A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a , service, website, or online platform by overwhelming it with a flood of traffic from multiple . These attacks are "distributed" because they typically involve a network of compromised computers, often referred to as a , that coordinate to flood the target with traffic. The sheer volume of traffic exhausts the target's , rendering it inaccessible to legitimate users.
To defend against DDoS attacks, consider using a DDoS mitigation service or appliance that can detect and out malicious traffic before it reaches your network or server. Implementing traffic analysis tools can help detect abnormal traffic patterns and identify potential DDoS attacks early. Additionally, using a (CDN) to distribute website content across multiple servers and locations can reduce the impact of DDoS attacks by absorbing traffic. It's also important to ensure that your infrastructure is and can handle sudden traffic spikes, with load balancing to distribute traffic evenly across multiple servers.
Another effective strategy is to implement limiting and traffic shaping to control the rate at which incoming traffic is processed. Utilizing a Web Application Firewall (WAF) is essential for filtering out malicious traffic and protecting against application layer DDoS attacks. Furthermore, deploying intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDPS) can help detect unusual or traffic patterns, enhancing your overall defense against these threats.
