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DDoS Attacks on the Rise

By Justin |  Apr 19, 2018 (5 min read)

Security

In October 2016, the Internet saw the largest DDoS attack on Dyn’s servers, which support large websites such as Netflix, Reddit, CNN and more. The Tech Republic reveals Akamai’s Internet Security Report shows DDoS attacks are on the rise. In late 2017, the FBI and Microsoft teamed up to combat a bot that has caused DDoS attacks since 2011.

What is a DDos Attack?

Digital Attack Map explains “A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is an attempt to make an online service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic from multiple sources”. By overwhelming websites that are not capable of holding up against a mass volume of traffic, the DDos attack causes the site to crash, potentially for several times a day.

DDoS attacks are different from hacks. They disrupt the access of sites and don’t necessarily extract private information. However, Forbes.com claims that businesses can lose up to $40,000 per hour in revenue or other expenses from these attacks. Independent or small websites are especially vulnerable, as they may not have the resources to defend against these type of attacks.

So what can you do to prepare for a DDoS attack?

Start Early, Know Your Traffic

According to eSecurity Planet, one of the things you can do to help identify DDoS attacks early is to be aware of the general inbound traffic your website receives. When traffic begins to spike abnormally and you’re aware of it, you have a better chance of being prepared to handle the attack.

Not everyone has the expertise to solve these kinds of network security threats. Look into services that continue to help and protect your site. A WAF (web application firewall) is the most straightforward way to deal with this issue by sitting in front of the website and filtering out malicious traffic so it never reaches the origin server. We recommend Cloudflare, which mitigates DDoS attacks of all forms and sizes, including up to 400Gbps.

If the firewall, for whatever reason, is not effective you may need manual intervention to mitigate the issue. Having uptime or performance monitoring in place allows someone to respond quickly and address the issue.

Seek Host or ISP Support

Another option is to contact your Host or ISP Provider and ask for help. More than likely they have already detected it and can provide potentially immediate solutions for you, such as “null route” your traffic or stopping traffic from overwhelming your site.

Our team knows your security is vital for effective presence on the Internet. We at Brandastic provide certified developers who are familiar with these kinds of DDoS attacks. Contact us today and let us partner with you in protecting your brand, and all your digital marketing potential!

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