Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attacks are one of the top four cybersecurity threats to organizations nowadays, along with social engineering, ransomware, and supply chain attacks. Most organizations run part of their operation online — either a website or an internal database that is essential for day-to-day operations. DDoS attacks are designed to effectively cripple those critical operations. Modern hackers favor DDoS attacks because they are efficient, and there are plenty of available resources that can be used to wage an attack.
No matter the size and scope of your organization, you need to be prepared to detect, prevent and mitigate DDoS attacks at any given time with a policy-based approach. Moreover, you need your top staff to be aware of the possibility of such an attack and act accordingly if one occurs. Today’s attackers have the power to take down tech giants like Google or Amazon. Smaller organizations are also targets. This makes them a threat that no one can afford to ignore.
Let’s look at what DDoS attacks are and how they work. I’ll also give you some steps for properly training your managers and senior staff to effectively combat this threat.
What Is a DDoS Attack?
DDoS attacks attempt to overwhelm a target network or server, resulting in the interruption of one or more of your organization’s vital services. Sometimes, the attack can involve attempts to flood a victim network or server with false traffic. This is called a volumetric attack. In most cases, however, DDoS traffic involves a relatively small number of malformed packets that can cause a server (e.g., a web server), or a vital network resource (e.g., a router, switch or load balancer) to stop working properly. These are known as application-layer and network-layer attacks.
In many cases, hackers use large networks of hijacked devices (known as botnets) in order to generate various types of DDoS attacks. The attacked network or server tries to process each of the bogus requests because they appear to be legitimate. Even if the network has significant bandwidth, it soon becomes overloaded and stops being able to accept legitimate requests.
While DDoS attacks have been around for decades, the number of network devices that can be easily manipulated into unwittingly generating attacks has increased – and so has the coordinated efforts of hacker groups. These two factors make DDoS attacks more dangerous than ever. This is because most DDoS attacks take advantage of expected network and server behavior. On top of that, the proliferation of IoT (internet of things) devices helps with the creation of massive botnets that can generate terabytes of fake traffic.
How to Train Managers to Respond to DDoS Attacks
Detecting and preventing DDoS attacks is not a trivial activity. No single software or hardware solution can make your organization impervious to them. What you need is a combination of adequate cybersecurity protection and trained personnel who know how to react should an attack happen. Of course, the response should be policy-based, and come from the top. It is then essential for you to gather your managers and teach them all there is to know about DDoS and its consequences.
Everything starts with an incident response policy, which is part of your overall security policy. This written document should contain all of the necessary organizational and technical measures to thwart and manage DDoS attacks.
Once you have created your policy, you will find the topics you need to cover while training your managers about DDoS. Training is essential because it helps make your DDoS plan part of an organization’s muscle memory. The goal is for them to be aware of the constant threat and be prepared to act immediately.
1. Prepare a DDoS Response Plan
All training will be for nothing unless you come up with a comprehensive, policy-based DDoS response plan. Together with your managers, identify the weakest elements of your operation and decide what can be improved. Next, you will need an action plan that will be followed as soon as a DDoS attack is detected. Make sure hierarchical roles are in place, along with an escalation procedure. Clearly define the roles each of your managers has when it comes to DDoS activity and its mitigation.
2. Introduce the Concepts
Depending on the industry you are in, your non-technical management staff may not have even heard of DDoS attacks. Even technical staff may have several misconceptions about the nature of a DDoS attack. Explain in detail what this type of hack involves and why hackers prefer to use it so often. Define the elements of your business that are most vulnerable to DDoS attacks and why your business might be targeted by one. Do not be afraid to go technical and be as detailed as possible. Understanding exactly how DDoS attacks work is key to successful prevention.
3. Use Real-Life Examples
There are plenty of examples of both large and small companies becoming victims of DDoS activity. Showcasing a few of them to your managers will help them understand why DDoS can be an existential threat to a business. It’s even better if you can find an example that involves a business similar to yours. Here are some of the biggest and most consequential DDoS attacks in history:
- Amazon Web Services, 2020
- Dyn, 2016
- Bank of America, JPMorgan Chase, U.S. Bank and more, 2012
- Google, 2017
In many cases, I’ve seen organization leaders talk with leaders of other, similar, organizations to find applied examples.
4. Demonstrate What a DDoS Attack Looks Like
Next, you need to showcase what a DDoS attack looks like. This is key to helping your managers detect them on time. Find some examples of website traffic spikes and other signs that a server is under attack. For non-technical workers, discuss what an attack might look like from their perspective. For technical workers, download and present some logs that show the activity and how the server stops working as a result.
5. Teach Prevention and Mitigation Measures
Now that you have laid the groundwork, it’s time to start introducing prevention and mitigation methods for DDoS attacks. As we already said, there is no single solution that can take care of the problem. But there are some steps you can look into when it comes to DDoS protection.
- Installing or upgrading the operations of a web application firewall (WAF). This device may be either cloud-based, installed or both
- Upgrading your server infrastructure
- Buying more bandwidth that can upgrade automatically when necessary
- Implementing a redundancy-based server infrastructure
- Investing in traffic monitoring and routing solutions
- Working with third-party, cloud-based traffic scrubbing services
DDoS attacks have the potential to cripple your business. Data shows that DDoS activity is at an all-time high and IT professionals say that it will get even worse in the future. Every business is a potential target and might suffer serious consequences if it is underprepared. Training your managers and implementing a thorough DDoS response plan is key to making sure your company does not become a victim of this type of cyberattack.
