Hackers & DDoS Attacks

A DDoS (or distributed denial of service) attack is an attempt by hackers to make online services unavailable or offline to users. These attacks can temporarily interrupt or suspend the services offered by the hosting server.

Unlike a DoS attack, a DDoS attack comes from numerous compromised devices, generally distributed worldwide.

Types of DDoS Attacks

The three broad types of DDoS attacks include:

Protocol attacks – fragmented packet attacks, SYN floods, Ping of Death, Smurf DDoS, etc. Protocol attacks are measured at PPS (packets per second) and consume intermediate comm recruitment or the server’s resources, like load balancer and firewall.

Volume-based attacks – ICMP floods, UDP floods, and spoofed-packed floods. This attack saturates the bandwidth of the attacked site. Its magnitude is calculated in BPS (bits per second).

Application layer attacks – all low and slow attacks, attacks that target Apache, POST/GET floods, OpenBSD vulnerabilities, etc. These attacks come from innocent and legit-looking requests. However, they crash the web server. Its magnitude is calculated in RPS (requests per second).

Why Do Hackers Launch DDoS Attacks?

DDoS attacks are becoming quite a frequent cyber threat. These attacks have increased in volume and number over the past few years. Another new trend shows that these attacks are for a short duration but with a bigger PPS (packet per second) attack volume.

But why do hackers launch these attacks? What is the motivation behind these attacks?

1. Extortion – hackers use DDoS attacks for ransom purposes. They hack sensitive data and use it to extort money from their victims. This is one of the most common reasons why hackers launch these attacks.

2. Cyber warfare – even government uses these attacks to cripple enemy country’s infrastructure or opposition’s websites.

3. Business clashes – businesses can use DDoS attacks to take down their competitors’ websites or keep them away from participating in important events like Black Friday or Cyber Monday.

4. Ideology doesn’t match – hackers also use DDoS attacks to target websites showcasing ideologies they disagree with.

5. Boredom – believe it or not, boredom is also a motivation behind these attacks. These hackers look for an adrenaline rush from these attacks.

Make sure your systems are protected before it’s too late!