The DDoS attack is one of the danger threat occurs through IoT devices. Learn what is a distributed denial of service attack?

What is DDoS Attack?

The DDoS attacks worked through a network of Internet-connected machines (botnet). When a victim’s network is targeted by the botnet, each bot sends requests to the target’s IP address, potentially causing the server or network to become overwhelmed, resulting in a denial of service to normal traffic.

In other words, a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal traffic of a targeted server, network, and device by overwhelming the target or its surrounding infrastructure with a flood of internet traffic. DDoS attacks achieve effectiveness with the help of multiple compromised computer systems as sources of attack traffic.  These compromised machines can include computers and all other IoT devices.

Dos vs. DDoS Attack

Dos and DDoS attacks both are dangerous threats used by cybercriminals. But the difference between regular and distributed denial of service assaults is substantive. In a Dos attack, a perpetrator uses a single Internet connection to either exploit software vulnerability or flood a target with fake requests-usually in an attempt to exhaust server resources.

On the other hand, DDoS attacks occur via multiple connected devices that are distributed across the Internet.  These multi-person, multi-device barrages are really difficult to turn, mostly due to the sheer volume of devices involved.  The other major point that makes difference between Dos and DDoS attacks is their execution. Broadly speaking, denial of service attacks are launched using homebrewed scripts or DoS tools, while DDoS attacks are launched from botnets-large clusters of connected devices like mobile phones, PCs, or routers infected with malware that allows removal control by an attacker.

How does a DDoS attack work?

As we already said DDoS attacks are carried out with a network of internet-connected devices (IoT devices.) These all networks consist of computers and other devices such as IoT devices that have been infected with malware,  allowing them to be controlled remotely by an attacker. These individual devices are also known as bots and a group of bots is called botnets.

Once the bot reached your system, the attackers now can directly attack by sending remote instructions to each bot. Next, each bot on your device sends requests to the target’s IP address, potentially causing the server or network to become overwhelmed, resulting in a denial of service to normal traffic.

Common types of DDoS attacks?

DDoS attack types can be divided into different categories, but here we have 4 common types of DDoS attack.

• TCP Connection Attacks
• Application Attacks
• Fragmentation Attacks
• Volumetric Attacks

TCP Connection attacks

TCP connection attacks exploit a vulnerability in the TCP connection sequence commonly referred to as the three-way handshake connection with the host and the server.

Application layer attacks

Application layer attacks, often known as Layer 7 attacks that target the victim's apps in a slower manner. As a result, they may look to users as valid requests until it's too late and the victim is overloaded and unable to react. Application layer attack focused on the layer where a server generates web pages and responds to HTTP requests.

Fragmentation Attacks

Fragmentation Attack is another common form of DDoS attack. . Cybercriminal takes advantage of flaws in the datagram fragmentation mechanism, which divides IP datagrams into smaller packets, distributes them throughout a network, and then reassembles them. Fake data packets that can't be reassembled overwhelm the server in Fragmentation Attacks.

Volumetric Attacks

This is another type of DDoS attack. They use a botnet to flood the network or server with traffic that appears legitimate, but overwhelms the network’s or server’s capabilities of processing the traffic.

Example of DDoS attack type:

BASHLITE is one of the most common types of malware that launches DDoS (distributed denial-of-service) attacks.  BASHLITE has been active since 2014, and majorly targeting IoT devices and exploits vulnerabilities found in Linux-based systems. 

BASHLITE, The botnet, which is written in C and primarily infects Linux computers, is primarily made up of Internet-of-Things (IoT) devices like cameras, DVRs, and home routers. It has a history of adapting and exploiting new IoT vulnerabilities, as well as adopting conventional botnet methods like cloaking its activity via Tor. 

Learn more here BASHLIE Hits IoT devices for DDoS Attacks

How to protect yourself from DDoS attacks?

Protecting yourself from a DDoS attack is a task. Organizations have to plan to defend and mitigate such attacks. Determining your vulnerabilities is an essential initial element of any protection protocol.

First of all, we recommend you check if your computer is infected with a DDoS attack.

The earlier a DDoS attack in progress is identified, the more readily the harm can be contained. Companies should use technology or anti-DDoS services that can assist you in recognizing legitimate spikes in network traffic and a DDoS attack.

When you find your company is under attack, you should notify your ISP provider to check if your traffic can be re-routed.

Internet Service Providers will use Black Hole Routing which directs traffic into a null route sometimes referred to as a black hole when excessive traffic occurs thereby keeping the targeted website or network from crashing, but there is a drawback is that both legitimate and illegitimate traffic is rerouted in this manner.

Now, make sure that firewalls and routers should be configured to reject bogus traffic and you should keep your routers and firewalls updated with the latest security patches. These remain your initial line of defense.

While present defenses of advanced firewalls and intrusion detection systems are common, AI is being used to develop new systems. AI programs could identify and protect against known DDoS indicative patterns. 

Try to secure your Internet of Things (IoT) devices. However, this is for consumers. To keep your devices from becoming a part of a botnet, make sure your computers have trusted security software. It’s important to keep it updated with the latest security patches.

Prevent DDoS attack with Priil Ultimate

To prevent distributed denial of service attacks, you should equip your network, applications, and infrastructure with ultimate protection strategies. This may include prevention management systems that combine firewalls, VPN, anti-spam, content filtering, and other security layers to monitor activities and identity traffic inconsistencies that may be symptoms of DDoS attacks. To get all these services, you can use Priil Ultimate protection.  Additionally, if you don’t find it helpful, you can anytime cancel your subscription and get your money back.

Final Touch 

Hey guys! This was the guide about “What is a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS).” The DDoS attack mainly targets the Internet of Things, and that is why make sure if you’re using IoT devices, take major steps to secure your devices. You can learn more major things about DDoS attacks in this article. Please let us know if you have any queries regarding this article in the comment section below.