Frequently, DDoS attacks are used as tools to cause harm to competitors or extortion. These hackers see the DDoS attack as just another tool in their arsenal, something that can be turned on or off at will. And while typically not a complex process, when carried out by a human cyborg with almost amphetamine-like endurance and energy, it's easy to see why the perpetrators of these attacks have been hard to catch. In this article, we'll discuss what DDoS is and its types.
What Is a DDoS and DDoS Attack?
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to prevent a computer, server, or website from being able to function by overloading the system with traffic. The attack typically involves:
· Sending barrages of requests to a targeted server or service.
· Overwhelming it.
· Preventing it from responding to legitimate users.
The term "distributed denial of service" DDoS meaning is the attack occurring across many computers or devices instead of one centralized location. That way, even if the attacker's computers are taken offline, other machines can still send requests to the target server. In a DDoS attack, these requests overwhelm the target site's resources and prevent legitimate users from accessing it.
DDoS attacks can be used for many purposes. One common use is extortion — sending malicious requests in hopes that they will force you into paying up before your site is taken down entirely. But more nefarious uses include launching attacks on competitors' sites or attempting to disrupt services like Internet Relay Chat (IRC) networks used for online gaming and social media chatting.
Types of DDoS Attack
Many types of DDoS attacks exist and can be classified in several different ways, depending on their method of execution. Here are the common types of DDoS attacks.
Volume-Based Attacks
The volume-based attack is a type of DDoS attack where the attacker sends traffic to a target which causes the target to saturate its connection capacity. The volume of traffic increases by increasing the number of systems participating in the attack.
The target server may receive a request from each infected computer or all the machines at once. The amount of data being sent per second can be very high, which can overload servers and cause them to crash or fail due to resource exhaustion.
This attack is often used by botnets (a network of computers controlled by a malicious software application) and other malware that infects computers and enslaves them for nefarious purposes.
Protocol Attacks
A protocol attack is an attack on a network that exploits the protocol used by a target to communicate. The attacks are often designed to disrupt or deny access to the target.
Protocol attacks can be used for many purposes, such as denial of service, information disclosure, or both. Protocol attacks are often harder to detect than other attacks because they're based on how data is transferred rather than what's being sent.
For example, an attacker could use a TCP SYN flood attack to send requests to port 80 on a website that serves static content. This attack is commonly called a "malicious DNS amplification" attack. The attacker uses the attacker-controlled IP address as the source address for all requests, meaning another host will almost certainly respond to each request on the same machine. The result is that the server will receive overwhelming requests from its IP address (often referred to as an amplification effect).
Application Layer Attacks
Application layer attacks are aimed at the application itself and include SQL injection, cross-site scripting (XSS), and other malicious code. These attacks can be very difficult to detect because the code is often injected into a legitimate page by exploiting a vulnerability. Application layer attacks are performed by hackers who have been granted access to a website's source code or database. These hackers will use this access to exploit any vulnerabilities in the website or application.
Application layer attacks can be difficult to detect because the code is often injected into a legitimate page by exploiting a vulnerability. Application layer attacks are performed by hackers who have been granted access to a website's source code or database. These hackers will use this access to exploit any vulnerabilities in the website or application.
How to Mitigate a DDoS Attack
Mitigating a DDoS attack is not an easy task. It requires a lot of experience and knowledge. You need to know what kind of DDoS attack you are facing, how it has affected your website, and how to mitigate it. Here are ways of how to mitigate a DDoS attack. In AgileCDN, we provide a free L3 L4 DDoS protection service for customers.
Use a DDoS Mitigation Service
A DDoS mitigation service is a great way to mitigate the effects of an attack. These services can be found on the Internet and are usually offered by companies specializing in this type of protection. AgileCDN is one of the best services to help you mitigate DDoS attacks' effects.
The most common DDOS attacks are SYN Floods and UDP Floods, with SYN Floods being more difficult to mitigate than UDP Floods because they are not as predictable. While both types of attacks can cause severe issues for your business, it's best to use a DDoS mitigation service when dealing with SYN floods because it's easier to predict when they will occur.
Avoid Attack Targets
It's essential to avoid certain types of websites, domains, or IP addresses whenever possible because these are the most common sources for DDoS attacks. Sites like Twitter or Facebook will always be popular targets for hackers because they have large numbers of users and servers, making them easy targets for attackers who want to take advantage of them.
Use a VPN
A VPN is a private network that connects computers, servers, and other devices to the Internet. A VPN encrypts all traffic from your computer to the VPN server so that no Internet user can read it. This protects you from DDoS attacks and other forms of cybercrime.
Change Your DNS Settings
When you connect to the Internet via an ISP (Internet Service Provider), you are assigned a domain name for your connection. This domain name is stored on your computer or device as part of your IP address. Your ISP can see this address and identify which website you are visiting, but they cannot see where you are located or what you do while online. This is why changing your DNS settings is important in mitigating DDoS attacks and other types of cybercrime.
Use a Firewall
The first thing you can do is to use a firewall for DDoS protection. A firewall is a security device that prevents unauthorized access and protects your network from viruses and other attacks. To mitigate a DDoS attack, you need to install a firewall in your network, blocking all the incoming traffic from the outside world.
Use SSL Certificates on Your Servers
SSL certificates help secure your website from cybercriminals who want access to your server's data or resources without having to pay the hefty fees associated with traditional methods such as VPN connections or dedicated servers.
Implement Intrusion Detection Systems
This method involves installing intrusion detection systems on your network to help detect abnormal network traffic patterns. The IDS can then identify if something is wrong with your network or if an attacker has gained access to your system through a vulnerability in your network or software.
Block Access To Specific Applications
Blocking access to specific applications involved in an attack is another option you can use when dealing with a DDoS attack. You can block access to these applications by using firewall rules that are configured correctly on the firewall, which will prevent them from being able to access certain applications and services on your network without authorization.
Use a DDoS Resiliency Solution
If you don't have a firewall, there is another way to mitigate DDoS attacks: using resilience solutions for your network infrastructure. A DDoS resiliency solution is an application that protects against DDoS attacks by automatically adjusting applications' parameters to minimize their impact on the overall performance of your application or service.
These solutions are usually based on some dynamic back-off mechanism that allows them to recognize when an attack has ended and restore normal operations as soon as possible. The best thing about these solutions is that they're very easy to implement and don't require additional costs or maintenance fees, so they are ideal for small businesses that don't have much money.
Final Word
The web presents a tempting target to those that wish to cause chaos or shut down systems, and one of the most popular (and intimidating) attacks is a DDoS. There have been notable cyber attacks, such as when anonymous waged a crippling DDoS attack on Paypal, but what exactly is this type of attack? This guide helps explain that and more. The best way of understanding a threat is to fully understand it, which should help you get more information and better learn how to fend off these attacks.