A DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service) is a type of cyberattack in which multiple devices or systems, often infected with malware and remotely controlled, send a large amount of traffic to a server, network, or online service. The goal of this attack is to overload the target resource (such as a website or application) to make it inaccessible to legitimate users.

The general process of a DDoS attack includes:

• Preparation: The attackers infect a large number of devices (computers, phones, IoT, etc.) with malware, turning them into a network of "bots" or "botnet."
• Coordinated Attack: The attackers direct this botnet to send simultaneous and massive requests toward the target.
• Service Disruption: The server or network becomes saturated, preventing legitimate users from accessing the resource.

There are several types of DDoS attacks:

• Volume Attacks (which saturate bandwidth)
• Protocol Attacks (which exploit weaknesses in network protocols)
• Application Layer Attacks (which abuse specific functions of an application)

DDoS attacks are difficult to stop, as they come from multiple sources and often require advanced mitigation measures to filter out malicious traffic and keep the service running.

How to Defend Against DDoS Attacks:

• DDoS Mitigation Services: Specialized providers, such as Cloudflare, detect unusual traffic and filter malicious requests before they reach your server.
• Load Balancers: Load balancers distribute traffic across multiple servers, helping to prevent a single server from becoming overloaded. They can also redirect traffic to less saturated data centers.
• CDN (Content Delivery Network): CDNs distribute content across multiple locations around the world. This not only improves performance but also helps mitigate DDoS attacks.
• Firewalls and Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS): Advanced firewalls and IDS can identify malicious traffic patterns and block them.
• Rate Limiting: Setting up rate limiting prevents a single IP from sending too many requests in a short period.
• Anycast: This technique uses multiple network locations to "scatter" the DDoS traffic, redirecting requests to the nearest servers.
• Continuous Monitoring: Set up monitoring systems to analyze network traffic in real time.
• Training and Response Drills: DDoS attack simulation drills can help teams prepare to respond quickly to an attack.