2022 has seen its fair share of hacking issues. Due in part to the geopolitical conflict in Ukraine, we have seen attacks skyrocket in number, especially those of the denial-of-service variety (DDoS). In the first quarter of 2022, an all-time high of DDoS attacks were reported by Kaspersky at 91,052. Luckily, there are several ways to mitigate these threats. Between on-site appliances, off-premise cloud solutions and DIY tricks, we will describe the responses you and your organization should take to stay ready.
Carried out between networks of internet-connected machines, a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack allows hackers to remotely control groups of devices. Once an attacker has established control, they can then direct a coordinated attack by sending remote instructions to each device. This causes servers and networks to become overwhelmed, thus leading to the denial of service to usual traffic. What makes this attack especially nefarious is that each group contains legitimate internet devices.
Why are DDoS attacks so dangerous? Besides serving as a major inconvenience, hacktivists often use DDoS attacks to demand ransom in exchange to remove the attack. Beyond this inconvenience, however, you can also suffer financial costs as well as impersonation or worse. That said, there are four important steps you can take against DDoS attacks:
- The Best Defense Is a Good Offense
Prevention is the best course of action. In order to protect yourself and those connected to you from DDoS attacks, it is first necessary to analyze your traffic patterns for telltale signs. The most common signals that you have a DDoS issue include problems accessing websites, slow access to files, traffic flooding from a sole IP address or a sharp increase in traffic.
- Security Is Crucial
DDoS protection is not unlike fielding a soccer team. You need a goalie (a sturdy firewall), along with fullbacks (a customized defense against illegitimate requests disguised as good traffic) and strong midfielders (DDoS protection appliances). In other words, you need a series of protections good enough to compete in the World Cup!
- Server Capacity Is Key
Because a key component of DDoS attacks include overwhelming the server capacity, a clever way to mitigate potential attacks or damage is to expand your bandwidth capacity beyond what you usually need. This way, you can accommodate traffic spikes of all kinds, especially during a period when we know DDoS attacks are prevalent.
- Alert and Document as Necessary
If you experience a DDoS attack, it is critical that you alert your Internet Service Provider (ISP) ASAP. Your ISP can help with after-the-fact measures, including a potential “black hole.” This is when your ISP leads unwanted traffic into a non-space. However, this has the potential to create network downtime and lost traffic, so make sure you give your ISP all the information you have.
