Quick answer: A DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack is overwhelming a website or service with fake traffic from many sources so it can no longer serve real users. The goal is not to steal data but to make it unreachable; this is why it most targets e commerce, banking, gaming and public services. The basis of protection is using layers that distribute and filter traffic instead of relying on a single server: a CDN and DDoS protection service, scalable infrastructure, rate limiting and monitoring that catches the attack early. When a DDoS attack comes, trying to increase server capacity alone is usually not enough; the real solution is a protection layer that filters bad traffic before it reaches your infrastructure. A prepared organization deflects the attack in minutes; an unprepared one stays offline for hours.

Related guide: What Is a DDoS Attack? Types, Symptoms and Enterprise Defenses (In Depth)

One morning your site does not open, but there is no fault; the servers work, the code is solid. The problem is this: your site is so overwhelmed with fake requests that it cannot answer your real customers. This is a DDoS attack, and its goal is not to hack you but to stop you. This article explains what a DDoS attack is, how it works and how to be prepared against it.

What DDoS is and how it works

DDoS stands for distributed denial of service. An attacker uses many compromised devices scattered around the world (a botnet) to send a huge amount of fake traffic to the target site at once. The site is crushed under this traffic and can no longer serve real users. The attack being distributed makes it hard to stop; because the traffic does not come from a single source, simply blocking one IP does not work.

These botnets usually consist of weakly secured devices; compromised cameras, routers and smart home devices. This is why the security of your own devices protects not only you but the internet; we covered this in the smart home device security article.

DDoS types

Type Target How it works
Volume based Bandwidth Fills the line with massive traffic
Protocol based Server resources Exhausts connection tables
Application layer Web application Overwhelms with realistic looking requests

Application layer attacks are the most insidious; because the traffic looks like a real user request it is hard to distinguish and can cause great damage with less traffic.

The basis of protection: layers

There is no single magic solution against DDoS; protection is layered. The most important layer is a DDoS protection service and CDN that filters traffic before it reaches your infrastructure; these catch fake traffic at the edge and let only clean traffic through. The second layer is scalable infrastructure; an architecture that can handle sudden load spikes reduces the attack's impact. The third layer is rate limiting and traffic rules; it automatically cuts excessive requests from a single source. You can assess these protection layers within a penetration test; we covered this approach in the website security service and WAF article.

During and before the attack

The most effective defense against DDoS is to prepare before the attack comes. A DDoS protection service being in place beforehand, monitoring catching the attack early and a response plan being ready is the difference between an outage lasting hours and an incident lasting minutes. When the attack comes, trying to increase server capacity in a panic is usually too late and insufficient. This is why DDoS preparation should be part of a cyber incident response plan.

The KAOS and DSET approach

DSET assesses organizations' DDoS resilience and builds the preparation plan. Our local AI engine KAOS scans an organization's external surface to detect services without DDoS protection, directly exposed origin servers and weak points, and reports every finding with a working proof. The goal is to ensure the organization is not caught unprepared when an attack comes.

Frequently asked questions

Does a DDoS attack steal my data? Usually no. The goal of DDoS is not to steal data but to make the service unreachable. But be careful: sometimes DDoS is used as a distraction to hide another attack. While the team deals with the DDoS, the attacker may try to steal data in the background. This is why it is important to monitor other systems too during a DDoS.

Will making my server bigger solve DDoS? Usually no. Increasing server capacity falls short against a large volume based attack because the attacker can produce almost unlimited traffic. The real solution is a DDoS protection service and CDN layer that filters bad traffic before it reaches your infrastructure. Increasing capacity can help but is not a strategy alone.

I am a small site, will I be a target? You can be. DDoS attacks do not always target big ones; competition, extortion (a ransom threat) or just random attacks can hit small sites too. The good news is that a basic DDoS protection service and CDN is affordable for most small and medium sites and deflects most attacks.

Sources

To assess your organization's DDoS resilience and build the preparation plan, contact DSET. We provide security consulting from our Ankara Hacettepe Teknokent laboratory.