Overview
DDoS attacks are much more powerful and difficult to stop than simple DoS attacks because the traffic comes from thousands or even millions of compromised devices (a botnet). This makes it impossible to stop the attack by simply blocking a single IP address.
Common DDoS Techniques
- Volumetric Attacks: Overwhelming the target's bandwidth.
- Protocol Attacks: Exploiting weaknesses in network protocols (e.g., SYN floods).
- Application Layer Attacks: Targeting specific features of a website or API (e.g., HTTP floods).
Mitigation
- CDN Services: Distributing traffic across a global network.
- DDoS Mitigation Services: Using specialized hardware and software to scrub malicious traffic.
- Anycast Routing: Spreading traffic across multiple servers.