How to Recognize DDoS Attacks and How to Endure Them?

Currently, companies have relied on cybernetic advantages for most of their processes such as transfers and information backup.

The prestige and image of a company can be impacted by canny cybercriminals’ provocation. Ignoring the scope of capabilites a cybercriminal can employ, has been a luxury and crutch as a result of automation.

In this article we will touch on the subject of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, as well as some measures to prevent attacks and how cybersecurity can avoid these situations so that companies can enjoy reliable and effective support.

Definition

A 'DDoS' is an attack on the server of a web page or network with the aim of leaving it without service. This is the result of a large flow of traffic generated from various connection points to the same destination point (i.e., target network.)

How do they work?

The most sophisticated DDoS attacks rely on 'botnets' - zombie computer networks made up of a large number of computers that have been infected by 'malware' - so that they remain at the disposal of criminals who control them remotely. More recently, DDoS-as-a-Service has been observed following the expanse of cloud computing, whereby cybercriminals utilize the cloud to create botnets.

Being made up of hundreds or thousands of computers and, therefore, not having a single point of illegitimate requests, 'botnets' are very useful for carrying out DDoS attacks.

In these cases, the user does not know that his computer is part of a 'botnet', although some symptoms to recognize it may be:

• Slow and strange operation of the equipment.
• Appearance of error messages.
• The fan suddenly starts running while idle.

Classification of DDoS attacks

These, in turn, are grouped into three large categories:

• Attacks at the application layer: These are the simplest attacks and mimic normal requests to the server from the infected computer. As the attack progresses, the volume of seemingly legitimate requests increases and the server begins to crash.
• Protocol attacks: This attack takes advantage of server processing to overload and crash the DDoS target.
• Volumetric attacks: In this attack, what is affected is the available bandwidth of the server.

Measures to avoid DDoS Attacks

To prevent being infected by a ‘malware’ that conjoins a computer with a ‘botnet’, it is necessary to follow the following guidelines:

• Keep computers with antivirus up to date, as some monitor network activity and warn of anomalous activities.
• Have services that take care to keep the system ‘software’ updated, as this minimizes the possibility of exploiting security flaws. At the same time that they are specialized in DDoS protection.
• Do not click on links or download attachments sent from unknown email addresses that could introduce 'malware' on our device.

Some more technical tips are:

• Limit the rate of traffic coming from a single host.
• Have redundant, load-balancing solutions on critical systems.
• Limit the number of concurrent connections to the server.
• Restrict the use of bandwidth by those hosts that commit violations.
• Perform a monitoring of the TCP / UDP connections that are carried out in the server (it allows to identify attack patterns).

How can cybersecurity be involved to counter DDoS attacks?

As we may have seen, cybercriminals become more sophisticated when they know how to focus on their attack center and get what they are looking for.

So, so that this does not happen, a cybersecurity service will help provide greater security within the cyber infrastructure through simulated attacks so that company personnel know how to act in the event of any of these eventualities.

For that reason, THETA432 has customizable services, designed for clients to determine the best alternative at their fingertips. If you are looking for a cybersecurity service capable of preventing DDoS attacks on your company and clients, THETA432 is your ideal solution. Ask for a demo!

References:

• ESET. (2012, March 28). Tips for avoiding a denial of service attack. Retrieved from: https: //www.welivesecurity.com/la-es/2012/03/28/consejos-ataque-denegacion-servicio/
• Gómez Blanco, A. (2019, September 25). What is a DDoS attack and how to avoid it? Recovered from: https://www.bbva.com/es/que-es-un-attaque-ddos-y-como-avitarlo/
• Ramírez, E. (2020, May 27). What is a DDoS attack and how to avoid it? Recovered from: https://protecciondatos-lopd.com/empresas/ataque-ddos/

Authored by
Jorge Daniel Tejeda

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