Did you know that there have been almost 100,000 DDoS attacks in 2022?
Whether you own a business in the private sector or manage an IT system in government, one of the biggest concerns you’ll face is being attacked with a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. This process can cause systems to crash and leave you with possible financial loss or even a security breach.
DDoS protection for your website is easier than you think. If you contact a DDoS mitigation service provider, it’s akin to calling in IT backup.
Are you interested in DDoS mitigation service providers? Find out which service providers are the best! See which one might be best for your company!
What Exactly Are DDoS Attacks?
To begin this DDoS prevention guide, let’s define what it means to get hit with a DDoS attack.
DDoS is a form of targeted cyberattack on a server or network. These attacks are intended to disrupt the normal operations of a server or network. DDoS is also sometimes used as part of identity theft and data breaching.
DDoS attacks get carried out by flooding a target with illegitimate data traffic. This traffic flood causes a disruption and denial of real incoming data traffic. Servers and systems slow down or crash due to traffic overflow.
Attacks from just one computer are simply called DoS attacks. They become DDoS attacks when they are distributed from multiple sources.
Where Do These Attacks Come From?
DoS and DDoS attacks come from hackers who spread malware over the internet. This malware is spread through malicious email attachments and website URLs.
When a person opens or clicks on one of these links, malware is installed without their knowledge. This malware gives hackers control over a person’s computer. Hackers use the malware to infect hundreds or thousands of computers at a time.
These armies of infected computers, called Botnets, unwittingly carry out DDoS attacks on a targeted system or server. These attacks happen very fast and are very difficult to trace.
DDoS Attacks Are Costly
For businesses both small and large, these attacks are not cheap. DDoS attacks cost small businesses an average of over one hundred thousand dollars per attack. For enterprise-level businesses, the cost is well into the millions of dollars per attack.
DDoS Attacks Damage Reputation
DDoS attacks cause serious damage to a business’s brand and reputation.
Companies with web-based applications and internet-based business systems experience severe slowdowns during DDoS attacks. For customers, this means slower service or no service at all until the attack is over. This causes frustration among customers and drives them to take their business elsewhere.
How DDoS Protection Works
Cyberthreats can happen to any internet system at any time and without warning. For this reason, the most important thing for mitigating DDoS attacks is early detection.
Part of early detection means constantly monitoring incoming data traffic. Constant traffic monitoring makes it very difficult to be caught off-guard.
When illegitimate data traffic gets detected, it gets filtered out and separated from legitimate traffic. The false traffic then gets blocked and rerouted, preventing it from ever reaching the target site.
The Top Providers
Choosing the right DDoS protection company doesn’t have to be complicated. Here’s a look at some of the best DDoS prevention services on the market.
Amazon Web Services
Amazon provides a DDoS mitigation service called AWS Shield. It comes free with any subscription to Amazon Web Services but has a premium upgrade option available. Shield provides network and transport layer protection, which is where most DDoS attacks occur.
Shield is also perfect for small businesses that already use AWS because it is automatically integrated with all AWS applications.
Radware
Radware offers hybrid DDoS protection services that cover both applications and the cloud. Radware DefensePro offers round-the-clock network monitoring services, constantly watching for network and application vulnerabilities. DefensePro also provides protection from identity theft and malware.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare offers a cloud-based DDoS mitigation service that provides network, transport, and application layer protection. As opposed to using hardware, Cloudflare uses its vast global network of data centers to neutralize cyberthreats.
This service also has real-time analytics tools and a lightning-quick mitigation system. Cloudflare’s network blocks over 70 billion cyberthreats a day and blocks DDoS attacks in less than 3 seconds.
Akamai Kona
Akamai provides DDoS protection with its App & API protector, Kona Site Defender. Kona Site Defender provides three-layer network protection for websites and web-based applications.
Kona works very fast. It uses the Akamai Intelligence Platform to shut down DDoS attacks in seconds. Kona also provides real-time alerts and web analytics that can be coupled with custom response actions.
Microsoft Azure DDoS
Azure is a cloud-based service for application management offered by Microsoft. Every standard subscription of Azure comes with free layer 3 (network) and layer 7 (application) DDoS protection. Just like AWS Shield, Azure is perfect for small businesses that need basic protection.
Azure also has a premium DDoS protection option called Standard. Once installed, Standard gets to work immediately and requires no user configuration. It provides 24-hour protection complete with attack analytics and alerts.
It also offers SIEM (security information and event management) integration.
The Bottom-Line on DDoS Protection
DDoS protection is an invaluable service. Cyber threats occur at random times and, absent the right protection, without any warning. Protect yourself and your company today by considering one of these top providers.
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