DDoS Attacks pose a serious threat to your business’ website and they’re increasingly common. While we often hear about these attacks on larger companies, attackers often target small businesses with them too.

Yet what are DDoS attacks? Can you prevent them? Will they cause your business material harm?

The good news is that they are preventable. We’ve shown you how to detect malware in an email, in this guide, we’ll show you how to stop DDoS attacks and protect your business and its cashflow.

Ready to find out more and make your business more secure? Then keep reading!

What is a DDoS Attack?

DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. In essence, a DDoS attack attempts to use sheer weight of numbers to deny your website to others.

A huge number of enslaved machines corraled into something called a botnet, all attempt to visit your website at once. This weight of traffic brings your site down which means that other users can’t access it.

The worst part is that a DDoS attack can last for days. One of the largest botnets in history, the Srizbi botnet, had 300,000 computers in its ranks. That’s a lot of traffic that hackers can bring to bear on one site.

How Can You Defend Yourself Against a DDoS Attack?

Are you wondering how to stop DDoS attacks? There’s no 100 percent foolproof way to stop them but there are ways to make it easier on yourself and your website. Let’s take a closer look.

Using a Web Application Firewall

A web application firewall (WAF) can help to stop a botnet’s traffic reaching your website. These sit in front of your web server and can be customized to your business’ needs.

For instance, do you only trade in the US and Canada? Then you can block all traffic that isn’t from one of these two countries. As a lot of botnets use machines from other parts of the world, this rule alone could help protect your business.

Defend Yourself With the Cloud

The cloud offers a robust defense solution to DDoS attacks. There’s far more bandwidth available for one, which means your DDoS mitigation measures are less likely to be overwhelmed.

These cloud-based mitigation methods can stop DDoS traffic in its tracks. This means it won’t ever reach your server. These services are also maintained by professionals who know how to counter DDoS tactics.

Have a Plan In Place

Your business needs to have a contingency plan for DDoS attacks. Consider who you will escalate the problem to, who will be in the response team, and who you need to contact if you come under attack.

How to Stop DDoS Attacks: We Can Help

Learning how to stop DDoS attacks can seem difficult but we’re here to help you. We’re experts in digital security and web hosting so know how to defend your website against attackers.

For more information about our services, please get in contact with us.