Having a presence online makes it imperative for organizations to protect their server infrastructure and web applications from distributed denial-of-service attacks (DDoS). As a result of DDoS-for-hire services, the bar for perpetrating an attack has been greatly lowered, therefore all web entities are at risk.
Successful DDoS attacks damage an organization’s reputation as well as existing client relationships. DDoS attacks would take a very long time for the security/network staff in your organization to realize it was actually a DDoS attack that affected your services, rather than just a failed server or application. It may take some time before the actual mitigation of the threat begins to take effect.
Why do DDoS attacks happen?
The main reasons for a DDoS attack can be divided into three categories:
- Extortion – Threatening an attack and demanding money to prevent it.
- Retaliation – In general, the attacker did or said something that you did not like or just doesn’t like you.
- Misdirection – This attack is intended to distract you from some other attacks taking place elsewhere.
How to Stop and Prevent DDoS Attacks?
Below are key measures for stopping and preventing a DDoS attack:
1. Understand that all businesses are vulnerable
There is usually money involved in most DDoS attacks. In cybersecurity analysts’ opinion, blackmail and ransom are the most common motivations for DDoS attacks A DDoS attack. An attack of this nature involves hackers interrupting web services and holding them hostage for ransom. As soon as the ransom amount is paid, the attack stops, and customers are able to access their services again.
2. Install a WAF
Web Application Firewalls (WAFs) are considered to be the most effective defense against the most common types of DDoS attacks. Using malicious IP addresses, bot signatures, and other criteria, rules and policies are applied to block such attacks. By using a WAF, you can stop a DDoS attack effectively.
3. Monitor application traffic continuously
A distributed denial of service attack is introduced through the use of bots, machines, or by taking control of remote systems. A server targeted by this component will receive false requests from these components. When cybercriminals use so many fake requests, they try to make a server or application unavailable for days, hours, or even weeks. When a DDoS attack is successful, it can consume a large amount of processing time, bandwidth, and memory, slowing down or interrupting applications.
Continuous monitoring is the only way to effectively detect and prevent DDoS attacks and protect your business. Data from such monitoring will enable prevention policies to be defined based on actionable information on attack vectors.
4. In-house DDoS Security or Managed App Security
By establishing a dedicated team, you will be able to monitor attacks efficiently and swiftly take action. This team will not only provide 24×7 traffic monitoring and DDoS mitigation but will also provide complete application security, including:
- Periodic penetration testing.
- Custom WAF rules to block attacks.
- Business logic tests are performed on all applications to detect zero-day threats, vulnerabilities, and automated application risks.
- Protect your applications from known vulnerabilities with the latest security notifications.
Continuous monitoring to gather data, such as User ID (if authorised), IP address, navigation/user activity, GEO location, and machine fingerprint, which can help learn more about the attack tactics and be used to create more aggressive blocking rules against these attackers.
5. Install a Protection Tool
If you want to stop DDoS attacks, you must take this very important step. By installing a program that identifies and stops such attacks, you will ensure the security of your business and the protection of all the sensitive and vital information of your visitors. Its web security solution, Nemasis, offers all these features and more.
Nemasis Web Application Security provides managed security services for websites and applications. It comes with a Web Application Firewall (WAF) that prevents DDoS attacks. The web security solution is integrated with a Secure Content Delivery Network (CDN) and managed by a cyber-security operation center (CSOC) staffed 24x7x365 by certified security analysts. With Nemasis, you are able to detect and mitigate threats even before they occur by leveraging data from more than 85 million endpoints through Security Information and Event Management (SIEM).
Additionally, Nemasis offers malware detection scanning, preventive methods, and removal services, making it an effective and reliable tool that can stop DDoS attacks. By taking proactive measures, businesses can protect their brands and businesses from attacks and infections. In addition to vulnerability scanning, online merchants, businesses, and other service providers handling credit cards online have an automated and simple way to stay compliant with the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS).
