It’s no surprise that DDoS attacks are becoming more powerful, more sophisticated, and more frequent. Anyone can download an exploit kit from the internet and effectively carry out a DDoS attack, highlighting that the barriers to entry for carrying out such an assault are minimal. Those that rely on traditional IT security infrastructure as a means for DDoS defence or resort to cloud-based anti-DDoS solutions will be unprepared or, in the very least, slow to defend themselves properly.
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In 2015, this will continue to be the norm. Organisations therefore need to brace themselves to effectively identify and mitigate the risk of DDoS attacks so that the overall mission of the business is sustained. As we approach the New Year, it is imperative to understand the DDoS attack landscape in order to be well prepared.
#1 The DDoS Impact – Everyone is Vulnerable
In 2015, organisations must take notice of the DDoS threat and understand the repercussions. Protection must begin before the attack has been successful; waiting until an attack has occurred to implement security measures defeats the purpose. Without real-time protection against these evolving threats, companies are vulnerable to DDoS attacks and subsequent data breaches.
#2 The Evolving (and scary) Threat Landscape
If history is any indication, attackers will continue to innovate and capitalise on the weaknesses of legacy firewall defense techniques. Many equate DDoS with only one type of attack vector – volumetric. It is not surprising, as these high bandwidth attacks seem to frequent the headlines most often.
Recently, Corero Network Security has identified a change in the way attackers are using DDoS as a mechanism to target Enterprises, Hosting Providers and Internet ISP’s. Not only are they using brute force multi-vector DDoS attacks, but they have started to implement more adaptive methods to profile the nature of the target network’s security defenses, allowing them to subsequently execute a second or third attack designed to circumvent the layered protection the Enterprise or Service Provider has in place.
#3 The Need for Comprehensive Visibility and Protection for Empowering Security Teams
As the threat landscape evolves, so does the role of the security team. Obtaining clear visibility into the attacks transiting the network is rapidly becoming a priority for network security professionals. Businesses are now realising the importance of utilising powerful analytics to gain comprehensive visibility into the DDoS attacks and cyber threats targeting their Internet-facing services.
#4 Emerging Methodologies for Comprehensive DDoS Protection
The dilemma facing many organisations when it comes to implementing an effective DDoS defence strategy is whether to deploy on-premises DDoS appliances or subscribe to a cloud based anti-DDoS provider.
With an on-demand Cloud DDoS defence service that sits out-of-band, human intervention plays a key factor. When an attack is detected, a security analyst must make the decision to enable the cut-over to the Cloud anti-DDoS provider, a process that can take more than an hour to complete. By the time, your on-demand defences are in place, the attack has subsided and the damage is done.
An on-premises first line of defence approach prevents network and service outages due to DDoS attacks by blocking attacks in real time while allowing the good traffic to flow uninterrupted. On-premises DDoS defence also enables comprehensive visibility for actionable security intelligence.
The hybrid approach to DDoS protection is a new tactic providing organisations the best of both worlds. It combines the resiliency and scale of cloud-based solutions with the real-time protection, visibility, and the granular traffic inspection of on-premises solutions. The hybrid approach is a true first line of defense against the evolving DDoS threat landscape.
About Corero Network Security
Corero Network Security is dedicated to improving the security of the Internet through the deployment of its innovative First Line of Defense® solutions. Corero products and services provide our customers with protection against a continuously evolving spectrum of DDoS attacks and cyber threats that have the potential to impact any Internet connected business. Corero provides the opportunity to enhance defense-in-depth security architectures with an important additional layer of security capable of inspecting traffic arriving from the Internet in real time and applying access policies designed to match the needs of the business.
The opinions expressed in this post belong to the individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the views of Information Security Buzz.