DDoS Cyberattacks Explained
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattack occurs when a cybercriminal attempts to interrupt an online service by flooding it with fake traffic. This can be achieved by overwhelming various aspects of an organization’s system, such as servers, devices, networks, and applications. During a DDoS cyberattack, cybercriminals send a deluge of requests to a victim’s server, intending to exceed the capacity limits of their websites, servers, and networks, resulting in a halt to services. The impact of these attacks can range from minor annoyances to entire websites, networks, or businesses being taken offline.
DDoS cyberattacks rely on multiple machines operating together to target a single victim organization. To increase the size of these attacks, DDoS cyberattackers frequently hijack a group of interconnected devices to conduct the attack. These groups of hijacked computers are called botnets. Botnets consist of millions of computers that can be located anywhere and belong to anyone. The devices that makeup botnets may be infected with malware or rented out for the attack. In both cases, the hijacked computers flood victim organizations with more connection requests than they can handle.
How DDoS Cyberattacks Work
DDoS cyberattacks can originate from various sources, including disgruntled employees, business competitors, or nation-state actors. Attackers may be seeking to enact revenge, cause chaos or gain a competitive advantage. The purpose of these attacks is to cause server outages and monetary loss for businesses. These cyberattacks can also involve extortion, in which perpetrators install ransomware on servers and demand payment to reverse the damages.
Identifying DDoS Cyberattacks
DDoS cyberattacks are designed to mimic legitimate traffic from real users, which can make them challenging to identify. Often, DDoS cyberattacks can be mistaken for commonplace technological issues. Therefore, organizations must be aware of the warning signs indicating a DDoS cyberattack. One or more of the following symptoms should raise concern:
- A surge in traffic caused by similar devices from the exact geographic location or browser
- One or more specific IP addresses making several consecutive requests over a short period
- The server times out while being tested for pinging service
- The server responds with a 503 HTTP error, indicating the server is overloaded or down for maintenance
- A traffic analysis shows a strong and consistent spike in traffic
- Traffic logs show spikes at unusual times or in unusual sequences
- Traffic logs show unusually high spikes in traffic to a single endpoint or website
Identifying the symptoms of these attacks can also help determine which type of DDoS attack is taking place.
Types of DDoS Cyberattacks
There are three main types of DDoS cyberattacks. These attacks are primarily distinguished by the traffic sent to a victim organization’s systems.
- Volumetric attacks—The goal of volumetric attacks is to saturate the bandwidth of victim sites through a flood of illegitimate requests. Attack methods include floods of UDP, ICMP, and other spoofed packets. Volumetric attacks are measured in bits per second.
- Protocol attacks—These attacks target the networking layer of victim systems with overwhelming firewalls, tablespaces of core networking systems, or load balancers. In these attacks, hackers may use SYN floods, fragmented packet attacks, Ping of Death, and Smurf of DDoS. Protocol attacks are measured in packages per second.
- Application attacks—This DDoS attack is designed to capitalize on the vulnerabilities of specific applications. Such attacks may include low-and-slow attacks, GET/POST floods, and attacks that target vulnerabilities in Apache, Windows, OpenBSD, or other applications. The size of these attacks is measured in requests per second.
Why DDoS Cyberttacks Are on the Rise
Researchers reported 5.4 million DDoS cyberattacks in the first half of 2021—an 11% increase from the first half of 2020. Some factors contributing to this rise include:
- Internet of Things (IoT) devices are especially vulnerable because they rarely have built-in firmware or security controls. The number of IoT devices is rising rapidly. In 2021, the number of active endpoints globally rose 8% to 12.2 billion. By 2030, this number is expected to surpass 25.4 billion. But as the number of connected devices grows, so does the number of available devices for hackers to turn into botnets. The increasing number of IoT devices will allow hackers to create more extensive networks of computers, strengthening the size of the attacks they can level against their victims.
- Application programming interfaces (APIs) are small pieces of code that allow systems to share data publicly. Public APIs may have several vulnerabilities, including weak authentication checks, lack of robust encryption, and flawed business logic. APIs can be attacked on both ends of the service in a DDoS attack. This means an API may be attacked from the server and the API server simultaneously, significantly increasing the strength of an attack.
- Cyber warfare—War and international tensions can lead to an increase in hacktivist-driven cyberattacks. The term “hacktivist” describes cybercriminals who are ethically, politically, or socially motivated. Hacktivists may use DDoS cyberattacks for reasons such as to make a statement or retaliate against people, governments, or organizations they disagree with.
- Ransomware/extortion—Cybercriminals are increasingly partnering DDoS attacks with ransomware/extortion demands. DDoS cyberattacks can increase the pressure on victim companies and bring them back to the negotiation table following a refusal to pay a ransom by crippling their network with the promise to stop for the right price.
To protect vital network functions from DDoS cyberattacks, all organizations must have a prevention plan before a DDoS cyberattack is suspected.
Steps Businesses Can Take
Organizations should consider the following steps to avoid and mitigate DDoS cyberattacks:
- Use a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs mask and encrypt IP addresses and other identifiable network elements.
- Install antivirus software. Antivirus software can identify and block the types of malware used by DDoS attackers. Once installed, ensure antivirus software is well-maintained.
- Enroll in a denial-of-service (DoS) program. DoS protection services are designed to identify abnormal traffic and direct it away from company networks. These services filter out DoS traffic while permitting clean traffic to continue to the right site.
- Evaluate security practices. Keep good security practices. Such methods include limiting the number of people accessing critical information and managing unwanted traffic. Educate employees on improving password security, choosing secure networks, keeping electronic device software current, and being suspicious of unexpected emails.
- Create a recovery plan. Plan to ensure that an organization is ready for successful and efficient communication, mitigation, and recovery in a cyberattack.
- Secure insurance coverage. It’s critical to explore the available cyber insurance options and determine how they may help an organization respond and recover from a DDoS cyberattack. Consult a trusted insurance professional to discuss specific coverage needs.
DDoS Cyberattacks Explained
A distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) cyberattack occurs when a cybercriminal attempts to interrupt an online service by flooding it with fake traffic. This can be achieved by overwhelming various aspects of an organization’s system, such as servers, devices, networks, and applications. During a DDoS cyberattack, cybercriminals send a deluge of requests to a victim’s server, intending to exceed the capacity limits of their websites, servers, and networks, resulting in a halt to services. The impact of these attacks can range from minor annoyances to entire websites, networks, or businesses being taken offline.
DDoS cyberattacks rely on multiple machines operating together to target a single victim organization. To increase the size of these attacks, DDoS cyberattackers frequently hijack a group of interconnected devices to conduct the attack. These groups of hijacked computers are called botnets. Botnets consist of millions of computers that can be located anywhere and belong to anyone. The devices that makeup botnets may be infected with malware or rented out for the attack. In both cases, the hijacked computers flood victim organizations with more connection requests than they can handle.
How DDoS Cyberattacks Work
DDoS cyberattacks can originate from various sources, including disgruntled employees, business competitors, or nation-state actors. Attackers may be seeking to enact revenge, cause chaos or gain a competitive advantage. The purpose of these attacks is to cause server outages and monetary loss for businesses. These cyberattacks can also involve extortion, in which perpetrators install ransomware on servers and demand payment to reverse the damages.
Identifying DDoS Cyberattacks
DDoS cyberattacks are designed to mimic legitimate traffic from real users, which can make them challenging to identify. Often, DDoS cyberattacks can be mistaken for commonplace technological issues. Therefore, organizations must be aware of the warning signs indicating a DDoS cyberattack. One or more of the following symptoms should raise concern:
- A surge in traffic caused by similar devices from the exact geographic location or browser
- One or more specific IP addresses making several consecutive requests over a short period
- The server times out while being tested for pinging service
- The server responds with a 503 HTTP error, indicating the server is overloaded or down for maintenance
- A traffic analysis shows a strong and consistent spike in traffic
- Traffic logs show spikes at unusual times or in unusual sequences
- Traffic logs show unusually high spikes in traffic to a single endpoint or website
Identifying the symptoms of these attacks can also help determine which type of DDoS attack is taking place.
Types of DDoS Cyberattacks
There are three main types of DDoS cyberattacks. These attacks are primarily distinguished by the traffic sent to a victim organization’s systems.
- Volumetric attacks—The goal of volumetric attacks is to saturate the bandwidth of victim sites through a flood of illegitimate requests. Attack methods include floods of UDP, ICMP, and other spoofed packets. Volumetric attacks are measured in bits per second.
- Protocol attacks—These attacks target the networking layer of victim systems with overwhelming firewalls, tablespaces of core networking systems, or load balancers. In these attacks, hackers may use SYN floods, fragmented packet attacks, Ping of Death, and Smurf of DDoS. Protocol attacks are measured in packages per second.
- Application attacks—This DDoS attack is designed to capitalize on the vulnerabilities of specific applications. Such attacks may include low-and-slow attacks, GET/POST floods, and attacks that target vulnerabilities in Apache, Windows, OpenBSD, or other applications. The size of these attacks is measured in requests per second.
Why DDoS Cyberttacks Are on the Rise
Researchers reported 5.4 million DDoS cyberattacks in the first half of 2021—an 11% increase from the first half of 2020. Some factors contributing to this rise include:
- Internet of Things (IoT) devices are especially vulnerable because they rarely have built-in firmware or security controls. The number of IoT devices is rising rapidly. In 2021, the number of active endpoints globally rose 8% to 12.2 billion. By 2030, this number is expected to surpass 25.4 billion. But as the number of connected devices grows, so does the number of available devices for hackers to turn into botnets. The increasing number of IoT devices will allow hackers to create more extensive networks of computers, strengthening the size of the attacks they can level against their victims.
- Application programming interfaces (APIs) are small pieces of code that allow systems to share data publicly. Public APIs may have several vulnerabilities, including weak authentication checks, lack of robust encryption, and flawed business logic. APIs can be attacked on both ends of the service in a DDoS attack. This means an API may be attacked from the server and the API server simultaneously, significantly increasing the strength of an attack.
- Cyber warfare—War and international tensions can lead to an increase in hacktivist-driven cyberattacks. The term “hacktivist” describes cybercriminals who are ethically, politically, or socially motivated. Hacktivists may use DDoS cyberattacks for reasons such as to make a statement or retaliate against people, governments, or organizations they disagree with.
- Ransomware/extortion—Cybercriminals are increasingly partnering DDoS attacks with ransomware/extortion demands. DDoS cyberattacks can increase the pressure on victim companies and bring them back to the negotiation table following a refusal to pay a ransom by crippling their network with the promise to stop for the right price.
To protect vital network functions from DDoS cyberattacks, all organizations must have a prevention plan before a DDoS cyberattack is suspected.
Steps Businesses Can Take
Organizations should consider the following steps to avoid and mitigate DDoS cyberattacks:
- Use a virtual private network (VPN). VPNs mask and encrypt IP addresses and other identifiable network elements.
- Install antivirus software. Antivirus software can identify and block the types of malware used by DDoS attackers. Once installed, ensure antivirus software is well-maintained.
- Enroll in a denial-of-service (DoS) program. DoS protection services are designed to identify abnormal traffic and direct it away from company networks. These services filter out DoS traffic while permitting clean traffic to continue to the right site.
- Evaluate security practices. Keep good security practices. Such methods include limiting the number of people accessing critical information and managing unwanted traffic. Educate employees on improving password security, choosing secure networks, keeping electronic device software current, and being suspicious of unexpected emails.
- Create a recovery plan. Plan to ensure that an organization is ready for successful and efficient communication, mitigation, and recovery in a cyberattack.
- Secure insurance coverage. It’s critical to explore the available cyber insurance options and determine how they may help an organization respond and recover from a DDoS cyberattack. Consult a trusted insurance professional to discuss specific coverage needs.
The Last Word
DDoS attacks are a rising threat to organizations. By understanding these attacks and implementing proper prevention strategies, businesses can protect themselves against this cyber threat. Contact an InsureGood Advisor today for more guidance.
