Best DDoS Protection Solutions

A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is a cyberattack where multiple compromised computers or devices flood a target server, network, or website with an overwhelming volume of traffic. The aim is to disrupt the normal functioning of the target, making it slow, unresponsive, or entirely inaccessible to legitimate users.

In a DDoS attack, hackers often use a network of infected devices, known as a botnet, to generate massive amounts of traffic, such as connection requests, data packets, or queries, to overwhelm the target. The goal is typically to cause downtime, damage reputation, or financial loss for the targeted organization.

DDoS protection solutions help prevent and mitigate DDoS attacks before and as they happen, ensuring no service interruptions. 

DDoS protection and mitigation solutions work by identifying and filtering out malicious traffic before it overwhelms the target server, network, or application. 

These solutions continuously monitor incoming traffic, comparing it against normal patterns and historical baselines. When abnormal spikes are detected, they activate automated measures like rate limiting, traffic filtering, and rerouting to maintain service availability. They often use machine learning (ML)  algorithms to improve detection accuracy, quickly distinguishing between legitimate traffic and potential threats.

These measures are orchestrated to ensure consistent availability of online services, even in the face of volumetric, application-layer, or protocol-based DDoS attacks.

Because of the scale and sophistication of modern DDoS attacks, many organizations use a comprehensive DDoS service that includes appliance-based and cloud-based components. These services are often backed by a 24/7 response team that helps mitigate an attack as it happens.

The following are the common techniques employed by DDoS protection solutions to prevent and mitigate DDoS attacks:

• Traffic analysis and anomaly detection: DDoS software analyzes incoming traffic in real time, identifying unusual patterns that indicate potential DDoS attacks. 
• Rate limiting: This technique limits the number of requests sent to a server within a given timeframe, preventing overwhelming traffic volumes.
• Traffic scrubbing centers: Suspicious traffic is redirected to scrubbing centers, where it is filtered and cleaned before being forwarded to the intended destination.
• Geo-blocking: This method Blocks or restricts traffic from specific geographic locations known for launching frequent DDoS attacks.
• Blackholing: Blackholing redirects all incoming traffic, both legitimate and malicious, to a “black hole” during severe attacks to prevent damage.
• Load balancing: This DDoS defense method distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers within the network, preventing any single server from being overwhelmed.
• Clean pipe method: This technique routes all incoming traffic through a decontamination pipeline that identifies and separates malicious traffic from legitimate traffic. It blocks malicious requests while allowing legitimate users to access the website or service.
• Content delivery network (CDN): CDNs use distributed networks of servers to deliver content from locations closest to users. Their large bandwidth and global presence make them effective at absorbing DDoS attacks at the network (L3) and transport (L4) layers, diverting traffic away from the origin server.
• TCP/UDP proxy protection: TCP/UDP proxy protection functions similarly to CDNs but is designed for services using transmission control protocol (TCP) or user datagram protocol (UDP), such as email and gaming platforms. It intercepts and filters malicious TCP/UDP traffic, protecting protocol-specific services from disruption.