the attack begins, it can be difficult to stop as the traffic is coming from multiple sources simultaneously. The website or service may become unavailable, and it can take time and resources to mitigate the attack and restore normal service.

It’s important to note that DDoS attacks can be launched by individuals, groups, or even state-sponsored hackers and can cause significant damage to a targeted organization’s reputation and bottom line. It’s crucial for organizations to have a plan in place to defend against DDoS attacks and mitigate any damage caused by them.

How to identify a DDoS attack?

There are several signs that can indicate a DDoS attack is taking place. These include:

• Unusually high traffic: A sudden increase in traffic to your website or online service can be a sign of a DDoS attack. If your website or service is not capable of handling the increased traffic, it may become slow or unresponsive.
• Slow website performance: DDoS attacks can overload the infrastructure of a website or service, making it slow to load or unresponsive.
• Error messages: DDoS attacks can cause error messages to appear on your website or service, indicating that the server is unable to handle the traffic.
• Network congestion: DDoS attacks can cause network congestion, making it difficult for legitimate traffic to reach your website or service.
• Inability to access your website or service: If your website or service becomes unavailable to users, it may be a sign of a DDoS attack.

How to Mitigate a DDoS Attack?

There are several ways to mitigate a DDoS attack:

• Traffic filtering and blocking: This involves using firewalls, intrusion detection systems, or DDoS protection software to filter out and block attack traffic.
• Scrubbing: Scrubbing involves cleaning or filtering the remaining attack traffic before it reaches the targeted website or service. This can be done by using specialized DDoS mitigation services such as cloud-based scrubbing centers.
• Traffic redirection: This involves redirecting traffic to a different server or network infrastructure that is better equipped to handle the attack traffic.
• Amplification attacks: Amplification attacks are a type of DDoS attack that leverages the power of other devices to amplify the traffic directed at the targeted server. To mitigate this type of attack, it is important to secure devices and networks used to amplify traffic and filter out spoofed IP addresses.
• Use of DDoS protection services: Some companies offer DDoS protection services, which can monitor traffic and automatically take steps to mitigate an attack when it is detected. These services may use any combination of the above techniques to mitigate an attack.
• Have a plan in place: Having a plan in place for responding to DDoS attacks is critical. This includes identifying and isolating the attack, notifying the relevant parties, and working with your ISP or DDoS mitigation service to stop the attack and restore normal service.

Conclusion

It’s important to note that DDoS attacks can be complex and may require the help of specialized DDoS mitigation services or Internet Service Providers (ISPs) to effectively mitigate the attack. Additionally, it’s crucial to have a plan in place for responding to DDoS attacks, including identifying and isolating the attack, notifying the relevant parties, and working with your ISP or DDoS mitigation service to stop the attack and restore normal service.