Tag: Internet Traffic

What is DDoS attack?

Posted on by Editor

In computing, the most powerful weapon is the distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS attack) is a digital-attack where the culprit attempts to make a machine or network resource unreachable to its end users by briefly or indefinitely interrupting services of a host connected to the Internet. This aim is to flood the website or computer with maximum traffic to the server/network then it can handle.

Types of DDoS attacks:

  1. Volume-based: As the name signifies, volume-based DDoS attacks rely on the volume of incoming traffic. This attack involves requests sent to the target system. If they can lade your website/system, the attack is successful. It is quite easy for attackers to attain their purpose. This form of attack could involve tens, hundreds or even thousands of system. It can be measured in bits per second.
  2. Application-based: In this type of attack, hackers use weakness in the web server software or application software that direct the webserver to decline or crash. A ubiquitous form of application-based attack requires sending limited requests to a server in an aim to build the entire database connection pool of the server engaged so that it blocks the legitimate requests.
  3. Protocol-based: Unlike volume-based attacks, protocol attacks directly to consume server resources instead of bandwidth. They also target what is known as “intermediate communication equipment,” which in easy words refers to intermediaries between the server and website, such as firewalls and load balancers.

Signs of DDoS attacks:

DDoS attacks have specific symptoms. It ranges from a virus to a slow Internet connection- it is tough to identify without professional diagnosis or network traffic monitoring and analysis. The symptoms of a DDoS include:

  • Slow access to files, either locally or remotely
  • Long-term incapability to connect a particular website
  • Internet disconnection
  • Problems retrieving all websites
  • An excessive amount of spam emails

What is the impact of DDoS attacks?

impact of ddos attack

How to mitigate these attacks?

Before your website crashes and goes offline entirely and you have tried all other possibilities, then it could be a DDoS attack and to defend your site against such attacks, here are some steps:

  • Observe your website activity:

Monitor your network activity precisely so you can perceive when anything is amiss.

  • Enhance your website capacity:

Have an ample capacity to bear the load and improve performance during spikes.

  • Utilize a Web Application Firewall:

Firewalls and routers should be configured to dismiss fraudulent traffic and it is advisable to keep your routers and firewalls updated and restored with the security patches.

  • Inspect artificial intelligence to route Internet traffic:

The systems that can promptly route Internet traffic to the cloud, where it’s scrutinized and malicious web traffic can be intercepted before it reaches a company’s computers.

At DE-CIX Frankfurt provides DE-CIX’s GlobePEER Remote service, you can announce Blackholes at remote DE-CIX Internet Exchanges.  As a result, traffic is dropped closer to the source of the DDoS traffic creation. Dropping DDoS traffic closer to the source of origin takes the load off your backbones and network, so your peering and transit connections are unburdened. This reduces operational complexity and saves money.

Benefits of using remote Blackholing:

  • DDoS traffic is dropped closer to the source
  • Your backbones and network are relieved of DDoS traffic
  • Transit and peering connections closer to your service region are unburdened
  • Attack volumes and collateral damage in your service region are reduced
  • The operational complexity of mitigating DDoS attacks is reduced
  • Money is saved

Conclusion:

DDoS Attack is an assault on availability in the pool of services which has repercussion on monetary losses, loss of company stature, and intrusion in the work environment. The complication is that the reliability on technologies like firewall, routers, etc are very fragile to block DDoS as it cannot differentiate between genuine and fake traffic. To compete with DDoS, a one-way attempt cannot prevent or overcome it, it needs all-round help to approach it.

For How Long Will The Internet Hold Firm?

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The digital divide must be eliminated so that all communities can in future unlock access to information, digital communication tools, and digital content in general.

Crisis and disaster can barge in anytime, bringing catastrophe and disruptions to our lives. India is high on the disaster ranking list. According to India’s National Policy on Disaster Management, almost 59 per cent of India’s landmass is prone to earthquakes; over 12 per cent of the land to floods; about 76 per cent of the coastline to cyclones and tsunamis; with droughts, landslides and avalanches close behind.

Statistically, according to the United Nations Office for Disaster Risk Reduction, between 2009 and 2019, the country experienced 321 incidences of natural disasters, leaving 108 crore people affected. 2020, the year of the coronavirus, changed the way people carried out business, ran errands, socially connected, and at the most basic level, lived everyday life – after which, 2021 began with the Uttarakhand calamity.

Emergency reaction and relief team activities require assimilation of information that is synced and can be distributed to the public accurately and immediately. But the destruction to a country’s vital infrastructure – such as roads, power lines, radio towers, transportation etc. – brought about by natural calamities retards crucial communication, in turn obstructing rescue efforts. One crucial saving grace in these hostile conditions is the global digital infrastructure consisting of terrestrial and mobile networks, data centers, Internet Exchanges, undersea cables and satellites that deliver the global Internet to all of us.

Crises don’t just change our lives, they also offer a chance to re-evaluate, see things differently and make meaningful investment decisions for the future – turning these challenges into new opportunities to make life better. Digital services have become indispensable to overcoming the challenges and making a crisis manageable. Smart digital applications and solutions, physical elements of AI and IoT, the transmission of data through networks, access to cloud computing and actually access to information of any type have the potential to mitigate the impact of a crisis and are just as vital as other critical services in a crisis, sometimes even essential for survival. These require robust and high-performance digital infrastructure, everywhere.

Never before in modern times have we seen an outbreak with such a global impact as the Covid-19 pandemic. Cities, countries, and entire regions of our world were put on hold, locked in isolation. But even during global lockdowns, the Internet kept private and business life running. This enabled people to stay in contact with loved ones they couldn’t meet with; many were also able to work from home. It allowed children and students to continue with their education. It helped doctors to provide consultations and therapy via telemedicine.

Even medical researchers, who we all pinned our hopes on, used digital applications to remain in touch and share data in their efforts to understand the virus, and find a vaccine. It kept the business world alive: e.g. global supply chains for different industries remained manageable and became even more efficient, and crucial financial services were delivered globally thanks to digital solutions. Therefore, one answer to some of the challenges posed by the Covid-19 pandemic – and the modern world in general – is sophisticated digital infrastructure.

In a globalised world, economic growth and the development of societies in most regions is now based on digital communication and digital services, which depend on the underlying digital infrastructure. The use of smart digital applications and solutions will make people’s lives better.

The quality of crisis management in regions with solid, reliable digital infrastructure provides a stark contrast to those regions of the globe that remain underserved. People and companies from the latter regions have disadvantages that can last for decades. Thus, the digital divide must be eliminated so that all communities can in future unlock access to information, digital communication tools, and digital content in general.

Different stakeholders, including governments, investment policy makers, and the Internet industry itself must take as a high-priority mandate the goal of creating a minimum level of robust digital infrastructure everywhere. This century is presenting us with global challenges, but these can be transformed into opportunities by people and businesses. Digitalisation – relying on robust digital infrastructure – everywhere will allow us to minimise the impact on people and business as much as possible in any crises ahead of us. It will not only enhance the way we manage upcoming crises, but will also enable us to live better lives in the future. This is why, in times of lockdown and the immobility that comes with crises, the world needs a full digital unlocking!

– Ivo Ivanov, CEO, DE-CIX Global