What is a DDoS Attack and How Does It Work?

A DDoS attack exploits weaknesses in the Internet infrastructure to bring down a website by flooding it with traffic from multiple sources. The attack usually lasts for minutes to hours, depending on the number of computers or other devices used to launch the attack.

The DDoS attack is a direct attack on a computer system. It is a type of Denial-of-Service attack which uses many computers to continuously send a high data load to a server, making it difficult or impossible for the server to respond to legitimate requests. The DDoS attack is used as a form of cyber warfare to make a website unusable, or to shut down a website of a competitor. One of the ways businesses can protect themselves from DDoS attacks is by using a web application firewall.

A web application firewall (WAF) is a network security product that is designed to block unauthorized communication between web browsers and web servers, or between a web server and backend services. A web application firewall uses an advanced set of rules and can trigger several different actions based on the type of web request received, such as blocking a particular URL (Uniform Resource Locator), redirecting the traffic to a different URL, or even terminating the connection to the server.

A web application firewall works transparently to the webserver and the end-user, and it provides third-party protection from any malicious traffic. A web application firewall can also prevent unauthorized users from connecting to and leveraging existing web applications. A web application firewall can be also be used to filter traffic based on the reputation of the requesting end-point, or block traffic using a pre-defined list of IP addresses or URLs.

A web application firewall can mitigate DDoS attacks by blocking traffic from sources that are known to be malicious. This can help to stop malicious traffic, and can also be used to block malicious traffic from legitimate sources. A web application firewall can also stop brute force attacks. Brute force attacks are attacks in which a hacker attempts to log into a website or application using a list of predefined usernames and passwords. A web application firewall can monitor large lists of logins and can block traffic that attempts to brute force logins, or that attempts to log in using invalid user names and passwords.

Types of DDoS Attacks

DoS attacks: One type of DDoS attack is what’s known as a “DoS” attack, which simply aims to overload a system with the data it receives. In this type of attack, an attacker sends out a large number of packets, which overwhelms the receiving system. This type of attack can cripple a website, causing slow or frozen pages, or it can even crash the system. Because this type of DDoS attack isn’t specific to a particular website or platform, a website owner may be knocked offline by many different attacks simultaneously.

Attacks come in several types. Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attacks

• SYN Flood
• ACK Flood
• TCP Flood
• UDP Flood
• HTTP Flood
• DNS Flood
• Smurf Attack
• Ping of Death
• Smurf Attack
• Flood and Ping of Death

SYN Flood: In this type of attack, the attacker sends a flood of packets to a server, causing it to jam up. The attacker then sends a series of packets to the server, creating what’s known as “SYN” (synchronize) traffic. This type of attack is difficult to stop, because the attacker can send the “SYN” packets to many different servers at the same time.

UDP Flood: In this type of attack, the attacker sends a large number of UDP packets to the target. This type of attack is able to overwhelm the target’s network and also disrupt its services. One common way to mitigate this attack is with TCP-based proxy servers that filter out UDP packets from the source.

DNS Flood: is an attack in which an attacker tries to return multiple responses from the victim’s DNS server to clients requesting information. It is also known as Server Flood or DNS Amplification.

A DNS Flood attack is a type of DoS attack in which an attacker floods a DNS server with a large volume of DNS requests, causing significant network congestion. This type of attack is typically used by an attacker to overwhelm the target system or network or to test network security measures.

The attacker directs the requests to the target DNS server.

The requests are sent from a flooded source, many requests per second, over a limited bandwidth, in order to saturate the target DNS server infrastructure.A DNS server is computer that translates domain names such as example.com into IP addresses such as 69.211.40.98. A DNS server is also the component of a network that keeps track of which Internet domain names map to which IP addresses. When a client computer requests a website, example.com, the DNS resolves the name to the corresponding IP address.

The DNS systems on most networks are configured to allow 3 responses per request. This lets the DNS servers handle 3 requests for every 1 response. DNS flood makes this configuration useless by flooding the system with requests. In most cases, the attacker spoofs the IP addresses from which DNS requests are actually coming. However, some DNS servers provide an API, which allows the attacker to spoof information like the domain itself.

NTP Flood: In this attack, the attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server. The attacker sends a series of spoofed packets to the victim server.

Smurf Attack: In this type of attack, the attacker sends spoofed packets to the victim server, which triggers its own servers to send spoofed packets. This attack creates a chain reaction, with the victim server sending spoofed packets back to its own servers, spinning up the cycle. This type of attack is difficult to filter out at the network level, and is usually detected only by monitoring traffic.

HTTP Flood is an attack method in which an attacker sends several requests, often 10 to 100 times per second, to a website’s back-end servers in an attempt to overload resources and crash the server. While the number of requests is relatively small, the sheer volume of requests can overload the server and prevent it from responding to legitimate requests. In order to reduce the chances of being targeted by this type of attack, it is recommended that a website should request no more than 100 requests per 1-second window; however, if an attacker is able to overwhelm a website’s servers, even this limit can be bypassed.

How does a DDoS attack work?

DDoS traffic is spoofed to look like legitimate traffic. A DDoS attack is designed in such a way that it masks its identity. An attacker uses various protocols to send spoofed packets to a victim server, triggering the server to send spoofed packets to others, and so on. The attacker may generate traffic from thousands of different IP addresses, making it look like legitimate traffic.

A DDoS attack is continuous and consists of multiple attack types. When a victim server is flooded with spoofed traffic, it responds by sending spoofed packets to others. This recursive cycle continues until the server crashes.

The attacker often uses multiple protocols to cause the recursive cycle. For example, in the NTP attack, the attacker uses TCP and UDP protocols. TCP is a connection protocol, and UDP is a datagram protocol. Both protocols are used by legitimate traffic. When the attacker sends packets to the victim server, the victim server generates TCP packets and UDP packets and sends them back.

When the attacker sends packets to the victim server, the victim server generates TCP packets and UDP packets, and sends them back. When the attacker sends packets to the victim server, the victim server generates TCP packets and UDP packets, and sends them back. When the attacker sends packets to the victim server, the victim server generates TCP packets and UDP packets, and sends them back. When the attacker sends packets to the victim server, the victim server generates TCP packets and UDP packets, and sends them back.

Effects of a DDoS attack:

DDoS attacks are generally a form of cyber-attack in which hackers bombard a victim with a flood of requests, disrupting the service the victim provides. The effects of a DDoS attack can be devastating, with the victim’s website or online service down or unavailable to customers, resulting in loss of revenue. Some of the more common effects of a DDoS attack are increased loading times, slower response times, and server crashes.

• When a server is flooded with traffic, its processing capacity is exhausted, and its response time increases.
• A prolonged DDoS attack may crash the server.
• A DDoS attack causes significant downtime, and may lead to data loss.

To protect your system from DDoS attacks, use the following recommendations:

• Set up an intrusion detection system (IDS).
• Update your firewall and IPS regularly.
• Use TCP-level prevention measures, such as TCP segmentation and packet filtering.
• Prioritize traffic based on business criticality.
• Seek help from a third-party provider.

DDoS Mitigation by Evasion:

Evasion is a DDoS attack mitigation technique in which the attacker conceals his identity or IP, making it difficult for the victim server to detect the attack. Attackers use various evasion techniques to avoid detection.

DDoS Attack Detection:

• IDS and IPS detect DDoS traffic.
• Network mapping and telemetry techniques identify attack sources.
• Network analysis techniques identify attack methods.

Prevention:

DDoS protection protects against DDoS attacks. DDoS protection can be implemented at the network level, server level, and DNS level.

At the network level:

Firewalls, intrusion prevention systems, Intrusion Detection Systems, and load balancers prevent DDoS attacks.

at the server level:

Anti-DDoS software, such as Incapsula, protects websites against DDoS attacks. Incapsula uses a global network of scrubbing centers to protect websites against DDoS attacks.

at the DNS level:

DNSSEC, DNS filtering, and DNS privacy help prevent DDoS attacks.

What is the impact of DDoS Attacks on your business?

DDoS attacks can have a huge impact on your business. A DDoS attack occurs when a cyber-attacker floods a target with so much traffic, it causes service interruption and denial of service. This can be a targeted attack or a mass attack, but either way it can cripple businesses and cause revenue loss.

Most companies that fall victim to DDoS attacks say their revenue is down by 40%. And companies that successfully recover from DDoS attacks say that their revenue increased by 20%.

The statistics don’t lie. DDoS attacks are expensive, downtime is expensive, and revenue loss is expensive. What you can do to help you avoid these expensive scenarios is invest in threat prevention.

CAPTCHA:

What is CAPTCHA?

CAPTCHA (Completely Automated Public Turing test to tell Computers and Humans Apart), or alternately known as “challenge-response,” is a test commonly used to determine whether or not the user is a human or a computer.

CAPTCHA is used to prevent automated programs from accessing a website or program.

How CAPTCHA works:

• The user enters a word or phrase that is unique to the given website.
• The word or phrase is then presented to a CAPTCHA program.
• A human would recognize the word or passage instantly.
• A computer must solve the CAPTCHA program’s puzzle.
• CAPTCHAs are intended to prevent automated programs from accessing websites, but they can also be a nuisance to users.

CAPTCHA protection:

There are several methods you can use to prevent CAPTCHAs from appearing on your website. Here are a few of them:

• CAPTCHAs are annoying to users, so it is best to eliminate them altogether.
• CAPTCHAs can be solved by automated programs, so eliminating them altogether may eliminate CAPTCHAs from your pages.
• Make sure the CAPTCHA system functions correctly. Test it regularly before redirecting users to it.
• Use a CAPTCHA to filter out spam bots.
• Choose a CAPTCHA that is appropriate for your audience.
• Use a CAPTCHA that offers both a human and computer test.
• CAPTCHAs can prevent bots from accessing your content, but depending on how they are implemented, they can also frustrate users. The fewer CAPTCHAs you use, the better.

Cloudflafre:

What is CloudFlare?

CloudFlare is a content delivery network, or CDN, which stores copies of your website’s content in multiple data centers across the globe. The copies are stored in different data centers, so if one data center is attacked, your website will be available from another data center.

CloudFlare offers several security services:

• CloudFlare protects websites and applications against DDoS attacks.
• CloudFlare blocks malicious bots, protects users from phishing, and protects against typo-hacking.
• CloudFlare protects websites from cyber-attacks with SSL encryption.
• CloudFlare’s anti-phishing service
• CloudFlare offers protection against spam and malware.
• CloudFlare protects websites from malicious traffic, such as bots or spammers.
• CloudFlare’s multiple data centers around the world provide protection from DDoS attacks.
• CloudFlare’s content caching service speeds up website loading times.

Conclusion: A DDoS attack can be very damaging to your IT infrastructure, but luckily, there are preventative measures that can be taken to help protect your company. Invest in threat prevention, such as a cloud firewall, and invest in a solid DDoS protection service.

When it comes to malware protection, test your website regularly, and invest in malware protection software. When it comes to your website’s security, invest in threat prevention.

CloudFlare is a content delivery network, or CDN, which stores copies of your website’s content in multiple data centers across the globe. The copies are stored in different data centers, so if one data center is attacked, your website will be available from another data center.