Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) is one of the most commonly faced threats by modern-day organizations. The purpose of a DDoS attack is usually to slow down any online service or product that a business may be offering. These attacks are sent by cybercriminals who then ask for a ransom in exchange to stop the attack. In worst-case scenarios, DDoS attacks can also be used as a smokescreen to compromise a company’s security.
However, with very little awareness of DDoS attacks, most organizations can’t figure out if they are currently under attack. As a result, they keep on diagnosing the problem and waste their time and resources. When a company is under attack, there are various noticeable signs that you can pay attention to.
Are you concerned if your company currently has an ongoing DDoS attack? Then, you are on the right page, this article will throw light on top signs of an ongoing DDoS attack.
5 Signs You Are Under a DDoS Attack
DDoS attack is basically overloading a company’s network with thousands of requests or visits. As a result, the targeted server receives thousands of requests within milliseconds causing it to become sluggish. This can lead to signs such as poor website performance hosted on the server, errors and timeouts, sudden increase in server usage, etc. In this article, you will learn more about these signs to identify a DDoS attack in your organization.
Here are 5 signs that show you are currently under a DDoS attack.
Sudden Increase in Server Usage
Every request or website visit uses server resources like RAM, CPU, and bandwidth. Now when your server is being attacked with DDoS, you will notice that there is a sudden increase in server usage. The differentiating factor between normal server usage and abnormal is if the incoming traffic is real users it won’t cause a sudden increase.
A DDoS attack uses bots and devices to send requests on your server which can quickly increase its usage. Therefore, if you are currently experiencing something similar then it’s most probably a DDoS attack. Considering this, business owners opt for managed security services which offer a powerful solution to safeguard your company from DDoS attacks.
Abnormal Incoming Traffic
This one is specifically for those who are looking for signs of DDoS attacks on their website. DDoS attacks can send abnormal traffic to any website to make the website slow or inaccessible to its legitimate audience. This is because when the traffic exceeds your website capabilities it won’t be able to accommodate any more visitors.
Also, if you are not running any promotional offers that can cause traffic spikes then it’s a sign of DDoS. You can make use of monitoring tools on your website to check. If there is no increase or decrease in the traffic then it’s most likely a DDoS attack.
Sluggish Website Experience
Every website owner has an idea about their site speed and overall browsing experience. Even during peak hours, they can still identify if the website has normal traffic or abnormal. When your website is currently under a DDoS attack you will notice the loading time is increased on all pages.
Whether it’s your home page, blog, or products page, all of your website sections will be equally slow. This shows that the attacker is flooding your server with thousands of requests which is overloading your entire system.
Timeouts and Errors
Site owners think that errors and timeouts are related to the server, but they can also be caused by DDoS. This usually happens when your server is responding to so many requests and it can’t handle anymore. As a result, it can lead to errors that may seem technical like HTTP 503 or unavailable error codes.
You will also notice timeouts or find your website completely inaccessible without any reason, then it’s a DDoS sign. If you are currently noticing this or have experienced it in the past, then you should consider DDoS protection solutions.
Affected Performance of All Services
If you are running multiple services on a single server, then you can identify a DDoS attack more easily. Whether it’s your cloud application, email hosting, website, or any other service, DDoS can affect all these. Therefore, if you notice sudden changes in the performance of all your services, then it’s a sign of DDoS.
Relying on traditional DDoS mitigation tools won’t be able to protect you from powerful attacks. This is why you need a modern-day DDoS protection service to keep such attacks at bay. For this, you can acquire DDoS protection solutions provided by managed security services to prevent attacks from affecting your business.
Are You Concerned About DDoS Attacks?
DDoS attacks can’t be prevented completely with old-school and outdated methods. You can count on cybersecurity experts to get a powerful DDoS protection solution. Contact professionals now and acquire reliable protection for your business.
