Defending against DDoS attacks has become a top priority for IT managers and businesses. Distributed Denial of Service attacks can be devastating for companies and their clients: at worst, they can bring communications to a shuddering halt, impacting productivity and profits in a very short space of time.
The threat of DDoS shouldn’t be underestimated, but, at the same time, there’s no need to panic. Reliable DDoS protection testing is available from experienced experts such as the NCC Group — by enlisting the help of such experts, you can ensure that your business is defending against DDoS attacks in the most effective way possible.
The Threat
Computer hacking and independent hacktivism attempts are dominating the news headlines at an unprecedented level. With this in mind, organisations are scrambling to get the right DDoS protection in place — if or when the moment comes, however, will it be enough? DDoS attacks are evolving and increasing in sophistication all the time.
A DDoS attack works by flooding targeted servers with data requests. Unable to cope, the servers are forced to return data, such as websites, at a much slower rate. In some cases, the servers may collapse altogether under the weight of the attack. Defending against DDoS attacks involves identifying weaknesses in the existing system, as well as spotting suspicious traffic levels at an early stage.
Protecting Against DDoS
DDoS protection techniques can encompass a wide range of software and hardware solutions. In some cases, benign DDoS attacks are used to test out existing defences. For a business and its servers to be fully DDoS assured, it’s crucial that protections have been put in place and that these protections have been tested to the hilt.
When choosing solutions for defending against DDoS attacks, consider all aspects of the protection required: this involves everything from staff training to relationships with your third-party service providers, who will also need to withstand the traffic onslaught of a genuine DDoS attack. With the right DDoS protection in place, spam requests can be routed away from your servers.
The DDoS Fire Drill
DDoS protection measures are only as effective as their most recent test showed them to be: if you haven’t tested your DDoS defences at all, you should do so at the earliest opportunity with the help of a trusted external service. By replicating a DDoS attack, you can ensure your current DDoS protection measures are up to scratch.
This will often take the form of a “DDoS fire drill”, enabling you to see how your servers, software and staff stand up in the event of a real DDoS attack. The unpredictable nature of real DDoS attacks means that your response must be both robust and flexible. Several drills may be necessary to test different facets of the system.
Defending against DDoS attacks is a multi-layered process in which the right protection — and the right testing for this protection — are essential. The more advance work you put into DDoS protection, the greater the chance of you successfully withstanding an attack when the time comes.
