What is DDoS Attack (Distributed Denial of Service)?

A denial-of-service (DoS) attack is an attempt by attackers to prevent users from accessing a networked system, service, website, application, or other resource. This cybercriminal activity commonly slows down a system’s response time or disables it altogether.

However, a single-source attack is typically called by many as denial-of-service (DoS). On the other hand, distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks are significantly more widespread since their operators launch them at a target from several sources yet coordinated from a single location. Moreover, distributed attacks are more significant, possibly more damaging, and more difficult for the victim to identify and prevent.

Whether DoS or DDoS, there will still be the same consequences once a target gets infected, as genuine users cannot connect to the resources they are supposed to access. DDoS attacks are one of the most potent ways for threat actors to prevent the availability of a targeted entity.

How Does a DDoS Attack Work?

Most DDoS attacks primarily aim to consume all available network bandwidth or resources on a target network, system, or website. In addition, its operators commonly employ one of several available methods and tools to overwhelm the target with malicious or unnecessary requests or to exploit a protocol or vulnerability so that the system cannot respond to requests.

The results of a DDoS assault are similar to having the entrance to a concert venue suddenly swamped by numerous troublemakers with fake tickets, affecting the actual ticket holders waiting in an orderly line.

Types of Distributed Denial of Service attacks

Since there are so many various types of Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks, it is challenging to categorise them definitively. However, volumetric, protocol and application layers are the three most frequent industry-wide categories.

Furthermore, the more essential thing than precisely categorising attacks is understanding the various strategies attackers use to execute DDoS attacks. It is also crucial to recognise that attackers will target any susceptible component of their target’s infrastructure, from the network to the application and its supporting services.

These are the types of DDoS attacks:

1. Volumetric attacks, or flood attacks: This tactic is among the most popular DDoS attacks. They usually transmit massive traffic to the targeted victim’s network to consume so much bandwidth that it would affect and deny the actual consumers access. Attackers frequently utilise botnets for this type to increase the volume of traffic that reaches the targeted network or server. Additionally, this type could enable attackers to execute huge DDoS attacks ranging from hundreds of gigabits per second to terabits per second—far exceeding the capacity that most organisations can handle on their own networks.
2. Protocol attacks: Protocol attacks (also known as “computational” or “network” attacks) deny service by exploiting vulnerabilities in or expected behaviour of protocols—typically OSI layer 3 and layer 4 protocols like ICMP (Internet Control Message Protocol), TCP (Transport Control Protocol), UDP (User Datagram Protocol), and others. The purpose of this strategy is to deplete the network’s computing capacity or intermediary resources (for example, firewalls), leading to a denial of service. As protocol assaults operate at the packet level, they are frequently measured in packets per second.
3. Application layer attacks (also known as OSI layer 7 assaults) are directed at web servers, platforms, and specific web-based apps rather than the network itself. The attacker aims to crash the server and render a website or service inaccessible to users. These attacks can target known application bugs and the application’s core business logic or exploit higher-layer protocols such as HTTP/HTTPS (Hypertext Transfer Protocol/Secure) and SNMP. These assaults frequently consume less bandwidth than other attacks and do not necessarily cause a significant surge in traffic, making them more difficult to detect. Attacks at the app layer are quantified in regards to requests per second.
4. Fragmentation attacks: Cybercriminals use frangibility in the datagram fragmentation process, which divides IP datagrams into smaller packets, transfers them across a network, and reassembles them. In such assaults, bogus data packets cannot be reassembled.

Denial-of-Service and Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks have been a menace to various organisations globally as they have inflicted numerous disruptions. Cybercriminals have long been utilising such tactics for different purposes. Therefore, small, medium, and large organisations worldwide have needed to prevent such malicious activities.

How can iZOOlogic help my Company or Organisation?

Find out how iZOOlogic can prevent these Distributed Denial-of-Service attacks through our Web App Threat Protection services.

To find out more about how iZOOlogic can help protect your company’s cyber security, schedule a demo.