DDoS Attacks: A Growing Threat to Business Continuity

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise, with over 10 million attacks reported in 2021, according to CISA.

Introduction

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are on the rise, with over 10 million attacks reported in 2021, according to CISA. These attacks flood a network with traffic, overwhelming it and causing service disruptions. In today’s digital age, where uptime is critical, a DDoS attack can be devastating to any business. Here’s what you need to know about DDoS attacks and how to defend against them.

What is a DDoS Attack?

A DDoS attack occurs when a network is overwhelmed by a flood of internet traffic, rendering services unusable. The goal is not to steal data but to disrupt operations, sometimes demanding a ransom to stop the attack.

Botnets: DDoS attacks are often carried out by botnets, which are networks of infected devices that cybercriminals control remotely to launch large-scale attacks.
Motives: Attackers may use DDoS attacks to extort businesses, retaliate against competitors, or make political statements.

Types of DDoS Attacks

Volumetric Attacks: These attacks aim to consume bandwidth and overload a network by sending massive amounts of traffic.
Application Layer Attacks: Targeting specific applications, such as web servers, these attacks can cause significant downtime and financial loss.
Protocol Attacks: These attacks exploit weaknesses in network protocols, such as the Transmission Control Protocol (TCP), to disrupt communications.

Defending Against DDoS Attacks

Cloud-Based DDoS Protection: Cloud-based solutions can detect and mitigate DDoS attacks by distributing the attack traffic across a network of servers.
Firewalls and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): Firewalls and IPS can detect abnormal traffic patterns and block potential DDoS attacks.
Rate Limiting: Limiting the number of requests a server can handle per second can help prevent DDoS attacks from overwhelming the network.

As DDoS attacks become more sophisticated, businesses must adopt robust defense strategies to protect their networks and maintain business continuity. By investing in the right tools and practices, you can mitigate the risk of a DDoS attack disrupting your operations.