Business safety and online security is a major issue nowadays, due to the significant number of ways and methods hackers and attackers can penetrate our systems. Securing data and maintaining a regular flow of work online is something many businesses struggle with. Naturally, there are ways we can protect our business, but specific types of attacks require specific security systems and measures of precaution.
DDoS attacks are among the most common and potentially hazardous types of attacks that businesses today face. However, there are effective ways you can defend your business against them and not allow any damage to be made to your reputation, work, and team. To help you defend your business from DDoS attacks, we've prepared this detailed guide with the 8 best ways to handle it.
Let's break it down.
A distributed denial-of-service attack or a DDoS attack is a cyber-attack that attempts to disrupt the traffic flow of the target by overwhelming it with a flood of malicious internet traffic. This way, the attacker gets to stop a website, server, or entire network from working.
Simply put, a DDoS attack will:
This can cause serious issues and damage to your business, whether you’re a target or one of the bots they’re using.
A DDoS attack is carried out using a number of bots, which are computers, smartphones, and IoT devices that have been affected by malware. Here's what the attacker does:
Your business can easily become that target unless you take our advice and protect it in every way possible.
As you may have guessed, there’s more than one way of defending your business against a DDoS attack. We’ve made a selection of the 8 best ways for you to do it.
It may sound trivial or funny to you, but basic security measures are super-important in the defense against any kind of attack, including DDoS. If you and all of your employees aren’t taking care of business security, you won’t be able to protect it.
These basic measures include:
Basic security hygiene goes a long way, so make sure you’ve got that covered first.
Your business security doesn’t only depend on your security systems and malware protection. It also relies on your own responsibility and that of your employees.
Being educated on the nature and danger of DDoS attacks will help the entire team contribute to preventing the attacks from happening. This is why you should invest in educating your team about:
You can do so by organizing training and workshops, or inviting experts to hold seminars. You should constantly reinforce company security policy and remind everyone in the team that their role is significant and valuable.
Naturally, you shouldn’t stop there. Inspire your team to work on any other skills they might need, and give them a chance to progress. Teach them about resources and tools, for instance, how to order math problem solved online or provide mentors for specific fields of expertise.
Another way you can prevent a DDoS attack is to regularly control the bandwidth or the maximum data transfer rate of your network. This will help you notice anomalies and changes that will signal to you that there’s something wrong.
You can set up visual representations of your bandwidth, and track the changes in real-time. This will allow you to see if you're about to be attacked.
Your network security needs to be strengthened in every way possible. You need to have different tools, tactics, and safety measures activated to ensure a DDoS attack can’t happen that easily.
Primarily, make sure that you’re:
- using a safe and trustworthy VPN
- having a combination of the latest firewalls
- using anti-spam systems
- practicing infrastructure patching
- using professional web hosting
Good network security is one of the best ways to prevent DDoS attacks.
Cybersecurity is a changing and dynamic field, in which you need to make sure your systems are up-to-date, and ready to take on any kind of attack, including DDoS.
This is why you should do regular cybersecurity testing and continually check whether your systems are well-protected or not. Here's what we suggest:
You can even invite security experts to check your systems and simulate the attacks, making sure there are no weak spots in your strategy. But remember- one test won’t do the trick. Turn this into a routine to avoid having outdated security systems.
To further protect your business, you can explore cloud-based protection systems that can prevent DDoS attacks.
They work by recognizing and absorbing malicious traffic, preventing it from jamming your systems, and making the DDoS attack successful. Explore different cloud-based options to see which suits your business needs best.
Most of them offer:
It's a great option for businesses who simply want to outsource cybersecurity and allow professionals to handle their business’ online security.
If a DDoS attack still happens to you, you need to be prepared. The damage can be minimized if you have a protocol to follow and people ready to take action. Here’s what you need to have lined up:
If you're prepared for the attack, you'll be able to make it less impactful and potentially hazardous for your business.
Using a virtual private network (VPN) is also an effective way to avoid a DDoS attack. It allows you to hide your IP address and create a secure, encrypted connection to the internet.
When you connect to a VPN, all of your traffic is routed via the network's server, masking the websites you visit and adding an extra layer of security. The majority of VPN services are capable of protecting private individuals as well as small and medium-sized enterprises against cyberattacks. However, DDoS protection isn't included with every VPN service, so be sure the software you're using has the necessary feature to fend off any attacks.
TrustZone supports DDoS protection for all VPN servers, ensuring that all of your content transfers, personal information, and chats are safe.
A DDoS attack is something that can happen to anyone. Assuming your business is not a potential target is not a good idea, no matter how small you think you are. Therefore, make sure your security level is at maximum and do everything you can to avoid DDoS attacks.
The 8 ways to defend your business against DDoS attacks will help you set up a winning strategy and keep your business safe.
Author’s Bio
Jessica Fender is a copywriter and blogger at EssaySupply with a background in marketing and sales. She enjoys sharing her experience with like-minded professionals who aim to provide customers with high-quality services.
