16 november 2021

The Danger of DDoS Attacks to Business

Cyber attacks, with distributed denial of service, are more than 20 years old. But it is in recent years that DDoS attacks have become the most pressing problem for the business community. Large corporations and private businesses are becoming increasingly dependent on the Internet. Access to web applications and other services on a virtual network is as critical to the efficient running of a business as electricity. Current trends related to the popularity of IoT, the increase in the number of industries with operations online, and the expansion of 5G create favorable conditions for DDoS attacks.

Possible Ways of Assault

The purpose of a DDOS attack remains the same for many years. It consists in overloading any system with data requests. As a result, delivery of this or that service becomes impossible. Using this old method, hackers can block access to almost anything, from a server or network to a specific operation within a mobile app. Attackers can disable a single-page company website or overload an online store's database in a variety of ways.

• For example, using voluminous DDOS attacks with a unit of measure bits per second (bps). Hackers simply flood a selected site or server with a large amount of fake traffic.
• If attackers use protocol- or network-level attacks that are measured in packets per second (PPS), then, in this case, a large number of packets are sent to the target network infrastructure and controls.
• App-level attacks are measured in requests per second (RPS). Here, DDOS operators find weaknesses in mobile device software and send a stream of malicious requests to installed apps.

These are the three main classes of cyber threats using DDOS. Each of them can include different types of attacks, and all of them can cause a lot of trouble for a business. It can start with minor disruption to a site or application and end with a complete takeover of a company's operations offline.

Real Threats to Business

Today, anyone can organize a DDoS attack. A fee of several hundred dollars for a DDoS attack lasting 24 hours is nothing compared to the possible financial losses of the affected company. In addition, the inaccessibility of services damages the reputation of the brand. This can have much more serious consequences in the future. Imagine a business-critical application is attacked. The company could lose contact with thousands of customers. A service that directly affects the company's revenue stream would disappear indefinitely.

A DDoS attack can put the victim in a difficult situation. For starters, no one will be able to use an online resource to communicate with the company. IT administrators will try to establish communication by contacting third-party vendors, but that doesn't help much. As they say, competitors don't doze off. In today's market for online services, users are quick to find a replacement for any business. Also, the aftermath of DDoS attacks will require a lot of people whose salaries will affect the indirect costs associated with recovery.

Often cheap DDOS attacks are used by cybercriminals to distract security services. Short-term assaults (no more than 5 minutes) require minimal bandwidth and quality protection tools through detailed threat detection. While cybersecurity officers deal with what's going on, attackers will find vulnerabilities in the network. This will allow them to install malware and destroy sensitive user data. Deleting databases and other corporate intellectual property can be extremely damaging.

Resisting DDoS attacks

To restore previous positions after a DDOS attack, companies will need a lot of time and money. Hackers are well aware of this and take advantage of the situation. Short DDOS attacks can be considered precursors to ransomware programs. Usually, if not paid, attackers threaten a full-scale attack with more serious consequences. Some companies agree to the terms and send a certain amount to a specified cryptocurrency wallet address. But it is worth bearing in mind that at any moment, cybercriminals can raise the rate.

DDoS attacks are a lucrative revenue stream for cybercriminals. There is no universal protection against this cyber plague. But it is possible to improve network security through some recommendations.

• the ability to switch to another provider;
• availability of backups for recovery;
• up-to-date incident response and business continuity plans.

You can also use automation to modify intrusion detection systems and cloud implementations. You should use quality services to filter DDoS traffic from the legitimate data stream. All this will play a positive role in preventing and mitigating DDOS attacks.

Eliminating the consequences of DDoS attacks is quite a complex task. Today it is the most potentially dangerous threat to any business on the Internet. The flow of malicious traffic from multiple sources is particularly challenging. Right now, there are more than 12 million devices that could become part of a botnet run by a hacker group of some sort at any moment. Attackers do not need a lot of money to create a network of compromised devices. They only need to spend a certain amount of time to download and distribute the malware.