Cyber Security

DDoS Attacks: The Ever-Present Threat and How to Guard Against It

When it comes to online security, DDoS attacks are one of the most serious threats businesses can face. Not only can they damage brand reputation, but they can also cost hundreds of thousands or even millions of dollars in revenue. Unfortunately, DDoS attacks are becoming more and more common, as attackers are becoming more sophisticated and finding new ways to exploit weaknesses in network security. That’s why it’s more important than ever for businesses to be prepared for them and have a plan in place to respond quickly and effectively.

In this article, we’ll take a look at what DDoS attacks are, how they can impact your business, and what you can do to protect yourself. We’ll also share some best practices, so you can minimize the damage and get your business back up and running as quickly as possible.

Topics covered in this article:

What is a DDoS Attack?

What is a Zombie network in DDoS?

Types of DDoS Attacks

Application-layer attacks

Protocol attacks: SYN Floods, Smurf DDoS attacks

Volumetric attacks: UDP Floods, ICMP Flood attacks, ICMP Flood attack

How can we know if a website has suffered a DDoS attack?

The relevance of protection against DDoS attacks

How to protect your IT infrastructure from DDoS attacks?

Best practice to protect against DDOS attacks

Core filtering techniques that support DDoS Mitigation

Put Your DDoS Protection To The Test

The way forward: Tips on Choosing the Right DDoS Protection and Mitigation Solution

Top DDoS protection and mitigation solution providers

FAQ about DDoS attack

How does a software exhibit graceful degradation in response to a denial of service DOS attack?

What is a DDoS attack?

A distributed denial of service is a type of cyberattack which attempts to overload a server or network resource with unauthorized traffic or requests, causing the server to crash. This results in the targeted web property being unavailable or unresponsive to its intended users on the Internet.

Note: If the attacking traffic comes from only a single source, it is called a DoS attack as it is not distributed.

As the internet becomes increasingly essential for businesses and individuals alike, the threat of DDoS attacks looms larger than ever. It can cripple a website or online service, making it inaccessible to users.

These attacks are used for a variety of purposes, from blackmailing a business into paying a ransom, to simply disrupting operations. While the latter may seem like a less harmful motivation, the reality is that DDoS attacks can have serious consequences for the businesses and individuals targeted. In some cases, data and systems may be irrecoverably damaged, and the financial losses can be significant.

But that’s not all. these attacks can also be used as a smokescreen to disguise a more serious breach that is happening in the background. So not only do you have to deal with the immediate fallout of an attack, but you also have to worry about the long-term damage that may have been done.

The most commonly known motives behind DDoS attacks are to:

Take down a rival website or server to gain a business advantage while a competitor’s website is down.
Inflict brand damage.
Make a political statement
Distract the incident response team while the attacker carries out other malicious activities.
Coerce a company or individual into meeting demands

DDoS: what is the “zombie network”?

A zombie network, also known as a botnet, is a network of compromised computers or devices that are under the control of a malicious actor. These devices, known as bots, can be located anywhere in the world, and can be controlled remotely by the attacker. The attacker can use the bots in a zombie network to launch a variety of attacks. In a DDoS attack, the attacker can use the bots to flood a target with traffic, overwhelming the target’s resources and making it difficult or impossible for legitimate users to access the site or service. The use of a zombie network allows the attacker to generate a large amount of traffic, increasing the impact and effectiveness of the attack.

Types of DDoS attacks:

There are a number of different types of DDoS attacks, but the most common ones include SYN floods, UDP floods, and ICMP floods.

Application-layer attacks:

In computing, the application layer controls communication between the end user and the software. When you click on a URL to open a page in your browser, the application layer comes into play, as it produces an incoming request on the website server to collect all the information connected to the learning page (HTML, CSS, and JavaScript files), and renders it in the browser for the user to see.

Application layer attacks, also called layer 7 (L7) DDoS attacks, focuses on the way data is processed and exchanged at the application layer of the network stack and exploit the protocols that applications use to communicate, such as HTTP and HTTPS.

Organizations that deploy multiple applications on the same network are likely to experience application-layer attacks more frequently than organizations with isolated networks.

Protocol attacks:

These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in common network protocols, such as TCP/IP, to intercept or modify data in transit. By manipulating the underlying protocol, attackers can cause communication failures or introduce malicious data into the network.

There are two main types of protocol-based DDoS attacks: SYN floods and Smurf DDoS attacks

SYN Floods

In 2015 the BBC was hit by a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack that took down their website for several hours. The type of attack was an SYN flood, which exploits a flaw in the way the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP) works. In an SYN flood attack, the attacker sends a large number of SYN requests to a system that is waiting for connections. The system responds to each SYN request with an SYN-ACK (SYNchronize-ACKnowledgement) response, but the attacker never completes the three-way handshake. This leaves the system with a large number of half-open connections, which eventually leads to resource exhaustion and the system being unable to process legitimate requests.

Smurf DDoS attacks

When a Smurf DDoS attack is carried out, the attacker is exploiting and abuses the ICMP protocol. Large packets are created using a technique called “spoofing”. This involves the attacker sending out a ping request to a network of computers, resulting in all the systems on the network responding to the ping requests in an infinite loop that eventually overloads the network and causes it to crash.

Volumetric attacks:

These attacks aim to overwhelm the target system with a high volume of traffic, preventing legitimate users from accessing the system. Volumetric attacks can be conducted using both legitimate and malicious traffic.

The most common types of volumetric attack types are:

UDP Floods
ICMP Flood
DNS amplification (or DNS reflection)

UDP Floods

User Datagram Protocol (UDP) is a communications protocol that is primarily used to establish low-latency and loss-tolerating connections between applications.

A UDP flood attack can be initiated by sending a large number of UDP packets to random ports on the victim’s host, making it difficult to filter and block the attack. The target system will then try to process all of the packets, which uses up valuable resources and can eventually lead to the system crashing.

UDP is a connectionless protocol, which means that each UDP packet is treated independently by the target system. This makes UDP floods easy to execute and more difficult to mitigate than other types of DoS attacks, as the target system doesn’t need to establish a connection with the attacker before it starts processing the UDP packets.

ICMP Flood attack

ICMP stands for Internet Control Message Protocol. This type of attack is also sometimes called a “ping flood”. ICMP flood attacks take advantage of the fact that when a computer receives an ICMP “echo request” packet or pings, it responds with an ICMP “echo reply” packet. By flooding a target with ICMP echo requests, the attacker can quickly overload its resources and cause it to crash or become unresponsive.

DNS amplification;

This type of attack takes advantage of DNS servers to amplify the amount of traffic directed at a target. By spoofing the source address of DNS queries, attackers can cause the DNS server to send a much larger response than the request. This can quickly overwhelm the target, leading to a denial-of-service condition.

How can we know if a website has suffered a DDoS attack?

There are several signs that a website may have suffered a DDoS attack, including:

The website is slow to load or unresponsive.
The website is displaying error messages.
The server hosting the website is overloaded or inaccessible.
The network traffic to the website is unusually high.

It’s important to note that these symptoms can also be caused by other factors, such as high traffic or technical issues with the website itself. To confirm that a DDoS attack is the cause, you would need to analyze the network traffic to the website and look for specific patterns or characteristics of DDoS attacks. This can be done using specialized tools and services.

The relevance of protection against DDoS attacks

We are in the age of digital transformation where every industry is turning to digital methods to increase efficiency and connect with customers. The COVID-19 pandemic has forced many people to work remotely, at least partially. This increased reliance on digital tools and services has made DoS and DDoS attacks more relevant than ever.

A substantial surge in DDoS attacks has been seen in recent months, as evidenced by the standard headlines for many information security news, which begin with phrases such as “A significant increase in DDoS attacks in…” following that with the country, firm name or industry. Media, government websites, industrial facilities, hospitals, banks, IT, and even individuals have all been targeted by DDoS attacks.

Despite the serious nature of DDoS attacks, many organizations do not take the necessary steps to protect themselves, especially small businesses. This is often because they underestimate the risk or believe that they are too small to be a target. However, as DDoS attacks have become more prevalent, it has become clear that the goals of attackers can be quite different from what companies expect.

Your organization could be attacked to extort money for stopping a DDoS attack and restoring your service, to divert attention away from your security team as another group launches a more complex attack, or just because it’s an easy target. In any case, it’s important to be aware of the risk and to have a plan in place in case you are attacked.

How to protect your IT infrastructure from DDoS attacks?

If you’ve been the victim of such attack, you know how frustrating and overwhelming it can be. Your website is inaccessible, your customers are angry, and you’re losing revenue by the minute. Luckily, there are steps you can take to protect yourself from these types of attacks in the future.

Operating a web service without effective DDoS protection measures and hoping not to be seen as an attractive target by cybercriminals should be considered intentional negligence from an entrepreneur’s perspective. This is why precautions must be taken to avoid damage in the event of an attack.

It is important to note that there is no single solution that can provide complete protection from the growing threats of DDoS attacks, but rather a combination of strategies and technologies must be used in order to reduce the risk.

Best practices to prevent DDoS attacks

There are several steps you can take to protect your infrastructure from DDoS attacks, including the following:

Monitor your network traffic: By monitoring your network traffic and identifying anomalies or suspicious patterns, you can detect a DDoS attack in its early stages and take action to mitigate it.
Implement a firewall: A firewall can help to block or filter out malicious traffic and can provide other security features, such as intrusion detection and prevention.
Use a content delivery network (CDN): A CDN is a network of servers that are distributed across multiple locations. By using a CDN, you can redirect traffic away from your primary server and distribute it across the CDN, reducing the impact of the attack.
Set up rate limiting: Rate limiting is a technique that involves limiting the number of requests that a server will accept from a particular IP address within a specified time period. This can help to prevent attackers from overwhelming the server with a large volume of traffic.
Use blackhole routing: Blackhole routing involves directing traffic destined for a targeted server to a “blackhole” or null route, where it is discarded, rather than allowing it to reach the server. This can help to reduce the impact of the attack on the server.
Implement DDoS protection services: DDoS protection services are specialized services that can help to mitigate the effects of an attack. These services typically use a combination of techniques, such as traffic scrubbing and filtering, to block or filter out malicious traffic and protect the targeted server.
Use load balancers and caching to distribute the load across multiple servers and improve the performance of your infrastructure.
Have a DDoS response plan in place to quickly identify and mitigate attacks if they do occur. This should include having backup servers and communication channels in place to ensure that your business can continue to operate even if your primary infrastructure is affected by a DDoS attack.

Overall, the key to protecting your IT infrastructure from DDoS attacks is to be proactive and take steps to prevent attacks before they happen, as well as having a plan in place to quickly respond if an attack does occur.

Core filtering techniques that support DDoS Mitigation:

There are several core filtering techniques that can be used to support DDoS mitigation. These techniques include:

Rate limiting: Rate limiting involves limiting the number of requests that a server will accept from a particular IP address within a specified time period. This can help to prevent attackers from overwhelming the server with a large volume of traffic.
Blackhole routing: Blackhole routing involves directing traffic destined for a targeted server to a “blackhole” or null route, where it is discarded, rather than allowing it to reach the server. This can help to reduce the impact of the attack on the server.
Traffic scrubbing: Traffic scrubbing involves analyzing incoming traffic and identifying and blocking malicious or suspicious traffic, while allowing legitimate traffic to pass through.
Stateful filtering: Stateful filtering involves keeping track of the state of each network connection and only allowing traffic that is part of an established connection to pass through. This can help to prevent attackers from using spoofed IP addresses to launch attacks.
Protocol anomaly detection: Protocol anomaly detection involves analyzing the traffic patterns and characteristics of incoming packets and identifying anomalies or deviations from normal behavior that may indicate a DDoS attack.
Packet fragmentation: Packet fragmentation involves breaking large packets into smaller fragments, which can help to reduce the amount of bandwidth required to transmit the data. This can help to prevent attackers from overwhelming the network with large packets.

Put Your DDoS Protection To The Test

testing your DDoS protection measures is an essential step in ensuring that they are effective and able to protect your system against attacks. By simulating a DDoS attack and evaluating how your system responds, you can identify any vulnerabilities or weaknesses in your defenses, and take steps to address them before a real attack occurs. Testing also allows you to evaluate the performance and capacity of your network, and to ensure that your response plan is effective in the event of an attack. Overall, testing your DDoS protection measures can help to reduce the likelihood of a successful attack and minimize the potential damage to your system and its users.

To test your DDoS protection measures, you can use a variety of tools and techniques, such as the following:

Simulate a DDoS attack: You can use a tool such as ApacheBench (ab) or Siege to simulate a DDoS attack and test how your system responds. These tools allow you to send a high volume of requests to your server and adjust the speed and duration of the requests to mimic a real-world attack.
Monitor your network traffic: By monitoring your network traffic and identifying anomalies or suspicious patterns, you can determine whether your DDoS protection measures are working effectively.
Test your firewall: You can use tools such as nmap or Wireshark to test your firewall and see if it is correctly blocking or filtering out malicious traffic.
Evaluate your network capacity: You can use tools such as iPerf or Netperf to measure the capacity of your network and determine whether it is sufficient to handle a DDoS attack.
Test your response plan: In the event of a DDoS attack, it is important to have a well-defined response plan in place. You can test this plan by simulating a DDoS attack and seeing how well your team responds to the situation. This will help you identify any weaknesses or gaps in your plan and make improvements as needed.

It is important to note that testing for DDoS vulnerabilities can be complex and can potentially harm the performance and stability of your system, so it should only be done with caution and under controlled conditions.

The way forward: Tips on Choosing the Right DDoS Protection and Mitigation Solution provider

When choosing a DDoS protection and mitigation service/solution provider, it is important to consider the following factors:

Scalability: The service should be able to handle a large volume of traffic and provide protection against attacks of various sizes and complexities.
Reputation: Look for a service provider with a proven track record of successfully protecting against DDoS attacks and a good reputation in the industry.
Coverage: The service should provide protection against a wide range of DDoS attack vectors, including network-level and application-level attacks.
Features: The service should include a range of features, such as traffic scrubbing, blackhole routing, and protocol anomaly detection, to provide comprehensive protection.
Support: The service provider should offer timely and effective support, including 24/7 monitoring and assistance, to help you respond to and mitigate DDoS attacks.
Cost: Consider the cost of the service and compare it to other options to ensure that it offers good value for money.
Compatibility: The service should be compatible with your existing network and security infrastructure, and should integrate seamlessly with your systems.
Flexibility: The service should be flexible and customizable so that you can tailor it to meet your specific needs and requirements

FAQ about DDoS attack

Do firewalls stop DDoS?

Firewalls can help to prevent or mitigate the effects of DDoS attacks, but they are not a complete solution. A firewall is a security system that controls incoming and outgoing network traffic based on predetermined security rules. It can help to block or filter out malicious traffic, and can also provide other security features, such as intrusion detection and prevention. However, a firewall on its own may not be enough to stop a large or sophisticated DDoS attack, as the volume of traffic generated by the attack can overwhelm the firewall’s capacity. In addition, attackers can use a variety of techniques to bypass or evade firewalls, such as using encrypted traffic or spoofing the source of the attack. Therefore, it is important to implement a multi-layered defense strategy that includes firewalls as well as other security measures, such as intrusion detection and prevention systems, load balancers, and other tools.

How long do DDoS attacks normally last?

The duration of a DDoS attack can vary widely, depending on a number of factors, including the size and complexity of the attack, the resources and defenses of the target, and the motivations and goals of the attackers. Some attacks may last only a few minutes, while others can continue for several days or even weeks. In some cases, an attack may be intermittent, with periods of intense activity followed by lulls, making it difficult to predict how long the attack will last.

Can a DDoS attack be traced back?

Yes, it is possible to trace a DDoS attack back to its source. This is typically done by using special tools and techniques to identify the source of the attack traffic. However, tracing a DDoS attack can be a complex and time-consuming process, and the success of the investigation will depend on a variety of factors, including the sophistication of the attack and the resources available to the investigators. It is always best to take steps to prevent DDoS attacks from happening in the first place, rather than trying to trace them after the fact.

Can DDoS attacks be stopped?

Yes, DDoS attacks can be stopped, but it may not be a straightforward or easy process. The most effective way to stop a DDoS attack is to prevent it from happening in the first place, by implementing strong security measures and staying vigilant against potential threats. If an attack does occur, there are various techniques that can be used to mitigate its effects, such as filtering out malicious traffic, redirecting traffic to a separate server, or increasing the capacity of the network to absorb the attack. However, the specific approach that will be most effective in any given situation will depend on the details of the attack and the resources available to the defenders.

What is the most effective DDoS method?

It is difficult to say which specific DDoS method is the most effective, as the effectiveness of a DDoS attack can depend on a variety of factors, including the target, the resources and defenses of the target, and the motivations and goals of the attackers. Different methods may be more or less effective in different situations. Some common methods include SYN flood, UDP flood, and ping of death.

What do hackers get out of DDoS?

Hackers may launch DDoS attacks for a variety of reasons, including financial gain, revenge, political activism, or simply to disrupt the operations of a target. In some cases, hackers may use a DDoS attack as a “smokescreen” to distract the victim and divert their attention while the attackers carry out other, more malicious activities, such as stealing sensitive data or planting malware. In other cases, the attackers may demand a ransom from the victim, threatening to continue or escalate the attack unless the victim agrees to pay. Alternatively, the attackers may simply enjoy the challenge of successfully executing a cyber attack, or may seek to gain recognition or notoriety within the hacking community.

How does software exhibit graceful degradation in response to a denial of service DOS attack?

Graceful degradation is a design principle in which a system is designed to continue functioning, albeit at a reduced level of performance, when faced with a failure or adverse condition. In the context of a denial of service (DoS) attack, graceful degradation would involve designing the system to be able to continue providing some level of service to users, even when it is under attack. This might involve implementing measures such as prioritizing essential services, shedding non-critical workloads, or redirecting traffic to other servers or networks. By allowing the system to continue operating at a reduced level of capacity, graceful degradation can help to minimize the impact of the attack and reduce the potential damage to the system and its users.

How to test a slow HTTP denial of service attack?

There are various tools and techniques that can be used to test for vulnerabilities to slow HTTP denial of service (DoS) attacks. These attacks exploit the fact that many web servers and application servers have limits on the maximum number of connections they can handle simultaneously, as well as the maximum amount of time they will spend servicing a single request. By sending a high volume of slow, long-lived HTTP requests, the attacker can overwhelm the server’s resources and cause it to become unresponsive.

To test for vulnerabilities to slow HTTP DoS attacks, you can use a tool such as ApacheBench (ab) or Siege. These tools allow you to simulate a high volume of HTTP requests and adjust the speed and duration of the requests to mimic a slow HTTP attack. You can then monitor the server’s response and performance to see how it handles the load and identify any potential vulnerabilities or weaknesses. It is important to note, however, that testing for vulnerabilities to slow HTTP DoS attacks can be complex and can potentially harm the performance and stability of the server, so it should only be done with caution and under controlled conditions.

Conclusion

In conclusion, we should not forget that security is a process, not an event. DDoS attacks are a rather specific type of cyber attack. You need to regularly test your protection system, and only then a real DDoS attack will not take you by surprise. Whilst DDoS attacks can be disruptive and cause significant downtime, it is important to remember that many organizations are successfully weathering these attacks and implementing effective countermeasures. With this in mind, it is crucial that organizations keep up to date with the latest information security news and developments, in order to best protect themselves against these threats.

There are two main things you should do in order to be prepared for a DDoS attack. First of all, you need to test your protection system. The only way to see if it will work in the case of a real attack is to test it. Second, you need to create a plan. Think about how your team will act in the case of an attack. Think about what steps you will take and how you will communicate with customers. You also need to know how your protection system works, and have a backup plan in case it will not be enough.

Recommended tools:

Cloudflare helps companies keep their websites up and running without ever having to look at the code that runs the site. CloudFlare’s performance is impressive and is clearly a huge step forward for the DDoS protection industry. In a world where DDoS attacks are becoming more and more common, this is a valuable offering for a great price.

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