SpartanTec, Inc. Fayetteville: Understanding Denial of Service Attacks

What is a denial of service attacks? When malicious cyber threat actors cause legitimate users to be unable to access information systems or devices, a denial of service attacks (DoS) attack is triggered. The affected services include website, email, as well as online accounts (such as banking) as well as other kinds of services that depend on the affected computer network or computer.

Denial-of-service conditions are created by flooding the target host or network with traffic, until it cannot respond or crashes. This prevents legitimate users from accessing the affected system. DoS attacks can cause organizations to lose time and money, as well as make it difficult for them to access their resources and services.

What are the most common denial of service attacks?

You can carry out a DoS attack in many ways. An attacker flooding a network server is the most common type of attack. This type of DoS attack involves sending multiple requests to the target server and overloading it with traffic. These service requests are fraudulent and have fake return addresses. This misleads the server when it attempts to authenticate the requestor. The server becomes overwhelmed as junk requests are processed continuously, which creates a DoS situation for legitimate requestors.

An attacker sends Internet Control Message Protocol broadcast messages to a variety of hosts using a spoofed source Internet Protocol address (IP). This attack is called a Smurf Attack. These spoofed packets are then received by the recipients, and the target host will be inundated with their responses.

SYN flooding is when an attacker requests to connect to the target server, but fails to complete the connection using what is known as a 3-way handshake. This method is used in Transmission Control Protocol (TCP/IP) networks to establish a connection between local client/host and server. An incomplete handshake renders the connected port unusable for future requests and leaves it in an occupied state. The attacker will continue sending requests and saturating open ports so legitimate users can’t connect.

DoS attacks can affect individual networks without them being directly targeted. The network may also be affected if its internet service provider (ISP), or cloud service provider is attacked and targeted.

What is a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS)?

When multiple machines work together to attack a single target, a distributed denial of service (DDoS), attack is made. DDoS attackers often use a botnet, a group of internet-connected devices that has been hijacked to carry out large-scale attacks. Hackers use security flaws or weaknesses in devices to control many devices with command and control software. An attacker can control their botnet and conduct DDoS attacks on targets once they have it. The infected devices will also be affected by the attack.

Botnets, which are made up of compromised devices, can be rented to other potential attackers. The botnet may be made available to “attack for hire” services that allow untrained users to launch DDoS attacks.

DDoS makes it possible to send exponentially more requests to the target, increasing the attack power. DDoS also makes it more difficult to attribute the attack’s source, which increases its difficulty.

As more devices connect to the Internet of Things (IoT), DDoS attacks are becoming more common. IoT devices are often vulnerable to compromise and exploitation because they use default passwords and lack security postures. Users often don’t notice that IoT devices are infected. An attacker could compromise thousands of devices without their knowledge to launch a large-scale attack on hundreds of thousands.

How can you avoid becoming part of the problem?

Although there is no way to avoid being a victim of DoS attacks or DDoS attacks, administrators can take proactive steps to minimize the impact of such attacks on their network.
You can enroll in protection services that will detect abnormal traffic flows and redirect traffic away from your network. Clean traffic is sent to your network after DoS traffic has been filtered out.
To ensure efficient and effective communication, mitigation and recovery in case of an attack, create a disaster recovery plan.
You should also take steps to improve the security of all your internet-connected devices to avoid them being compromised.
Maintain and install antivirus software.
Configure a firewall to block traffic from entering and leaving your computer. (See Understanding Firewalls for Small Office Use and Home Use).

To minimize the risk of other people accessing your information, you should evaluate security settings and implement good security practices.

How can you tell if there is an attack?

A DoS attack could look like a non-malicious availability issue, such as technical problems in a network or an administrator performing maintenance. The following symptoms may indicate a DoS attack or DDoS attack.

Slow network performance (opening files, accessing websites)
Website not available or unavailable
Inability to access any website.

Network traffic monitoring and analysis is the best way to identify DoS attacks. A firewall or intrusion detection device can monitor network traffic. Administrators may set up rules to alert users when there is an unusual traffic load. These rules can identify the source and drop traffic packets that match a specified criteria.

What should you do if you feel you are having an attack?

It is crucial to get assistance from the right technical or IT professionals if you suspect that your business has been affected by a DoS attack or DoS attack.

To confirm if the service interruption is caused by maintenance or an internal network problem, contact your network administrator. To confirm an attack is occurring, network administrators can monitor traffic and identify the source. They can then apply firewall rules to mitigate the situation and redirect traffic through DoS protection services.

Ask your ISP if they are experiencing an outage. They might be able advise you on the best course of action.

Do not lose sight of other hosts, assets or services that are part of your network in the event of an attack. DoS and DDoS attacks are often used by attackers to divert attention from their target and to use that opportunity to attack other services in your network.