Considering the fact that DDoS attacks are occurring more frequently each day, it's essential to examine this issue in detail. DDoS is a type of attack aimed at a website to deny access to real users. For instance, if a bank's website is designed to serve 2,000 users simultaneously, a hacker might send 20,000 packets per second to the server. Naturally, the bandwidth will become overloaded, and the bank's website will stop serving clients. Hence, the question arises:How to Protect a Server from DDoS Attacks?».
Firstly, it is crucial to understand that large computational power is required for a successful attack. A regular computer, along with the hacker's ISP connection, will not withstand the load by itself. This is where a botnet comes into play – a network of compromised computers that carry out the attack. Currently, most attacks are noted to originate from IoT networks – the Internet of Things. These are hacked 'smart home' systems—devices connected to the internet, including alarm systems, surveillance cameras, ventilation systems, and more.
Therefore, it's important to realize that it's nearly impossible to fend off a serious DDoS attack alone. Network equipment, as well as the server itself, simply cannot withstand the force of the attack, failing to filter traffic quickly enough, ultimately leading to downtime. Meanwhile, genuine users are unable to access the website, tarnishing the business reputation of a firm that cannot even maintain the functionality of its website.
And that's not all. Search engines, perplexed by the absence of the website in their index, will lower its search rankings. It may take up to a month to restore the original positions. For large companies, this is akin to death. This means either substantial losses or even bankruptcy. Therefore, it’s vital not to neglect DDoS attack protection.
There are four ways to protect against DDoS attacks:
- Self-protection. Writing scripts or using a firewall. This is a very ineffective method and may only work against small network attacks involving up to 10 machines. It stopped being effective in the early 2000s.
- Specialized hardware. Devices are deployed in front of servers and routers, filtering incoming traffic. This method has two drawbacks. First, it requires expensive skilled personnel for maintenance. Second, they have limited bandwidth. If the attack is very powerful, they will freeze, unable to handle the load.
- Provider Protection. Unfortunately, to cope with the latest DDoS attacks, a provider needs to acquire expensive equipment. Many providers aim to sell their services as cheaply as possible, so they are unable to provide reliable protection against serious DDoS attacks. A partial solution is several providers that can jointly repel an attack during such incidents.
- DDoS Attack Protection Service from ProHoster. Since most of the equipment is located in the Netherlands, we utilize the largest bot traffic scrubbing network in Europe, also known as the DDoS protection cloud. This network has already successfully countered attacks with a capacity of 600 Gbps.
If you want to protect your server from DDoS attacks – contact technical support ProHoster today. Ensure your site is accessible at all times!
