Advanced DDoS Attack Techniques
Advanced DDoS Attack Techniques refer to sophisticated methods cybercriminals use to launch large-scale, targeted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
What are Advanced DDoS Attack Techniques?
Advanced DDoS attacks go beyond basic volumetric attacks, leveraging techniques to evade detection and maximize impact, including:
- Multi-vector attacks that, for example, might include UDP flood, UDP fragmentation, DNS reflection, and ACK-PUSH flood in combination.
- AI-driven attack automation to evolve botnet techniques in real time from short, high-intensity assaults, to attacks that last for hours.
- Advanced Domain Name Server (DNS) DDoS attacks that target websites indirectly by flooding DNS servers and incorporate novel techniques to make this attack type even more difficult to detect and prevent.
Examples of Advanced DDoS Attack Techniques
Some of the most famous DDoS attacks have leveraged advanced DDoS attack techniques. Digging deeper into the evolution of DNS DDoS attacks provides additional insight into advanced attack techniques.
Randomizing attack patterns: DNS-based DDoS attacks are easier to detect when mitigation systems can identify attack patterns. However, threat actors are now randomizing DNS DDoS attacks so that there is no discernible pattern. Traditional, mitigation systems have difficulty detecting a pattern and blocking these attacks.
Attack laundering: DNS-based DDoS attacks can also be “laundered.” In this scenario, the attacker sends a flood of DNS queries to numerous reputable recursive DNS servers simultaneously. These servers forward the queries to the Authoritative DNS server which proceeds to respond to all requests since they appear to be valid. The volume of laundered requests exhausts network resources to the point where the DNS infrastructure goes offline and takes the targeted organization’s website down with it.
How to Detect and Mitigate Advanced DDoS Attacks
Tools such as traffic analysis, behavioral detection, and anomaly monitoring can help organizations detect advanced DDoS threats.
However, to stop attacks before damage is done, use an advanced DDoS protection that monitors the network for suspicious activity while using multi-site resiliency and intelligent traffic management to keep legitimate traffic flowing. When coupled with AI-assisted threat intelligence, it can continually learn from new data and adapt in real time to stay ahead of emerging threats, counter evolving methods, and keep defenses sharp against follow-on malicious activity and threats to your operations.
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It’s important to stay vigilant against the ever-present and evolving threat of advanced DDoS attacks. Visit our threat intelligence research center for more information on DDoS defense in depth.
