What is DDoS Attacks? Here are 5 Tips to Prevent DDoS Attacks

Is your business network at risk? How harmful is a DDoS attack to your server? Find out all about it here and learn how to prevent DDoS attack

     

Every network resource specifies a definitive limit to the number of requests they can process at the same time. Not only web servers, but also the channels that bind them to the Internet have a finite bandwidth. When the number of requests crosses this limit, the entire network can go downhill.

     

This is where we can identify a DDoS attack or Distributed Denial of Service attack.

     

An effective DDoS attack can damage an organization’s network for some good hours. According to Cloudflare, companies can suffer losses of $100,000 for each hour lost to such an attack.

     

Many brands have suffered a bad reputation in the name of inefficiency due to consistent DDoS attacks.

     

Read on to understand how DDoS attacks can affect your website or network. Also, take our suggestions to prevent DDoS attack.

   

What is a DDoS attack? What Harm Does it Cause?

 

DDoS attacks pose much trouble to Internet security. These attacks can disrupt the smooth-flowing traffic of targeted servers by flooding the traffic on your network.

   

The advantage DDoS attacks have over interconnected computer systems will help them access various devices like computers and IoT devices. That is, all devices connected to the Internet can be under threat during such an attack.

   

Such devices or bots or zombies, as they are called, will have malware in them that allows hackers/attackers to control the flow of traffic through them. Together, such ‘affected’ devices form the botnet.

   

The botnet is an attacker’s playground. A DDoS attack can be triggered remotely to a target’s IP address. This will overwhelm the network and convert the normal traffic into a complete mess that further denies service from the server.

 

Identifying a DDoS Attack

 

These are the ways in which a DDoS attack can be recognized.

 
  1. Unnatural traffic from a particular IP address
  2. Heavy traffic from similar users who share the same device, location or web browser version
  3. Irregular spikes in traffic between strange intervals
 
Related - What is the Role of AI in Cyber Security?
 

Ways to Prevent DDoS Attacks

 

By now, you would be aware of the need to prevent DDoS attacks on your network. It can cause your entire system to shut down for long hours and affect your brand name and customer service.

   

By following some of these techniques, you can reduce the probability of such attacks on your servers.

 
  1. Cater to Anti-DDoS Software Solutions

Many anti-DDoS software applications can be bought to monitor and recognize potential attack threats. Software modules may be attached to web servers to prevent DDoS attack. The Apache 2.2.15 software module holds the traffic to a website or server and serves requests partially from time to time till the server gives up.

     
  1. Prep Your Router to Dismiss Threats

This is a simple hardware manipulation you can do to prevent DDoS attacks. By configuring firewalls and routers to drop incoming ICMP packets and block DNS responses alien to your network, DDoS attacks may be cut down.

   

  1. Purchase a Protection Appliance

Security vendors sell appliances that work as guardians to network firewalls by blocking DNS responses. Fortinet, Check Point, Cisco, etc. are such vendors you may approach. However, these appliances would have limited capacity to handle the traffic. Some DDoS attacks can surpass such limits.

   

  1. Invest in More Bandwidth

Increased bandwidth can handle sudden spikes of traffic quite easily. This method has been rather popular for some time. But with the advent of amplification attacks, increasing bandwidth does not seem to offer proper protection.

   

  1. Spread Your Data Across Centres

By dispersing your data across geographically-spaced centres, an attacker might find it difficult to reach out to all of your data. This way, even if one of these attacks strikes you, only some parts of your data may be in danger.

     

Save Your Server!

By following some of these methods, your data can be protected. However, in the era of severe cyber-attacks, no protection is good enough.

   

Be cautious about your security system and consistently update it.