DDoS and Get Interactive's Measures

The abbreviation DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. In a DDoS attack, a large number of computers, often from different locations around the world, connect to a single server. However, this server can only process a limited number of requests at once. Similar to a traffic jam on the highway, the enormous amount of traffic causes the server to be much slower than normal or even become unusable for the user.

By the way, DDoS has nothing to do with the predecessor of Windows 95; MS-DOS (Microsoft Disk Operating System).

In a DDoS attack, hackers flood a server with a lot of web traffic. Sometimes they do this by collaborating in large groups, but more often they use botnets. A botnet is a network of infected computers that can be used by a hacker.

This collection of software robots, sometimes even millions, can then operate automatically and independently. Usually, the owners of such computers don't even know that their computer is part of a botnet, and this happened at an earlier moment through a malware infection. In this way, even a single hacker can be capable of taking down entire IT infrastructures. Botnets are also used, for example, to send large amounts of spam.

DDoS attacks are therefore terribly annoying for the affected party. In addition to businesses and websites, DDoS attacks are also sometimes used to disable opponents during online gaming. This may seem harmless, but any form of DDoS is punishable by law. Police investigations worldwide have led to multiple arrests of criminals.

But why are they still carried out so often? Nowadays, someone can "order" a DDoS attack online by renting a botnet for just a few euros to carry out an attack. The most common reasons hackers perform a DDoS are extortion and blackmail. They threaten to take a website down (and thus miss out on revenue) if the victim doesn't pay.

This can be an online store, but online services like Netflix, Facebook, or Xbox Live have also been victims of a DDoS attack. Because a large number of users want to use such services, the pressure on the affected company is high to solve the problem as quickly as possible, a position hackers eagerly try to exploit.

Besides making money, a DDoS attack is also carried out when hackers disagree with a company's business practices or a political party's views. A DDoS attack can be used in such cases to damage the reputation of a site or party by making it appear unreliable. This has often happened with online stores and banks, but also, for example, with online casinos or the website of the British Labour party.

DDoS attacks can never be completely prevented, but they can be quickly neutralized by blocking IP addresses/ranges or even complete regions.

At Get Interactive, we use a very large and reliable Cloudflare network to protect our clients against DDoS attacks, also known as DDoS mitigation. Cloudflare provides comprehensive protection against DDoS attacks for websites, applications, and networks with security measures such as a built-in DDoS blocker and DNSSEC, combined with very fast response times.

In addition to Cloudflare, we also deploy other measures to protect your website. Think of a virus scanner, security scans, and a Firewall. All these components make your website safer and make things much harder for malicious actors.

Do you have questions about the security of your website? We're happy to assist you!