In the beginning, attackers built their own botnets by scanning the Internet for vulnerable devices and then compromising them with malware that enabled attackers to remotely control the bots. And by using a botnet, attackers are able to hide their identity because the attack originates from many different systems that all appear to be legitimate. Collectively, these systems provide enough power to carry out massive attacks-far larger than those launched from a single source. In most cases, the owners of these infected computers are not even aware they’ve been compromised.įrom one or more computers designated as the command and control (C&C) server, the attacker sends remote “launch” instructions to the bots.
To get the bandwidth or processing power needed, attackers often use botnets-armies of hundreds or thousands of Internet-connected computers ( zombies or bots) that are infected with malware and under the control of the attacker (the bot master, or bot herder).
The Role of Botnets in DDoS Attacksįrom a single computer, it’s difficult for attackers to generate the volume of traffic necessary to crash a network or website. The legitimate ticket-holders, standing in an orderly line, would never get inside. The effects of a DDoS attack are a bit like having the entrance to a concert venue suddenly swarmed by busloads of troublemakers with counterfeit tickets. The attacker uses one of many available methods and tools to flood the target with a barrage of malicious or nuisance requests, or to abuse a protocol or inherent vulnerability in such a way that the system can no longer respond to requests. Most DDoS attacks are designed to consume all available network bandwidth or resources on a target network, system, or website. DDoS attacks are one of the most effective ways for malicious actors to violate availability, the third of three foundational security principles-confidentiality, integrity, and availability-in what is known as the CIA triad. Whether DoS or DDoS, the result is the same-legitimate users are unable to connect to the resources they are intended to have access to. Distributed attacks are larger, potentially more devastating, and in some cases more difficult for the victim to detect and stop. However, far more common today are distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks, which are launched at a target from multiple sources but coordinated from a central point. The attack typically makes a system slow to respond, or it can disable the system entirely.Īn attack that originates from a single source is called simply a denial-of-service (DoS) attack. What Is a Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack?Īs the name implies, a denial-of-service attack is an attempt by attackers to keep users from accessing a networked system, service, website, application, or other resource.
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