DDoS Protection for Your Organization

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Protecting an organization from DDoS attacks requires a multi-layered approach, including prevention, mitigation, and continuous monitoring. Here’s a breakdown of key strategies:

Image Source: How Cloudflare auto-mitigated world record 3.8 Tbps DDoS attack

Strategy

1. Should have ample bandwidth to tackle the service disruption
2. Scrubbing center – another should have item
3. SOC – visibilities for the unusual bandwidth usage detection
4. Device configuration benchmark – make sure your devices configurations are CISECURITY benchmark complied

1. Preventing DDoS Attacks

• Reduce Attack Surface: Limit exposure by restricting traffic to specific locations, using load balancers, and blocking outdated ports and protocols.
• Deploy Anycast Networks: Distribute traffic across multiple servers to absorb volumetric spikes.
• Use Firewalls & Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): These help filter malicious traffic before it reaches critical infrastructure.
• Rate Limiting & Traffic Filtering: Set thresholds to block excessive requests from suspicious sources.
• Cloud-Based DDoS Protection: Services like Cloudflare, AWS Shield, and Akamai can help mitigate large-scale attacks.

2. Securing Routers & Switches

• Enable DDoS Protection on Routers: Cisco Secure DDoS Edge Protection detects and mitigates attacks at the network edge.
• Harden Network Devices: Implement strong authentication, disable unused services, and configure access control lists (ACLs) to restrict unauthorized access.
• Segment Network Traffic: Use VLANs and subnets to isolate critical infrastructure from potential attack vectors.
• Monitor Traffic Patterns: Use NetFlow, sFlow, or IPFIX-enabled routers to detect anomalies.

3. Protect Your Infrastructure:

DDoS Protection Methods	Solutions
Redundancy:	If you have many server locations, you can ensure that even if one becomes overloaded, you can still divert the traffic to the other servers.
Scalability	Make use of cloud services that are scalable and capable of handling unexpected spikes in traffic.
SP-based Mitigation	DDoS mitigation services are made available by certain Internet Service Providers. Discuss the available choices with your internet service provider (ISP).
Distribution of Anycast Traffic on Networks	The incoming traffic should be distributed over various data centers.
Load Balancing	Network traffic should be continuously monitored and analyzed for signs of a DDoS attack.
Firewalls	Use both software and hardware firewalls to protect your network from potentially harmful traffic.
Traffic Analysis	Network traffic should be continuously monitored and analyzed to look for signs of a DDoS attack.
Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS)	Employ IDS to identify traffic patterns that are not typical and then flag them for further study.
Cloud-based DDoS Protection	Spread the incoming traffic from the network or application over several servers.
Application Level Filtering	Certain providers provide application-level filtering, restricting traffic to your server to legitimate requests.
Web Application Firewall (WAF):	Employ a WAF to screen out potentially harmful traffic on the internet.
Blacklist known malicious IP	Even though this can be like stopping attacks that repeatedly try to bypass, it adds another layer of defense.
User Behavior Analysis	Use machine learning algorithms to detect abnormal behavior that may signify a DDoS attack.

4. Use Case Scenarios

• Financial Institutions: Banks are frequent targets of DDoS attacks aimed at disrupting online transactions.
• Government Agencies: Cybercriminals and hacktivists often launch DDoS attacks against government websites.
• E-commerce Platforms: Attackers may flood online stores with traffic to cause downtime and financial losses.
• Gaming & Streaming Services: High-profile gaming platforms are often targeted to disrupt online gameplay.

5. Continuous Monitoring of DDoS Attacks

• DDoS Mitigation Services: Solutions like ThousandEyes track mitigation effectiveness and detect anomalies.
• Real-Time Traffic Analysis: Use tools like Cloudflare Magic Network Monitoring to identify malicious traffic.
• Azure DDoS Protection Metrics: Monitor inbound packets, SYN floods, and dropped traffic using Azure Monitor.
• Automated Alerts & Incident Response: Set up alerts for unusual traffic spikes and automate mitigation responses.

Further Reading

1. Azure DDoS Protection Overview | Microsoft Learn
2. AWS shield
3. DDoS Protection & Mitigation Solutions | Cloudflare
4. DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) Attack Protection | Akamai

3^rd Party Tools (Not all tools provides combined detection & remediation services)

1. NexusGuard
2. Corero
3. FastNetMon
4. AppTrana
5. CDNetworks Flood Shield
6. Arbor Networks
7. Radware
8. SolarWinds SEM Tool
9. Imperva
10. A10 Thunder TPS
11. Verisign
12. SiteLock

Download the DDoS Protection Book:

Published Books – MOBS Bangladesh