19 April 2024
DDoS Attacks – What Do They Mean For Businesses?
Cyber-crime is an ongoing problem for businesses of all sizes, and one significant threat in the digital landscape is an attack called a DDoS.
DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) and is an attack that can disrupt online services, leading to financial losses, tarnished reputation and potential legal repercussions.
DDoS attacks are rarer than phishing, and usually target organisations like banks, financial institutions and government agencies, but can happen to any business! Understanding what DDoS attacks are and implementing effective mitigation strategies is crucial for safeguarding your business's online presence.
What is a DDoS attack?
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack occurs when a targeted system or network is unexpectedly flooded with an overwhelming volume of traffic. Attackers take control of a collection of computers and internet devices, infect them with malware and control them remotely to make an attack on a company’s internet system. Each individual device utilised to make an attack is called a bot or a zombie, and collectively they are known as a botnet. Each bot sends traffic to the target at the same time, and this flood of traffic creates a traffic jam that exhausts and overwhelms the target’s server, making it unable to serve legitimate users and operate as normal – often crashing completely. The goal of a DDoS attack is to disrupt the availability of online services, causing inconvenience or financial harm to the target. Sometimes, the attack is made as a distraction, to draw attention away from other criminal activity, like data theft. On other occasions, a threat of a DDoS is used to extort money from a company – payable by a hard-to-trace route, like cryptocurrency.Types of DDoS attacks
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Volumetric attacks
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Protocol attacks
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Application layer attacks
How to spot a DDoS attack – the telltale signs:
- Unusually slow network performance, or crash
- Unexplained spikes in traffic, not connected to a product launch etc.
- Inability to access pages or services of website
- Unusual patterns in server logs
- Dramatic increase in number of spam emails
- Reports from customers about difficulty accessing website
Mitigation strategies
How can a business prevent a DDoS and mitigate its effects? There are several steps it can take:-
Implement DDoS protection services
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Scalable infrastructure
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Traffic filtering
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Anomaly detection
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Content Delivery Networks (CDNs)
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Incident response plan
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Educate staff and users
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Report extortion
Insuring against DDoS attacks
DDoS attacks continue to pose a serious threat to businesses worldwide. By understanding the nature of DDoS attacks and implementing comprehensive mitigation strategies, businesses can effectively safeguard their online infrastructure and ensure all of their services remain interrupted to legitimate users. Proactive measures, combined with robust incident response plans, are essential in mitigating the impact of DDoS attacks and maintaining business continuity in the face of cyber threats. However, a business also needs insurance protection from this kind of malicious cyber-attack. Working with experienced insurance brokers or consultants who specialise in cyber insurance can help you navigate the complexities of selecting the right coverage based on your business's risk profile and budgetary constraints. Cyber liability insurance is a specialised form of insurance that covers losses and damages resulting from cyber-attacks, including DDoS attacks. These policies typically provide coverage for various aspects of cyber incidents, such as data breaches, business interruption, extortion and legal expenses. Some cyber insurance providers offer risk assessment and mitigation services as part of their coverage offerings. These services may include vulnerability assessments, security audits and assistance with implementing cybersecurity best practices.Read more blogs from Ascend:
Gone phishing - How to avoid this common cyber scam The importance of a cyber security policyTalk to the team at Ascend today, experts on all aspects of cyber-crime and how to efficiently insure against attacks, on 01245 449060.
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