A growing number of web hosting companies offer DDoS protection to protect dedicated servers from the growing threat of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. Having a better understanding of how DDoS attacks and work how DDoS protection plans operate on a technical level will help you make better decisions for the security needs of your site.
Explore this post to get more information about DDoS the attacks are and where they come from. Then, discover the three most common types of DDoS attacks, as well as some "red flags" to keep in mind that could indicate that your site is being attacked. Finally, learn how DDoS protection works to thwart such attacks and find out if your server has the appropriate level of protection.
While there is no way to guarantee 100% that you are not a victim of a DDoS attack, having this knowledge and the right amount of DDoS protection can help you protect your site, your server and valuable and sensitive information .
Goes out of your way to make sure that your WordPress site is as secure as possible. Check security updates frequently, install patches as soon as they are available, and back up your data to a computer. However, there may be security vulnerabilities that put your website data at risk.
One of the most common types of web attacks today is known as DDoS attack ; Naively, DDoS attacks can be directed anywhere (regardless of size or scope) at any time. By understanding what DDoS attacks are and how DDoS protection works, you can make the right decisions to protect your site.
What exactly is a DDoS attack?
A DDoS attack refers to a distributed denial of service attack; These attacks work by "flooding" the server of a site with large amounts of fake traffic. Unusual amounts of traffic can overwhelm a server and cause slow page load times, downtime, and other problems. A DDoS attack can occur at any time and can affect even the most "safe" websites.
For example, in 2016, the servers of the Library of Congress of the United States were knocked down by a huge DDoS attack that not only affected the LoC website but prevented the LoC employees from accessing their emails (because they all operated on the same server).
Where do DDoS attacks come from?
Because the sources of DDoS attacks can be difficult to track, it is not always possible to determine where a particular attack comes from. However, research has shown that China is currently the largest source of DDoS attacks in the world.
Regardless of the specific area of the world from which these attacks originate, they are carried out by hackers who want nothing more than to exploit the security vulnerabilities of a website and cause headaches to website administrators, visitors of the site and even hosting companies.
What are the different types of DDoS attacks?
There are several different types of DDoS attacks, but some of the most common used today are the following:
- Volumetric attacks – The most common attacks focus on flooding a site with "fake" traffic "to the point of making the servers shut down completely for hours or even days at a time. , depending on the response of the hosting company that manages the server.
- Resource depletion attacks – These attacks focus on overwhelming a server not only to the point of closing a server. download, but affecting server speeds even after the site is restarted. This can create continuous headaches beyond what would cause a "typical" volumetric attack.
- Zero day attacks : these attacks are the least common, but they involve investigating and attacking specific vulnerabilities on a site's server. While your site is less likely to be the victim of a zero-day attack than a volume or volume depletion attack, the results can be catastrophic for your site if you are a victim.
This is not an exhaustive list of the various types of DDoS attacks that exist, but it is a fairly complete summary of the few types of attacks that are most frequently seen in the current web environment.
Signs that your WordPress site is under attack
Being aware of some of the common signs of a DDoS attack is important for any site owner Web. After all, the sooner you can detect an attack and report it to your server, the more likely it is that you can stop it or, at least, minimize the damage as much as possible.
On a WordPress site specifically, be aware of complaints from users about the slow loading of the page times or the inability to access your site. Of course, having an exit for users to submit problem reports outside of their website may be useful here.
For example that has a social networking page (such as a Twitter or Facebook page) is a great way to accept user comments, even when your server no longer works . And although slow page load times or difficulty loading a site could be a non-malicious server problem, there is also the possibility that your site is being attacked when these types of problems are reported. This is especially true if the same types of error reports come from numerous users at the same time.
If your site shows any sign of being under a DDoS attack, what should I do? It is best to inform the host of the WordPress server about the problem so that it can be investigated as soon as possible. A reputable hosting company will have a specific protocol to handle a suspicious DDoS attack, so this is another reason why taking the time to search and choose wisely your dedicated server company can make a difference.
How can DDoS be protected? Works
Fortunately, you can stop many DDoS by incorporating DDoS protection into your WordPress server. This type of protection basically works by creating a "filter" that protects your entry and filters requests to access your website effectively and efficiently. This allows illegitimate traffic to be maintained, while legitimate users can still reach your site without delays or access problems.
Specifically, there are two routes that a server with DDoS protection can take, depending on your settings and preferences. Regardless of the course of action you take when a DDoS attack attempt floods your site, the purpose and overall function of DDoS protection remains about the same.
One option is to have your server simply ignore Traffic that you think is illegitimate. Another option is to make the "bad" traffic reroute to a "decoy" website while allowing legitimate traffic. This allows the server to continue operating as designed and for resources to be allocated or redistributed as necessary.
Unfortunately, there
is nothing you can do to stop or prevent DDoS attack attempts on your site, but by handling them correctly. and having the right level of DDoS protection in place, you can protect your site from server downtime and other problems.
How much DDOS protection do I need?
There are many different levels of DDoS protection available in most hosting companies. Most are based on the size of the attack that the DDoS protection package can protect. In a certain context, a smaller attack is generally considered to be one to 10 gigabytes per second in size.
The largest attacks can be 100 gigabytes per second or more. For example, the attack that toppled the servers of the Library of Congress of the United States in 2016 was several hundred gigabytes per second in size.
A small site that does not have many followers and does not normally receive a large influx of traffic each month is not likely affected by something larger than one at 10 gigabytes per second in size, but for added peace of mind , it may still make sense to buy the next higher level of protection.
On the other hand, a very popular site that is well known and sees large amounts of monthly traffic may be a bigger target for larger and more complex attacks. As a result, it may make sense that these types of sites (or sites that depend on uptime for a large amount of their profits) are well served in purchasing the highest level of protection possible. After all, you can not put a price on that tranquility when there is so much at stake.
Benefits of having DDoS protection on your WordPress site
If you still do not have DDoS protection built into your WordPress server, now is the time to get it. DDoS protection may not cost much more per month, and you can decide the size of the attack against which you want to protect based on the typical characteristics of your site's traffic and unique needs. With most hosting companies, once you purchase, the protection is automatically implemented (or begins at the beginning of your next billing period, depending on your hosting company).
With DDoS protection in place, you reduce your chances of being a victim of one of the most common types of attacks on the web today. In this sense, ordering DDoS protection is one of the easiest steps you can take to prevent your site from falling victim to unplanned downtime and other security issues. [19659000] Do I have DDoS protection?
Many hosting companies these days have even begun to include a basic level of DDoS protection at no additional cost to customers of Dedicated servers Typically, this standard level of coverage will include protection for attacks of up to 10 gigabytes per second.
Of course, this may not be enough to protect larger sites from the possibility of much fattening, but for smaller sites, this level of protection can fit perfectly into the bill and can save money to site administrators.
Learning from an attack
In the event that a DDoS attack is attempted on your server, having DDoS protection will not only protect your site from being affected by the attack, but it will also allow you to obtain valuable reports and data about the attempted attack.
For example, you can discover how big the attack was, and possibly even where the source came from, as well as what security vulnerabilities on your server were used to drive Rítelo. This information can be extremely valuable not only for you as a website administrator, but also for your hosting company to prevent future attacks and address any remaining vulnerabilities within your server or website.
In general, DDoS attacks are something that all website administrators must take into account and take action to protect themselves.
The good news is that, aside from buying DDoS protection and adding to your existing WordPress hosting, there is not much else to do other than be on the lookout for some of those "tell-tale" signs of an attack attempt. From there, you can keep your website server up to date, avoid unnecessary (and expensive) downtime, and protect your reputation with visitors to your site.
Author Bio
Yevgeniya is the Marketing Director of ReliableSite, which provides dedicated enterprise-class servers and exceptional service that includes free DDoS protection.
(This is a guest publication, see the guest publication guidelines.)