DDoS Attacks: Protecting Your Business from Critical Disruption

DDoS Attacks: Protecting Your Business from Critical Disruption

In March 2018, developer platform GitHub was struck by the most powerful DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attack ever recorded.

How big? 1.35 terabits of traffic was hitting GitHubeach second.

Still, GitHub was not without its defenses.

Within 10 minutes of the attack starting, GitHub’s DDoS mitigation service stepped in to combat it. They routed all incoming and outgoing traffic and scrubbed data, blocking all malicious packets responsible.

Such decisive action paid off. The attack ended eight minutes after the service took over, and GitHub was able to get back on track after just five minutes of downtime.

If GitHub had been without such a fast, effective response, the outcome of the attack might have been much worse.

A DDoS attack is a fairly cold-blooded attempt to disrupt a server, service or network’s standard operation by bombarding it with excessive traffic.

They incorporate a number of compromised computer systems to mount the attack, essentially overwhelming the target system and affecting genuine traffic.

GitHub had been targeted before, with an attack lasting for six days in 2015.

A company or organization’s website can be severely affected by a DDoS attack, potentially costing them lots of money in lost business. In fact, the average cost of a DDoS attack for businesses rose to more than $2.5 millionin 2017.

Research highlights just how common DDoS disruptions are for many companies. A staggering 849 of 1,010 enterprises questioned had been hit by a DDoS attack. DDoS disruption was estimated to cost target businesses as much as $100,000 per hour.

These figures make for disturbing reading, especially for smaller companies on a much tighter budget than their larger competitors. Still, even for global corporations, the risk of a DDoS attack can be incredibly troubling: after all, they may have more to lose.

Effective cybersecurity and preparation have never been more vital. Every cent available must be channeled into reinforcing your business against potential threats.

Still, this is easier said than done: cybercrime and security can be daunting. To help you understand how best to defend yourself against DDoS attacks, we have explored some of the most effective options below:

Get to know the symptoms

Recognizing the signs of an incoming DDoS attack can make a significant difference to how you handle it.

There is no real warning for a DDoS attack, though. While some hackers may issue threats, there will generally be nothing other than the assault itself.

As you might not browse your own website much on a day to day basis, it may not be until customers begin complaining about its performance than the warning bells start to sound.

However, certain other clues will tip you off:

• Your server delivers a 503 because of service outages

• Your employees / colleagues may notice slowness or connectivity issues if you depend on the same system for your internal software

• Excessive requests from one IP

• Unusually large amounts of traffic without reason and at odd times

The earlier you’re able to spot the warning signs, the sooner you can start to act.

Have a plan

Every business should have a plan in place for a potential DDoS attack. Once you confirm that your system has been targeted, you can jump to your plan and follow it. Being prepared helps to reduce the likelihood of panic or making mistakes that exacerbate the disruption.

Make sure all key players from each department are alerted to the situation and understand how best to handle it at their end. If everyone can work together and focus on damage limitation, you’re more likely to come out of the DDoS attack with minimal impact.

Companies that have no preparations for dealing with such a situation could waste valuable time trying to make sense of it.

Know how to prioritize

You will only have limited access to your system during a DDoS attack. Make sure you focus on keeping the most high-value services and applications running to preserve as much ‘normal’ function as possible.

Again, this comes down to planning. You should have an immediate idea which areas can be let go and which must be the priority.

Pay attention to your network security

Conducting security audits on your network on a regular basis is an effective way to keep your system protected.

Take a close look at the strength of passwords (particularly for the most vulnerable areas), review which employees have access to key data, and run comprehensive checks on software. Do you have the most up to date versions? Have any known security risks come to light with an application you’re using?

A network security audit may not be enough in itself to defend your business against a DDoS attack, but it can play a large part in the process. Incorporate this into ongoing workplace routines: make sure it becomes a habit and is never overlooked.

Letting your system go without the proper audits and preparations can leave it vulnerable to attack. Being complacent and assuming your business will escape the attention of cybercriminals is never a smart move.

Turn to the professionals

Your system security is paramount to keeping your business up and running. Not only does your entire flow of service depend on effective protection, so too does your customers’ experience.

Lengthy downtime can leave buyers with little choice but to start looking elsewhere if you cannot meet their needs. On top of this, they may wonder how safe their personal and financial data are within your company.

Hiring a professional cybersecurity firmto defend your system against DDoS attacks can help to take the strain. You will be free to focus on other areas of running your business while the experts handle the heavy lifting.

Are you concerned about your company’s vulnerability to DDoS attacks? What steps have you taken to safeguard your system? Share your thoughts and ideas below and contact ustoday to protect your organization.