In this article, you will learn more about:

• Characteristics of and differences between DoS and DDoS attacks
• DDoS protection and anti-DDoS tools
• Robustness of cloud platforms to DDoS
• Anti-DDoS features of the Open Telekom Cloud

Estimated reading time: 2.5 minutes

DDoS attack can take servers down for hours, during which time web shops and email servers are no longer accessible.

What makes DoS and DDoS attacks so dangerous?

The abbreviation “DoS” stands for “denial of service”, so it is easy to guess what is behind the dreaded DoS attack. The aim of such an attack is to overload a server in such a way that it stops working. The result of this is that web shops are no longer accessible for customers and internal email communication comes to a standstill. The IDG Connect DDoS Survey 2016 establishes that a successful DDoS attack leads to an average downtime of 17 hours, which is an unacceptably long period of time especially for online shops. Such attacks can considerably damage a company’s reputation and cause substantial financial losses. In an DDoS attack, hackers overload the target server by sending faulty IP packets or innumerable requests for individual web pages.

If the attack is coordinated from different computers with different IP addresses, it is called a distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. DDoS attacks are often launched via botnets, i.e. a network of malware-infected computers whose owners are unaware of the infection.

Such an orchestrated attack is difficult to track, making effective DDoS protection much more difficult to achieve than simple DoS protection. In addition, the increasing prevalence of the Internet of Things makes it easier for cybercriminals to carry out such attacks.

Effective DDoS protection – an insurmountable task for in-house IT departments

Firewalls only offer limited protection against DDoS attacks. If the data volume of the attack is large enough, the company’s in-house IT department is usually powerless to deal with the attack, so there is no way to avoid professional DDoS protection. Anti-DDoS tools from specialized providers such as Telekom’s DDoS Defense provide effective help in preventing DDoS attacks and allow appropriate defensive measures to be taken when all else fails. 

Are cloud platforms particularly vulnerable to such attacks? – Deconstructing the myth

There is a persistent rumor that cloud platforms are particularly susceptible to DDoS attacks. However, such allegations are simply in the realm of myths and legends. In contrast to most companies, public cloud providers have the expertise and resources to successfully fend off DDoS attacks – and the Open Telekom Cloud is no exception.

Anti-DDoS: what makes the Open Telekom Cloud so secure?

The Open Telekom Cloud is a prime example of effective DDoS protection. Comprehensive anti-DDoS tools and packages of anti-DDoS measures minimize the harmful effects of a DDoS attack. What is more, the anti-DDoS service is included in the Open Telekom Cloud – a unique selling point among Infrastructure-as-a-Service providers!