What is a DDoS Attack?

DDoS is an acronym for Distributed Denial of Service. A DDoS attack is a cybercrime where attackers flood a server with an overwhelming volume of fake internet traffic to hinder an organization’s systems or operations the point where the network’s legitimate users are prevented from accessing their online services or websites.

We can explore “what is a DDoS attack” further by explaining how these cyberattacks work. A DDoS attack is a large-scale action in which botnets are used to enlist numerous connected devices to flood its target with inauthentic requests and exploit cyber security vulnerabilities. The term botnet refers to a collection of computers that are interconnected to perform a specific task. While botnets are typically employed to perform helpful, legitimate tasks, their ability to control your computer enables them to be quite dangerous when deployed for malicious purposes. In a malicious attack, the botnet is infected with malware and controlled by an attacking party referred to as the bot-herder.

So what does DDoS mean for cyber security and functionality? These botnet disruptions will render a target’s system inaccessible or useless to legitimate users. The DDoS attack’s ability to scale up makes it much more far-reaching and potentially damaging than the simpler Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack, which uses a single internet connection to do its dirty work. Potentially causing multiple service disruptions, DDoS attacks can last for hours or days. It’s also possible that cybercriminals can infiltrate the target audience’s database and access sensitive information during the attack, potentially adding damage or theft of data to the disruption.

Common types of DDoS attacks target varying components of a network connection, and include application-layer attacks, protocol attacks and volumetric attacks:
 

Identifying a DDoS attack and differentiating its symptoms from normal fluctuations in an organization’s network status can be challenging. Through the use of carefully executed detection and mitigation methods, organizations can identify DDoS attacks and take steps to minimize their damage.

Using traffic analysis tools, organizations and their information security professionals can spot the telltale signs of DDoS attacks. Early detection is crucial. Symptoms may include:
 

The 4 stages of mitigating a DDoS attack using a cloud-based DDoS protection provider include:
 

Thorough risk assessments are an important step toward safeguarding a system against a DDoS attack and enable organizations and their IT security professionals to develop and maintain an awareness of their cyber security strengths and weaknesses. By understanding their most vulnerable hardware and software assets and framework, they can implement strategies to reduce the damages and disruptions.
 

Once a DDoS attack is suspected, one of the first responses should be a process called traffic differentiation, where the organization takes steps to determine the quality or source of the abnormal traffic. Rather than shutting off all traffic coming into the system, an effective mitigation strategy would be to scatter the traffic among a network of distributed servers to make it more manageable.
 

Rate limiting is another mitigation strategy that limits the number of requests a server can accept within a specific amount of time. While this isn’t enough on its own to fight back against a sophisticated attack, it can be a component of a multi-faceted response.
 

Firewalls are an essential tool in cyber security, and WAFs can reduce the impact of application-layer attacks. The WAF sits between the internet and a company’s servers and is used to create a set of rules that filter requests. The firewall’s rules can be customized based on patterns of suspicious activity the DDoS has displayed.
 

In a mitigation strategy called black hole routing, an organization or its internet service provider creates a route that herds traffic into a “black hole,” thereby dropping it from the network. This is one of the more extreme remedies, as it also nullifies legitimate traffic.

The most effective way to defend against DDoS attacks is by developing a robust denial-of-service defense strategy that considers every aspect of detection, prevention and mitigation of this type of cyberattack. It’s important to obtain buy-in from all relevant stakeholders and incorporate a strong communication element that will inform and educate employees and computer network users as to the DDoS threat potential. A DDoS attack response team should be organized with assigned roles, so that each team member understands what they need to do if a DDoS attack occurs. 

At the heart of this strategy should be a commitment to risk analysis to understand what areas of an organization need threat protection. Regular network security assessments and vulnerability scans can identify security gaps and help to assess potential threats. DDoS protection software or technologies should be updated regularly to be sure they are working correctly and optimally.

If you have a passion for the cyber security side of the tech industry, we can help you take the first step toward becoming a cyber defender. Our online Undergraduate Certificate in Cyber Security program can help you acquire the fundamental skills to safeguard businesses and their sensitive information from cyberattacks.

Coursework in this 100% online program explores topics that include strategies to safeguard networks and systems, ethical hacking, information assurance policies and small enterprise networks, and may also help you prepare to pursue industry-relevant certifications like CompTIA A+, CompTIA Cloud+ and CompTIA Security+.

You can earn your Undergraduate Certificate in Cyber Security from DeVry in as little as 1 year and 2 months with an accelerated schedule or 1 year and 6 months with a normal schedule.¹