Best Practices for DDoS Attack Prevention and Protection

The mere mention of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, commonly known as DDoS attacks, is enough to unsettle any website owner. These nuisances leverage swarms of traffic to significantly hinder, slow down, or, in worst-case scenarios, halt your website entirely. The impact goes beyond technical glitches; it can substantially damage your business’s reputation and economic standing.

That’s where we step in. Throughout this article, we will:

• Help you unravel the complexities of DDoS attacks, their characteristics, the impact they have on your website, and their underlying triggers.
• Guide you through strategic approaches and hands-on techniques to reduce your vulnerability to these digital disruptions.
• Present Pressable’s security measures, designed to ensure maximum safety for our clients’ sites.

So, let’s get started!

Understanding DDoS Attacks and Their Impact

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are deliberate attempts to overload a website’s resources by sending excessive traffic, causing the site to slow down or even become entirely inaccessible. 

There are several types of these attacks, each with its distinct approach:

Volumetric Attacks (Flood Attacks)

These attacks inundate servers with a massive volume of requests. Attackers generate massive data packets and direct them to the target network, leading to network saturation. When the bandwidth is fully consumed, legitimate traffic cannot flow in or out of the network, causing a denial of service to normal web traffic.

These attacks often leverage botnets, which are networks of infected computers, AKA ‘zombies’, that are controlled remotely by the attacker. The sheer volume of data sent to the network can be overwhelming, ranging from hundreds of megabits to several hundred gigabits per second.

A common example is the amplification attack. This involves the attacker taking advantage of the response magnification of certain protocols (like DNS, NTP, SNMP, etc.), sending small queries to vulnerable servers that then reply with much larger responses to the targeted victim.

Protocol Attacks

This attack focuses on exploiting weaknesses in the layer 3 and layer 4 protocol stack (the network layer or transport layer protocols). They consume server resources directly or they hog resources for intermediate communication equipment, such as firewalls and load balancers. Examples of protocol attacks include SYN floods, the Ping of Death, and Smurf Attacks. 

Imagine a road that leads to a city. This road has several checkpoints (like a toll booth), which are there to manage traffic and make sure only the right cars can get through. In the context of the internet, data travels across networks to reach a website, which is like the city in this example.

Protocol attacks are like sending a huge flood of cars to these checkpoints. These cars don’t want to get to the city; they just want to clog up the road so no one else can get through. They keep the toll booth operators so busy that they can’t do their job of letting legitimate users through.

Application-Level Attacks

Application layer (application layer is AKA layer 7) attacks are the most sophisticated and dangerous type of DDoS attacks, targeting the end-user processes and protocols that facilitate internet activities such as web browsing, email sending, and file transfers.

Unlike volumetric or protocol attacks that target the network capacity or protocol flaws, respectively, application layer attacks hone in on the very specific functionalities of web services. They exploit the normal communication between users and applications, making these attacks particularly insidious and challenging to defend against.

Application layer attacks are not random; they are carefully engineered to target particular aspects of an application. For instance, an attacker might target a specific API endpoint known to be resource-intensive.

The Impact of DDoS Attacks

The common goal of all these attack forms is to debilitate your website, causing it to become completely inaccessible. Here are some of the possible consequences: 

• Crippled Website Performance: This prospective predicament could wreak havoc on your business, causing substantial income loss and tarnishing your hard-earned reputation.
• Requests for Ransom: In this scenario, attackers hijack your website and demand a ransom in exchange for restoring its functionality. Suddenly, you’re no longer just navigating a network security challenge but grappling with a financial crisis.
• Difficult Recovery: The recovery process can significantly diminish your IT team’s morale and energy. It can cause stress and anxiety among your team members, particularly those tasked with resolving the issue. Everyone’s productivity can suffer as survival and recovery modes kick in and overshadow regular tasks.

Why do DDoS Attacks Happen?

The unfortunate reality is DDoS attacks are a weapon of choice for numerous cyber villains for various reasons. These reasons can differ from one attacker to another based on their objectives and motivations.

• Make Money: In certain scenarios, DDoS attacks are driven by a simple profit motive. These are ransom-based DDoS attacks (AKA Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) extortion), where the attacker cripples your website and then demands a ransom to restore its functionality. It’s effectively a cyber heist, with your site’s accessibility and uptime as the precious goods.
• Harm a Competitor: Sometimes, the online realm can be quite hostile. There are instances where a company might employ a hacker to conduct DDoS attacks on a rival’s website. The intention here is to tarnish their reputation and negatively impact their earnings.
• Get Revenge: Retribution can often motivate these attacks. A disgruntled former employee with cybersecurity knowledge could strike back via a DDoS attack. 
• Make a Statement: On other occasions, DDoS attacks are ideologically motivated. Attacks referred to as ‘hacktivism’, carried out by ‘hacktivists’, can also cause digital chaos. These actors often target political organizations, banks, or government websites to disrupt operations as a form of protest. 
• Have Some Mean Fun: Regrettably, sometimes the ‘logic’ behind an attack is simply malicious joy. Some attackers relish running DDoS attacks purely for fun or to show off their skills. They’re somewhat akin to schoolyard bullies in the online world, carrying out cruel pranks for amusement or simply to demonstrate their power. 

Useful Strategies and Tools for DDoS Protection and Harm Reduction

Shielding your site completely from a DDoS attack can look like an impossible task, but there are strategic protective measures that you can take to prevent it. Preparing for an attack beforehand equips your site to initiate swift counteractive steps in the face of potential DDoS attacks. Here is what you can do.

Staying Informed

Understanding your site’s normal traffic patterns is an intelligent preventive strategy, allowing you to quickly detect any abnormal traffic that could indicate an impending DDoS attack. Consistent monitoring can arm you with the awareness essential for recognizing a possible threat. 

We also recommend that you follow trusted online news sources such as WIRED, ZDNet, or SecurityWeek to keep you updated with emerging security risks, tactics employed by hackers, and the latest protective technological advancements.

Learning How to Spot an Attack

Not all traffic spikes are harmful. Some might actually signal a positive trend. Nevertheless, recognizing deviations that could denote a potential issue is vital.

For instance, the spike is likely genuine if your site traffic rises following a promotional sale or viral marketing post. Authentic user behavior on your site, such as naturally engaging with your content, making purchases, and leaving significant comments, also indicates legitimate traffic.

On the other hand, malicious traffic may include a surge in spam comments, an unusual influx of requests for a specific webpage or form, or a sudden increase in traffic to unlikely pages without any reasonable explanation. 

Creating an Action Plan

Preparation is essential to effectively manage DDoS attacks. High pressure and stress are common during such times; having a response plan in place can provide a necessary playbook when the situation gets intense.

• Quick Communication: Quick and effective communication is vital during a cyber-attack. Ensure that you assign clear communication responsibilities. From notifying your team and service providers to updating your site users, every role counts. Develop a strategy to draft a public statement – one that’s ready for immediate use. It’s always better to be prepared, even if the statement is never needed.
• Evaluate the Attack: Once the alarm bells of a DDoS attack start ringing, assemble a team immediately to assess the situation. This task force should take the lead in identifying the attack’s nature and tracing it back to its source, which are crucial first steps in devising an effective response strategy.
• Stop the Attack: Actions to counter the attack will depend on its scale and type. It could range from contacting your internet service provider, blocking malicious IP addresses, rerouting site traffic, or even resorting to momentarily disabling certain services on your site. 
• Recovery and Lessons Learned: After successfully countering the attack, the focus should shift to recovery and analysis. Conduct an exhaustive post-mortem review of the incident, as effective evaluations can prepare you for any potential future attacks and help ease some of the emotional and psychological stress inflicted by DDoS attacks. Such a collective discussion aids your team members in processing the event constructively.

Taking a Look at Pressable’s Approach to Security

At Pressable, we ensure comprehensive protection for your website with no stone left unturned. To help you deflect and manage cyber-attacks such as DDoS attacks, Pressable’s managed WordPress hosting service is full of useful features.

Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Acting as the first line of defense, this advanced firewall serves as a secure gateway between a user’s browser and your web server. It intercepts and evaluates all incoming requests and cleverly blocks those with nefarious intentions from reaching the server. This feature can prevent DDoS attacks that otherwise exploit web application vulnerabilities. 

Managed Site Updates

Keeping your site maintained and updated is integral to protecting it from cyber threats. Sites or plugins, if outdated, gradually become less resource-efficient and more susceptible to DDoS attacks. They could carry unpatched vulnerabilities that are an open invitation to intruders. However, with Pressable managing your updates proactively, such risks are significantly mitigated.

General Security Measures

Pressable also offers a comprehensive array of generalsecurity measures to further fortify your site. Every plan comes with a free subscription to Jetpack Security, empowering you with daily backups, automatic threat resolution, and downtime alerts. 

There’s also the security of free SSL certificates, raising the bar for data privacy and integrity. Plus, the malware scanning and threat monitoring feature keeps a watchful eye on any potential threats, letting you focus on creating excellent content instead. 

Opting for Pressable means choosing a service that provides peace of mind, knowing your digital assets are securely protected. 

Create a Secure Website with Pressable Today

DDoS attacks still pose a significant threat to the security of your WordPress website, but don’t worry! While completely preventing these attacks may seem challenging, there are important steps you can take to significantly mitigate the risk.

Most of all, you need to be proactive. Have a solid game plan in place before you face a potential DDoS threat. From keeping track of your site’s regular traffic patterns to being prepared to trace potential attacks to their source, these precautionary measures can work wonders.

This is where Pressable can assist. Our managed hosting service is designed to prevent and manage cyber-attacks, handing you peace of mind. Sign up for our service today, and breathe easy knowing that a committed team of professionals is tirelessly working around the clock to protect your site from DDoS attacks.

Start your journey to a more secure site by exploring Pressable’s hosting plans. Catch the threat of DDoS attacks before they occur and focus on what’s important – advancing your platform!

Obatarhe Otughwor

Obatarhe is a passionate WordPress enthusiast, dedicated community volunteer, and tech advocate with a proven track record of delivering exceptional customer experiences. With a background as a Product Expert at Google, he brings extensive technical expertise across various domains including WordPress support, remote technical assistance, and software development. Known for his empathetic approach and problem-solving mindset, Obatarhe consistently earns 5-star ratings by understanding each customer’s unique needs and providing thoughtful, tailored solutions. In his current role as a Customer Success Engineer, he excels in delivering personalized service that not only resolves issues effectively but also builds lasting customer trust and satisfaction. Beyond customer support, Obatarhe is skilled in Python, JavaScript/Node.js, PHP, Laravel, HTML, CSS, and Git. He has developed and deployed an election campaign tracking API using Node.js, hosted on Heroku and GitHub and also contributing to some WordPress plugin open source projects showcasing his ability to translate ideas into functional solutions. When he's not working, Obatarhe enjoys traveling and capturing breathtaking landscape photography—blending his love for technology and nature into a well-rounded lifestyle.