DDoS attacks are malicious attempts to disrupt a server, network, or website by flooding it with useless traffic. These attacks use multiple compromised devices as sources of attack traffic, such as computers and other networked resources.
What Makes DDOS Attacks Dangerous?
DDoS attacks are dangerous because they do not aim to breach your security perimeters but instead, they make your server and website inaccessible to legitimate users. They can also be used as a smokescreen to breach your security perimeter and can have long-lasting impacts on your business.
How Do DDOS Attacks Work?
DDoS attacks use botnets, which are networks of compromised devices that work together to flood the target website or server with traffic. The botnets can generate synthetic traffic, multiple URL requests, or email spamming. As a result, the server or website is unable to respond to legitimate traffic from actual users, leading to slow performance or an outage.
How to Protect Your Website Against DDOS Attacks?
To protect your website against DDOS attacks, you can implement mitigation measures like:
- Investing in an effective DDOS protection service for your website or server
- Ensuring your server software is up-to-date and patched
- Blocking traffic from known malicious IP addresses
- Limiting traffic to your website or server through rate-limiting measures
Conclusion
DDoS attacks are disruptive and destructive. To protect your website or server from these threats, invest in mitigation measures such as DDOS protection services, limit traffic, block malicious IPs and keep server software updated. Take preventive measures to mitigate any long-term impact on your business.
FAQs
What is the difference between DOS and DDOS attacks?
A DoS (Denial of Service) attack is launched from a single machine and network to overload a server, while a DDOS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is launched from multiple machines and networks that are controlled by cyber attacker.
What are the aims of a DDOS attack?
The aim of a DDOS attack is to make a website or server unavailable to the intended audience, flooding the target with thousands or millions of redundant requests in order to overwhelm the computer and its supporting resources.
Why do people launch DDOS attacks?
People launch DDOS attacks for several reasons, such as blackmail, political activism, or competition. They can be used to flood information systems with fake traffic to specifically cause disruption, distraction, and harm.
