Distributed Denial of Service (DDOS) Protection Software is a category of software solutions designed to defend against and mitigate the impact of DDOS attacks.
These attacks overwhelm a target system or network with a flood of traffic, rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users. DDOS Protection Software offers various features and capabilities to detect, analyze, and mitigate these attacks, ensuring the availability and performance of online services. Key solutions within this category include:
- Traffic monitoring and analysis tools
- Real-time attack detection and mitigation
- Load balancing and traffic distribution mechanisms
- Anomaly detection and behavior analysis
- Rate limiting and traffic shaping techniques
- Intelligent filtering and blocking of malicious traffic.
DDoS attacks are designed to overwhelm sites with traffic from hundreds or even thousands of sources, making it nearly impossible to stop them. To render an online resource unavailable, attackers will most commonly use a network of computers that are already infected with a virus (known as a botnet) to gain remote access. To launch an attack, hackers typically send a command to the control server through which the botnets are controlled, which then sends a signal to the bots to launch malicious network requests. The botnets work by harnessing the power of several machines to obscure the source of traffic. Because the traffic is distributed, it becomes harder for security teams or tools to detect the attack until it is well underway. The network of remotely controlled hacked computers are often referred to as “zombie computers” and work by sending overwhelming amounts of data that exceed and exhaust bandwidth capabilities.
While DDoS is not a true virus, it uses malware (malicious software) to affect normal computer operations. Malware can come in the form of viruses, Trojans, spyware, and adware, and other types, and is used by hackers to gain unauthorized access to systems when carrying out DDoS attacks. A DDoS attack incorporates malicious programs in order to target the victim, making the virus more effective and destructive. Malware affects vulnerable devices by turning them into bots. Once the devices have been modified, a DDoS attack is launched as part of the botnet.
A DDoS attack is dangerous because it can cause major disruptions and become a threat to business continuity. These types of attacks affect mission-critical applications that organizations rely on, such as email, CRM systems, salesforce automations, and many other daily business operations. DDoS attacks can force companies to spend fortunes on repairs, can affect consumer trust, can lead to lost revenue, and can damage an organization’s reputation. When applications become unavailable or a public-facing website is down, productivity suffers. Unfortunately, one DDoS attack means that more attacks are likely expected to continue until more robust defense solutions are deployed.
Below is a list of benefits of how an effective DDoS protection solution can help protect your organization from attacks:
While DDoS attacks are very challenging to stop, there are steps you can take to limit your exposure and defend against them. Here are some features to look for when researching DDoS protection options:
