What is a DDoS Attack? DDoS Meaning, Types and Prevention Strategies
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are an urgent concern for organisations operating on a network that relies heavily on technology to manage operations and service delivery. Hackers flood networks, servers, or websites with data, making them unavailable to legitimate users during such cyber attacks. Businesses using technology must be aware of DDoS attacks and their impact because its understanding enables the security of online systems and continued smooth operations. Read on to learn more about DDoS attacks and how to implement robust defences to protect against operational and financial losses.
What is a DDoS Attack? DDoS Meaning, Types and Prevention Strategies
What Are DDoS Attacks?
A DDoS attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a targeted server, network, or online application by overwhelming it with excessive traffic. Unlike other types of cyber attacks originating from a single source, DDoS attacks involve multiple systems, often part of a botnet & a network of compromised devices under the control of an attacker. These coordinated attacks flood the target with traffic or resource requests, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate users.
DDoS attacks usually exploit security vulnerabilities within a system or application. They can target bandwidth, server capability, or the application layer, making them an all-around weapon any cybercriminal could use.
Increasing Frequency and Sophistication of DDoS attacks
Technology developments have also made it easier for attackers to make complex attacks. Multi-vector attacks, a combination of various attack methods, are now common. These attacks simultaneously flood networks, exploit application vulnerabilities, or target DNS servers to be as disruptive as possible. The increasing number of IoT devices has helped attackers create larger botnets.
Impact on Businesses
Operational downtime due to DDoS disrupts customer access to services, causing immediate financial losses. E-commerce platforms, for instance, can lose substantial revenue during outages.
Recovering from a DDoS attack can also be expensive and time-consuming. IT teams must find and mitigate vulnerabilities so the business is able to endure future attacks. In industries such as finance or healthcare, the reputational and operational impact of a DDoS attack can have long-lasting effects. These can also trigger compliance violations, resulting in legal consequences.
How Do DDoS Attacks Work?
The first step in building a defence against DDoS attacks is understanding how it works.
Exploiting Resource Limitations: Hackers can make the server use up all its capacities for malicious activities without leaving any for legitimate use.
Use of Botnets or Compromised Devices: In a big DDoS attack, hackers require botnets — a group of compromised devices controlled by the hackers. They contain malware, allowing an attacker to take control from anywhere. During the actual launch of an attack, a botnet can direct massive amounts of traffic originating from thousands, or even millions, of devices to a particular target.
Why Are They Dangerous?
From financial losses to legal consequences, a DDoS attack can result in a business losing its customers and value. It can result in the following adverse effects:
Financial Losses: Businesses are denied revenue when their services become unavailable due to DDoS attacks. For example, an e-commerce platform which cannot process transactions during the attack will miss significant sales.
Operational Disruptions: Organisations that use online systems for daily operations may experience halted workflows, delayed customer support, or interrupted service delivery. Such disruptions can strain internal resources, divert IT teams from critical tasks, and prolong recovery efforts.
Long-term Reputational Harm: Customers, clients, and partners expect flawless service and will lose faith in the reliability of companies in case of prolonged failures. In finance, healthcare, and telecommunications industries, where trust factors are essential, a single DDoS attack can ruin years of reputation establishment.
Types of DDoS Attacks
DDoS attacks can take several forms, each targeting specific system vulnerabilities. These are:
Volume-Based Attacks: Volume-based attacks, also called bandwidth attacks. Here, hackers flood the target's network with overwhelming traffic. These attacks consume all available bandwidth, making it impossible for legitimate traffic to pass through.
Protocol Attacks: Protocol attacks exploit vulnerabilities in network protocols by overwhelming a server's resources and exploiting weaknesses in how systems handle communication protocols. This can make network-critical components fail due to server or firewall resource consumption.
Application Layer Attacks: Application layer attacks focus on interrupting specific applications or services by exploiting vulnerabilities in the application layer (Layer 7 of the OSI model). Such attacks can easily mimic legitimate user behaviour, making them harder to detect.
Signs of a DDoS Attack
The early recognition of a DDoS attack is critical for mitigating its impact. Timely detection allows the organisation to take swift action, minimising downtime and preserving service availability. Here are the most common indicators of a DDoS attack:
Unusual Traffic Spikes: Typical DDoS traffic usually originates from multiple points geographically distant from organic spikes (e.g., during product launches).
Slow or Unresponsive Services: Legitimate users may experience pages loading slowly, frequent timeouts, or inability to access services.
Increased Dropped Connections: Users may get disconnected mid-session or are unable to connect at all.
How to Defend Against DDoS Attacks?
A well-rounded DDoS defence strategy protects organisations from immediate threats and builds long-term resilience. Proactive measures, agile responses, and continuous learning help businesses maintain operations in a world where DDoS attacks are becoming more sophisticated. Here are some strategies that can help:
Prevention Strategies
The best way to protect the technology infrastructure is to prevent attacks in the first place.
Use of DDoS Protection Tools: Cloud-based solutions, such as AWS Shield, Cloudflare, and Akamai, provide real-time protection by using global networks to filter harmful requests.
Network Redundancy: Network redundancy distributes traffic across multiple servers or data centres, ensuring no single point of failure.
Rate Limiting: Rate limiting controls the number of requests from one user or IP to prevent system overload from traffic surges. This is especially effective against smaller-scale DDoS attacks.
Real-Time Response
When attacks happen despite prevention, initiating a security response immediately is vital.
Traffic Filtering: Real-time traffic filtering detects and blocks malicious packets as they hit the network. Web application firewalls and intrusion prevention systems analyse incoming traffic for patterns matching known attack vectors.
Scalability: Scalability ensures systems can handle traffic surges without performance degradation. Auto-scaling servers dynamically allocate additional resources during high demand, enabling the network to absorb attack traffic.
Post-Attack Recovery: Regardless of the volume of the attack, the DDoS attack will come to an end and disaster recovery should kick in immediately.
Attack Vectors Analysis: After an attack, analyse the methods and vulnerabilities that were exploited. Review server logs to identify the source of the attack and assess the success of defence measures.
Learn and Improve: Use the knowledge gained from the attack to improve the organisation's security framework. Update defences, tools, and response plans to reduce the chance of future disruptions. Patch vulnerabilities identified during the attack and update network configurations to close potential entry points.
Best Practices for DDoS Mitigation
Effectively defending a DDoS attack requires organisations to embrace the best practices that improve security posture and ensure preparedness in any attack scenario. Following are some of the crucial strategies that help mitigate the impacts of DDoS attacks:
Regularly update firewalls and intrusion detection systems: Firewalls and IDS must keep current on the latest threats to detect and block them. Revisit rules for firewalls to remove malicious IPs and deny traffic patterns periodically. Upgrade IDS/IPS (Intrusion Prevention Systems) with recent attack signatures and behavioural rules.
Black Hole Routing: Black hole routing refers to routing attack traffic to a "black hole," where it is discarded instead of reaching the targeted network. Through this technique, an organisation routes the attack traffic to a totally isolated, nonfunctional network, reducing the direct effects of a DDoS attack while investigating its origin and nature.
Rate Limiting: Rate limitation is an easily deployable mechanism that reduces traffic load to a server or application. It restricts the number of accepted requests from one user or IP address within a chosen period. So, it prevents exhausting resources due to these heavy traffic events.
Traffic Differentiation: Traffic differentiation identifies and distinguishes between legitimate and malicious traffic in real time. Organisations filter out malicious requests using sophisticated detection techniques while letting legitimate users access services.
Conduct DDoS Simulation Exercises: Through DDoS simulations, your team can experiment with response protocols and points of weakness in defence systems, improving coordination for a live incident. Run tabletop exercises to simulate decision-making and responses during an attack. Conduct network load tests to identify how much traffic the infrastructure can withstand.
Partner with a Reliable Internet Service Provider (ISP) for Support: A trusted ISP can support your efforts to mitigate DDoS attacks. Reliable ISPs can offer DDoS protection services, including traffic filtering, bandwidth scaling, and black hole routing.
Have an Incident Response Plan Ready: An incident response plan is critical for minimising the impact of DDoS. It allows your team to react immediately, mitigating the attack while continuing operations. The plan must specify roles and responsibilities, communication procedures, and actions before, during, and after the attack.
How Cyber Insurance Adds a Layer of Security?
Cyber insurance is a key part of any well-rounded cybersecurity approach. It offers financial protection if a DDoS attack or other cyber event occurs. Though it doesn't eliminate the need for robust security, it helps enhance resilience overall by providing a cushion for mitigating financial losses and overseeing recovery processes.
Financial Loss Protection
Cyber insurance provides the financial protection necessary for businesses to recover from a DDoS attack. It covers multiple costs, such as:
Downtime costs: Compensation for loss of revenue when the system is unavailable or degraded.
Legal liabilities: Coverage for lawsuits or penalties related to data protection violations or Service Level Agreement (SLA) failures.
Client compensation: Compensation to clients for service failures or data breaches.
Crisis Communication Support for Rebuilding Trust
DDoS attacks can damage a company's reputation, particularly if clients experience service outages. Cyber insurance often includes crisis communication support, helping businesses manage responses during and after an attack. This support includes professional guidance on handling communications with customers, partners, regulators, and the public, which is vital for rebuilding trust. Support for crisis communication includes
Pre-approved templates for public statements and customer updates.
Access to PR and crisis management consultants.
Guidelines on public perception management and reputation rebuilding.
Expert Incidence Response
Your cyber insurance also extends access to expert incident response teams to minimise downtime and data loss. Expert incident response teams give a company fast and effective access to response to DDoS attacks. This reduces downtime and data loss, ensuring systems are restored promptly with limited operational disruption. It can help with:
Immediately assess threats based on the type of attack, size, and impact.
Block or mitigate the DDoS attack in real-time.
Restore systems, data, and services with minimal data loss.
While cyber insurance provides financial and operational support during an attack, it should not replace robust security measures. Instead, it complements existing defence strategies, offering additional protection in case of a failure. Combining cyber insurance with proactive security measures helps businesses build a resilient infrastructure that absorbs cyber threats, recovers quickly, and causes less disruption and loss.
Case Studies
To truly understand the significance of DDoS attacks and protection, let's look at real-world exmaples of DDoS attacks.
Hacktivist Threats on India During G20 Summit (September 2023): Hacktivist groups, such as 'Ganonsec' and 'Hacktivist Indonesia,' launched the #opIndia campaign against Indian websites during the G20 Summit to disorient the summit with DDoS attacks. Despite the attack being mitigated, the threat exposed vulnerabilities within critical infrastructure during high-profile events.
Cloudflare's Largest DDoS Attack Mitigation (2024): Cloudflare mitigated a 5.6 Tbps DDoS attack, one of the most significant attacks on record, within 80 seconds. Using its tools, Cloudflare protected customers from this attack, preventing downtime or reputational damage.
Google Mitigates the Largest HTTP/2 DDoS Attack, October 2023: Google mitigated a 398 million Request Per Second DDoS attack leveraging the weakness of the HTTP/2 protocol. Attackers used the "Rapid Reset" technique against web services. Google swiftly mitigated potential significant disruptions in service. The incident highlights the need for regular vulnerability scans.
Financial Sector Under Fire - 85% of DDoS Attacks Hit Indian Financial Sector (Dec 2024): 85% of DDoS attacks in India targeted the financial sector. The attack exposed serious security concerns, potentially damaging operational efficiency and public trust.
Major Indian Electronics Manufacturer (April 2024): A cyberattack on an Indian electronics manufacturer stole 7.5 million customer records, causing significant financial and reputational damage. The breach highlights the importance of protecting sensitive data and the cost of not preventing cyberattacks.
Key Lessons to Learn
Every organisation, regardless of its size is exposed to DDoS attacks when technology becomes the backbone of business operations. Some of the key lessons to learn from these attacks are:
Proactive Mitigation is Key: Cloudflare and Google demonstrated that automated DDoS protection can mitigate large-scale attacks. Invest in cloud-based protection and conduct regular vulnerability assessments.
High-Profile Events Are Targeted: The G20 attack showed that critical infrastructure is vulnerable during global events. Strengthen security during high-risk periods and conduct DDoS simulations.
Financial Sector is at High Risk: The DDoS attack on the Indian financial sector highlighted the importance of securing this sector. Invest in powerful defence systems, improve threat monitoring, and liaise with cybersecurity experts in advance.
Developing Methods: The HTTP/2 attack showed that DDoS techniques evolve constantly. Regularly update protocols and systems to counter new attack methods.
Data Security: The breach of the Indian electronics manufacturer highlights the importance of safeguarding customer data. Use encryption and conduct regular security audits to protect data.
Have an Incident Response Plan: Cloudflare and Google's quick responses helped prevent major damage. Develop a comprehensive incident response plan with cyber insurance to get assistance from experts.
Conclusion
DDoS attacks pose one of the greatest emerging threats, causing massive disruption, financial loss, and reputational damage. Businesses must prepare with the proper defence mechanisms, including DDoS protection tools, network redundancy, and real-time traffic filtering. Cyber insurance is crucial for businesses facing DDoS and other cyber threats. It complements existing security efforts by covering financial losses, providing crisis management resources, and offering access to expert incident response teams, enabling organisations to recover quickly. To protect your business from these threats, talk to a Policybazaar for Business expert to build a comprehensive cyber defence strategy.
Disclaimer: Above mentioned insurers are arranged in alphabetical order. Policybazaar.com does not endorse, rate, or recommend any particular insurer or insurance product offered by an insurer.
Global Cyber Threats: India Emerges as a Key Target in 2024
According to a report by cyber intelligence firm CloudSEK, India ranked as one of the top nations globally affected by cyberattacks in 2024, with 95...Read more
Payment Gateway Company Reports Massive ₹16,180 Crore Cyber Theft
In a startling revelation, the Thane Police have exposed a massive cyber heist, with cybercriminals pilfering an astonishing ₹16,180 crore. This...Read more
Cybercriminals Target Former Union Minister Dayanidhi Maran's Savings...
In a concerning development, cybercriminals managed to siphon off ₹99,999 from the personal savings account of Dayanidhi Maran, the former Union...Read more
Mumbai Police Nab Four Cyber Fraudsters in Extensive 22-Day Operation
In a 22-day operation spanning four states, including Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Delhi and Madhya Pradesh, a Mumbai Police task force comprising seven...Read more
India Grapples with Mounting Cybersecurity Risks, According to Palo...
India is confronting a significant threat of cyberattacks aimed at its critical infrastructure, public sector, and essential services, as per a report...Read more
Pune-Based Engineering Supplies Firm Loses Over 22 Lakh in Cyber Scam
Pune City police uncovered a suspected 'man-in-the-middle' cyber attack that cost a Pune-based engineering supplies firm more than 24,000 Euros...Read more
AIIMS Delhi Hit by Cyber Attack for Second Time in a Year
All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS) in New Delhi faced a new cyberattack on Monday. The premier medical institution promptly responded...Read more
Mumbai Woman Falls Victim to Cyber Fraudsters While Helping an...
A Mumbai woman's act of kindness towards an injured bird took an unexpected turn when she became a target of cyber fraud.Dhwani Mehta works at Famous...Read more
Scammers Exploit 'Man-in-the-Middle' Technique, Pune Construction...
Prominent Construction Technology Company falls victim to cyber attack, losing Rs 13.8 Lakh in Pune, India. The investigators described it as a...Read more
Reddit Hacked in a Targeted Phishing Attack
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget FY 2023 on February 1, 2023. Christopher Slowe, CTO of Reddit, revealed the company was...Read more
FM Nirmala Sitharaman announces Set up of 3 Artificial Intelligence...
Finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman presented the Union Budget FY 2023 on February 1, 2023. The Finance Minister announced the establishment of 3...Read more
Cyber Fraudster Target Customer under Disguise of Insurance Officer
Cyber fraudsters are targeting customers under the disguise of not a bank official but an insurance company official. In one such event, a 67 year old...Read more
Sensitive Data of 6 Lakh Indians Stolen by Hackers and Sold at Rs...
Out of 5 million people globally, 6 lakhs Indians have had their sensitive data stolen and sold on the bot market making India, the worst affected...Read more
AIIMS Cyber Breach: Attackers Demand Rs 200 Crore in Crypto
All India Institute of Medical Sciences, New Delhi, India reported a cyberattack on November 23, 2022. Later, the statement released by AIIMS said that...Read more
Cyber Criminals Sending Phishing Links to Twitter Users
Cyber criminals are targeting twitter Verified Twitter user by sending them phishing links. The cyber criminals send the phishing link to steal their...Read more
The representatives at PolicyBazaar were knowledgeable, patient and genuinely committed to helping me find the best insurance policy for my requirements. They took the time to answer all my questions and provide valuable guidance, ensuring that I had a thorough understanding of the coverage details and terms. THANKS.
Agra
4.3 October 06, 2022
Amit
Quick And Hassle Free
After seeing a rise in cyber attacks in many of the companies, i decided to purchase a cyber insurance policy for my start up. I went on the Policy Bazaar website and learned about the coverage in detail and purchased it from their website only. It was quick and hassle-free purchase.
Nashik
4.5 October 04, 2022
Pinku
Paperless Process
We bought the contractual liability insurance from policybazaar and received the best overall package. The process was paperless as we applied for insurance online and the support was amazing.
Surat
4.5 October 03, 2022
Aashish
Extensive Coverage
We thoroughly checked all the benefits and features and decided to buy a contractual liability policy from Policybazaar. It provides all the necessary features to safeguard our business against any loss.
Ahemdabad
4.5 October 02, 2022
Nishant
Easy To Buy
It was easy to buy insurance from Policybazaar and customer support was also amazing to clear all the doubts. Contractual liability insurance is essential for my business and I could not get a better deal than this.
Udaipur
4.5 October 01, 2022
Puneet
Easy Plan Comparision
An ideal Contractual Liability Insurance policy purchased to protect our business that we ecounter in our everyday operations. Policybazaar offers a platform to compare multiple plans.
Assam
4.5 September 30, 2022
Govind
No Broker And Paper Work
Great experience at Policybazaar. We did not know that buying Contractual Liability Insurance could be that easy. Also there is no broker and paperwork.
Jharkhand
4.8 September 29, 2022
Rinku
Perfect Insurance Coverage
I purchased Contractual Liability Insurance from Policybazaar and the coverage they provided is perfect to keep my hardware business safe various unforeseen instances.
New Delhi
4.5 March 18, 2022
Ishan
Cloud Storage Cover
I wanted to purchase a cyber insurance policy could provide coverage for the data stored in cloud network. I went on the Policybazaar website and look up for plans that would provide me with this coverage. I compared different plans and in a matter of minutes i found the right cyber insurance plan that would fit my requirement.
Ajmer
4.5 March 17, 2022
Anurag
Good User Interface
I was looking for a cyber insurance policy online. After looking for the insurance plan online I landed on the Policybazaar website. Trust me, the user interface of the website is so good that i was able to locate the cyber insurance plan and purchase it in not more than 10 minutes. Thanks Policybazaar.
+Premium varies on the basis of Occupancy, Business Activity & Coverage Type By clicking on "View Plans" you agree to our Privacy Policy and Terms Of Use and also provide us a formal mandate to represent you to the insurer and communicate to you the grant of a cover. The details of insurance coverage, inclusions and exclusions are subject to change as per solutions offered by insurance providers. The content has been curated based on the general practices in the industry. Policybazaar is not responsible for the factual correctness of these details.
Ab suraksha or bachat ek sath
Compare & Save up to 85%+
Premium starting from
@ ₹890/year+
Get an expert advise
Wait!!Affordable Cyber protection is just a click away!
Get ₹5 Cr cover starting
@ ₹4.13L/year+
Ransomware
Data breaches
Multimedia liability
Breach costs
Get an expert advise
Suno!Apki dukaan ki suraksha, bas ek step door!
Get ₹50L cover starting
@ ₹3500/year+
Get an expert advise
Just a moment!
1 oversight can result in costly lawsuits
Get ₹1 Cr cover starting
@ ₹2500/year+
Get an expert advise
Can your business afford to rebuild after a fire?
Compare & Save up to _ _%*
Get ₹50 Lakh cover starting
@ Just ₹3,400/year
Repair costs
Fire damages
Replacement costs
Natural disasters
Get an expert advise
Hey! Leaving already?
If you are confused about Liability Insurance,
we can help you out.
Find about coverages, benefits and savings..
Hold on!Before you sail away..Compare plans & save upto
Protect your goods from
Theft or malicious damage
Collision or fire accident
Loss while loading & unloading
Your call has been scheduled successfully.
Expert advice made easy
Date
Time
When do you want a call back?
Today
Tomorrow
20 May
21 May
22 May
23 May
24 May
What will be the suitable time?
11:00am - 12:00pm
12:00pm - 01:00pm
01:00pm - 02:00pm
02:00pm - 03:00pm
03:00pm - 04:00pm
04:00pm - 05:00pm
05:00pm - 06:00pm
Tell us the number you want us to call on
Your privacy matters. We wont spam you
Call scheduled successfully!
Our experts will reach out to you on Today between
2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Expert advice made easy
