The number of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks have seen a sharp spike in recent times.
DDoS attacks were once thought to be minor annoyances carried out by inexperienced attackers for fun, and they were relatively simple to minimise.
Unfortunately, that situation no longer exists. DDoS attacks have evolved into a sophisticated activity.
According to InfoSecurity Magazine, there were 2.9 million DDoS attacks in the first quarter of 2021, a 31% increase over the same period in 2020.
Almost every day, DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) assaults make the cyber crime news. DDoS assaults increased 434% in 2021, 5.5 times more than in 2020. In comparison to Q3 2020, the number of DDoS assaults increased by 24% in Q3 2021.
According to Cloudflare, the first quarter of 2022 witnessed a significant increase in application-layer DDoS attacks but a decline in overall network-layer DDoS attacks.
Despite the drop, the observed volumetric DDoS attack increased by up to 645% QoQ and even stopped a new zero-day reflection DDoS attack with a 220 billion percent amplification factor.
What Is a DDoS Attack?
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious effort to interrupt regular Internet traffic on a specific server, service, or network by flooding the target or its surrounding infrastructure with Internet traffic.
Types of DDoS Attack
DDoS attacks differ depending on the tier of a computer network they target. Here are a few examples:
- Layer three is the network layer. Smurf attacks, ICMP floods, and IP/ICMP fragmentation are examples of attacks.
- Layer four is the transport layer. SYN Floods, UDP Floods, and TCP Connection Exhaustion are examples of attacks.
- The seventh layer is the application layer. Specifically, HTTP-encrypted assaults.
How to Prevent DDoS Attacks
While it is impossible to prevent a hacker from attempting to create a DDoS attack, adequate preparation and preventative steps can lessen the risk and potential damage of an attack.
1# Make a DDoS Response Strategy.
The security team should create an incident response strategy to guarantee that staff members respond quickly and efficiently in the event of a DDoS attack.
This strategy should include
- Step-by-step guidelines for responding to a DDoS attack
- How to keep the business running
- Contact essential personnel and stakeholders.
- Protocols for escalation
- A list of all the tools required
2# Have Redundant Servers
When data is stored on several dispersed servers, it is difficult for a hacker to target all servers at the same time.
If an attacker successfully conducts a DDoS attack on a single hosting device, other servers remain unaffected and accept more traffic until the targeted system is restored.
To avoid network bottlenecks and single points of failure, host servers in data centers and colocation facilities in separate countries.
A content delivery network (CDN) can also be used.
Because DDoS attacks operate by overwhelming a server, a CDN may distribute the demand evenly among several distributed servers.
3# Ensure Maximum Network Security
Network security as part of overall cyber security strategy is critical for preventing DDoS attacks.
To protect the organization from DDoS attacks, people may rely on the following methods of network security:
- Firewalls and intrusion detection systems serve as network traffic-scanning barriers.
- Anti virus and anti malware software for detecting and eliminating viruses and malware.
- Endpoint security guarantees that network endpoints (desktops, laptops, mobile devices, and so on) do not become a point of entry for malicious activities.
- Tools for removing web-based threats, blocking aberrant traffic, and searching for known attack signatures.
- Tools that prevent spoofing by determining if communication has a source address that matches the origin address
- Network segmentation is the division of systems into subnets using unique security measures and protocols.
4# Keep an eye out for the Warning Signs
Businesses can limit harm caused if their cyber security strategy and cyber attack detection systems can swiftly identify characteristics of a DDoS attack.
Common symptoms of a DDoS attack include:
- Inadequate connection.
- Performance is slow.
- A single page or endpoint is in high demand.
- Unusual traffic emanating from a single or limited set of IP addresses
Keep in mind that not all DDoS attacks are high-traffic. A low-volume, short-duration attack generally passes unnoticed as a random occurrence.
These DDoS attacks, however, may be a test or distraction towards more severe penetration (such as ransomware).
As a result, recognizing a low-volume DDoS attack is just as important as identifying a full-fledged DDoS attack.
5# Network traffic is continuously monitored.
Continuous monitoring (CM) for real-time traffic analysis is a great tool for discovering DDoS activity traces. The advantages of CM are as follows:
- Real-time monitoring guarantees that people will discover a DDoS attack before it becomes fully operational.
- The staff has a good understanding of regular network activity and traffic patterns. Once the staff understand how everyday operations appear, the team can more easily identify unusual behaviors.
- Monitoring around the clock ensures the discovery of symptoms of an assault that occurs after hours and on weekends.
6# Reduce Network Broadcasting
To increase the impact of a DDoS attack, the hacker would likely send requests to every device on the company network.
This approach can be countered by restricting network broadcasts between devices.
Limiting (or, if feasible, completely turning off) broadcast forwarding is an effective way to interrupt a high-volume DDoS attack.
Businesses should also consider advising staff to disable echoes and charge for services wherever feasible.
7# Use the Cloud to Avoid DDoS Attacks
While on-premises gear and software are critical for mitigating DDoS attacks, cloud-based mitigation does not have the same capacity constraints.
Cloud-based defence can easily expand and manage even large volumetric DDoS attacks.
Businesses might choose to outsource DDoS protection to a cloud provider like Exabytes. Some of the primary advantages of working with a third-party provider include:
- Cloud providers offer comprehensive cyber crime prevention services, including top firewalls and threat monitoring software.
- The bandwidth of public cloud is larger than that of any private network.
- Data centers offer high network redundancy by storing duplicates of data, systems, and equipment.
Conclusion
One of the most effective ways to avoid a DDoS attack is to respond as a team and collaborate throughout the incident response process.
Although DDoS attacks are relatively easy to launch, their complexity varies greatly and can have serious consequences for the businesses or organisations targeted.
That’s why businesses need to get protection like Acronis Cyber Protect and Sucuri Website Security from Exabytes, It helps business to protect their data from any cyber threat with a single solution.
Contact Exabytes Singapore now and engage with an Acronis Cyber Protect specialist for more details and information.
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