By Dan Rowinski / July 4, 2011 7:01 AM / 4 Comments
The most well-known trick criminal hackers have in their bag is the distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack. To create a DDoS attack, hackers use a botnet to send mass amounts of traffic at a website server, bringing the site down. Recent attacks targeted CIA's public website, Wordpress and credit card companies. The "hacks" make big news and it seems like almost every other day another large commercial website is taken down.
The most important thing to known about a DDos attack is that it is really not a hack at all. The purpose of DDoS attacks are not to steal information but rather to prove a point. "We control massive botnets and can make life very difficult for you" is the message that hackers are sending. A DDoS is what many would call a "dumb" attack because it is sheer force, a giant hammer aimed at a Web server. Yet, large-scale dumb attacks are often the most difficult to stop. What can companies do to protect themselves against a DDoS attack on their doorstep?
