{"id":29719,"date":"2022-09-09T15:38:57","date_gmt":"2022-09-09T15:38:57","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/?p=29719"},"modified":"2023-07-03T19:20:31","modified_gmt":"2023-07-03T19:20:31","slug":"how-to-detect-ddos-attacks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/easydmarc.com\/blog\/how-to-detect-ddos-attacks\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Detect DDoS Attacks?"},"content":{"rendered":"

Cybersecurity has been a worldwide threat, and DDoS attacks remain a major concern. Infotech-driven businesses, small companies, and mega corporations are all potential targets of such cyberattacks, which can bring operations to a screeching halt.<\/span><\/p>\n

What is a DDoS attack<\/span>?<\/span><\/h3>\n

It\u2019s a cyberattack aimed at overwhelming a server with malicious traffic, causing a website to shut down temporarily or permanently.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019s typically executed using malware-infected devices called bots, and their cluster is referred to as a botnet. These bots include laptops, smartphones, smart TVs, wearable devices, thermometers, security cameras, in-vehicle infotainment systems, etc.<\/span><\/p>\n

So, <\/span>what industries do DDoS attackers target<\/span>? They commonly target the gaming, software and technology, media and entertainment, finance, and internet and telecom industries.<\/span><\/p>\n

Some popular <\/span>tools used during a DDoS attack<\/span><\/a> include LOIC, HULK, Tor\u2019s Hammer, RUDY, DDoSISM, Slowloris, Golden Eye, and HOK.<\/span><\/p>\n

Early and Accurate Detection is Key<\/b><\/h2>\n

Early detection and traffic monitoring are critical in <\/span>DDoS attack prevention<\/b>. You can manage, monitor, and filter malicious traffic, requests, and data packets through smart scanning programs and firewalls.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

A firewall is a network security element used to refine incoming and outgoing network traffic according to the security standards and protocols selected.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

It\u2019ll help you automatically or manually distinguish between normal and dangerous requests based on behaviours, patterns, and signature analysis. Moreover, these intelligent tools allow you to block malicious requests, averting <\/span>DDoS attac<\/span>ks<\/span>.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

These days firewalls are powered by artificial intelligence to scan vulnerabilities and remediate them in the first place. However, <\/span>DDoS attack detection techniques<\/b> extend far beyond firewalls alone.<\/span><\/p>\n

DDoS Attack Indicators<\/b><\/h2>\n

You should be aware of the following indicators to identify a DDoS attack. You can use these signals to automate\u00a0<\/span>DDoS attack detection tools\u00a0<\/span><\/strong>for timeous notifications.<\/span><\/p>\n

Too Many Unexpected Requests for a Particular IP<\/b><\/h3>\n

This indicator can be used to temporarily command your router to send traffic to blackhole routes from a certain IP address. A blackhole is a network spot where incoming or outgoing traffic is disposed of.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Directing the router will take an attacking IP to a dead-end, thus protecting your servers. However, this isn\u2019t recommended, as you\u2019ll block any non-malicious traffic.<\/span><\/p>\n

With this indicator, you can\u2019t set alerts on <\/span>DDoS attack prevention and detection<\/b> programs as they\u2019ll highlight legitimate bots too.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

So, how can you stop <\/span>different types of DDoS attacks<\/span><\/a> by detecting unusual traffic? The answer is simple: You can set alerts for when a particular IP address sends too many requests within a short time. This works best with the allow listing method as there\u2019ll be exceptions like Google bots.<\/span><\/p>\n

Server Displaying \u2018Error 503\u2019<\/b><\/h3>\n

The HTTP Error 503 indicates that a website\u2019s server is unavailable or unable to handle any requests, which could be due to a DDoS attack.<\/span><\/p>\n

You can set up alerts whenever a certain event takes place. In Windows, you can do this in the Event Viewer. Attach a task to any event deemed worthy of investigating, such as \u2018Error 503.\u2019\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

An issue can be attached in two simple steps:<\/span><\/p>\n

    \n
  1. Open Event Viewer and right-click on the event.<\/span><\/li>\n
  2. A configuration screen will open. Fill in the columns to send notification emails to selected personnel.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ol>\n

    TTL Times Out<\/b><\/h3>\n

    TTL is short for Time to Live\u2014the time a packet is set to exist in a network before a router repudiates it. You can automate ping alerts, and several service providers do that. This way, your website will be monitored around the clock. Ping time is the duration taken by small datasets to be transmitted from a device to a server.<\/span><\/p>\n

    This works on the principle that <\/span>DDoS or DoS attacks<\/span><\/a> consume undue bandwidth, so the ping time will be too long or time out altogether.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In-Line vs. Out-Of-Band Monitoring<\/b><\/h2>\n

    In-line packet examination and out-of-band monitoring are <\/span>DDoS attack detection<\/b> methods for both cloud and on-premises.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Once you know <\/span>how a DDoS attack works<\/span><\/a>, you can use tools placed in the main data path, called in-line, or set outside the path, called out-of-band. Let\u2019s learn more about these detection techniques.<\/span><\/p>\n

    In-Line DDoS Protection<\/b><\/h3>\n

    In-line DDoS protection tools work within the data center or in-line as a <\/span>DDoS attack prevention and detection <\/b>layer set up above your infrastructure.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Such tools monitor affected and unaffected traffic where malicious requests are filtered, allowing only incoming and outgoing legitimate traffic.<\/p>\n

    The tools learn standard traffic patterns, thereby detecting abnormal activities.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

    Advantages of In-Line DDoS Protection Tools<\/b><\/h4>\n