Mitigating a DDoS attack

The DDoS mitigation is a process of protecting the targeted network from the anticipated DDoS attack. A special purpose network equipment or an alternative cloud-based security measures are used for protecting the networks from attackers. Typically, a DDoS mitigation process consists of 4 steps:

  1. The detection of possible traffic flow anomalies that may indicate the upcoming DDoS attack.
  2. The suspicious traffic is then diverted to an alternative route or completely blocked by the host network.
  3. The traffic is filtered by utilizing different patterns which sort out the legitimate and illegitimate traffic.
  4. The security logs are thoroughly analyzed to identify the offenders and to improve the network’s security.

Factors to consider when choosing a DDoS mitigation service

Besides using the methods of traffic diversion, there are several other factors that can be considered for DDoS mitigation. You can choose a cloud-based DDoS mitigation service provider by keeping in mind the following parameters:

  • Scalability – An effective solution should be enough scalable to adapt to the growing needs of your business and the increasing potential of DDoS attacks. A DDoS attack is sometimes larger than the 1 Terabyte per second. So, only a scalable solution is good enough to handle these kinds of threats.
  • Flexibility – A solution should be flexible to cater to the ad hoc patterns and policies to allow a web network to anticipate and adapt the upcoming real-time DDoS attack. The ability to implement page rules and apply those changes across the entire website is a crucial feature in keeping a site functional during an attack.
  • Reliability – The reliability of a solution is very crucial because it needs to be functional at the time of the attack. Consider the high time rates of the service before choosing it and proper resources are allocated to maintain the service system. The redundancy management and expansive data centers network are crucial factors of a good solution strategy.
  • Network size – The DDoS attack occurs with different protocols and the attacking vectors change with the time. So, when a service provider has an expansive data network, it can efficiently analyze the attacks and respond to them before they actually take place.

Pricing and SLA

The DDoS mitigation services have two types of pricing strategies: monthly basis and pay-as-you-go. The pay-as-you-go depends on the cumulative attack bandwidth or the total number of hours under attack. The flat monthly fee is more preferable for long-term agreements because your system might be under attack for a few days as well so the pay-as-you-go strategy can cost you so much.

The Service Level Agreement is also an important factor while choosing the appropriate solution against a DDoS attack. Consider the following factors before proceeding:

  • Uptime guarantee – Always choose the one with a 99.999% uptime guarantee.
  • Protection levels – The SLA should describe the types, size, and duration of attacks against which it provides protection.
  • Support service level – The SLA should also describe the provider’s response times for resolving support issues based on the problem’s severity levels.