5 Common Signs of a DDoS Attack

For many users, access to these websites wasn’t possible during the attack.

The fact is DDoS attacks are all too common. And not all of them are publicly disclosed. Only in the first half of 2023, there were 7.9 million of these attacks in the world.

They’re also inexpensive to order on the dark web.

This case is one of many DDoS attack incidents that happened this year.

DDoS attacks target more than just websites. They can take down entire networks.

What Is a DDoS Attack?

Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) is a cyber attack that floods a network or a website with traffic. As a result, the service either goes offline or is painfully slow because it gets more requests than it can handle.

It relies on botnets (devices controlled by a hacker) whose power is used to send large volumes of traffic to the victim’s server. These could include hijacked PCs, IoT devices, or mobile phones all over the world.

Today, DDoS attacks are even available as a service. Criminals can pay hackers to “DDoS” someone or purchase their own botnet on the dark web (if they’re more skilled).

Let’s dive into how the attack looks from the victim’s perspective.

#1 Unexpected Traffic Spikes

Do customers find your website is loading longer than other sites they visit? Or maybe they’re unable to reach it at all? Unexpected flood of traffic is the first sign of a DDoS attack.

Because of a high number of requests that your servers can’t process, a surge of traffic causes the site to either slow down or crash completely.

Traffic patterns also matter. Consider this:

• Is it coming from multiple IP addresses?
• Are the visitors coming at the same time every day?
• Are visitors coming from countries that don’t usually visit your site?
• Is the traffic focused on one specific port or site?

You can check these patterns in your site’s Google Analytics.

#2 Multiple 500 Errors

HTTP 500 errors tell you that something is not right at the server end. It might be overwhelmed and can’t handle the requests.

There are many server errors in this category. Some can point to other issues than security (e.g. misconfigurations or programming errors). However, a sudden surge of them can suggest a possible cyber incident.

Pay attention to the codes 500 and 503 if you suspect a DDoS attack.

For example, the 503 error you get could indicate that the server is overwhelmed with traffic due to a DDoS exploit.

A 500 code is a generic message that tells you something is wrong with the server. There is an unknown reason why it can’t handle requests.

#3 Multiple Login Attempts

One tactic to overwhelm the server of a website is to try to log into the website multiple times.

As the hacker uses a brute force attack to guess user credentials, you get a notification that there have been multiple failed login attempts.

Many use this tactic to distract the website owner and simultaneously target other vulnerable parts of the website with a DDoS.

#4 Warning Alerts

If you’re a company, you have security tools to protect you from common cyber attacks such as DDoS and different types of malware.

In case the number of requests is unusually high, your automated security tools might not be able to block all the malicious traffic.

They will send out alerts for your security team to deal with the issues automated tools can’t handle themselves.

There are also security tools specialized in the discovery and mitigation of DDoS incidents.

#5 Attackers Confirm That You’re Under DDoS

Some DDoS attacks are built to slow down a website and cause customers to leave their shopping cards due to frustration. Others are in it for a quick buck.

The motivation behind the attack makes all the difference.

In the first case, DDoS attacks might be happening for months without you realizing. This is common with competitors.

In the second, you’ll know about the attack right away because the hacker wants to cash in as soon as possible and move on to another target. It’s not personal.

DDoS attacks are often combined with other cyber attacks — such as ransomware. Threat actors might use DDoS to put additional pressure on the company to pay the ransom.

In other cases, bad actors might use DDoS to conceal the attempts of a data breach. Even news sites have a lot of people who sign up to access the articles and, with it, collect a large amount of user data.

A DDoS Attack Is A Difficult One To Weed Out

A DDoS attack is a cyber threat that has been looming over businesses for decades.

They are common and on the rise because it’s inexpensive to buy botnets on the dark web. Also, they’re available as a service, so even people with no technical skills can order DDoS exploits.

DDoS attacks are difficult to eradicate completely because they're continually evolving, continuously coming back with the possibility of sending a larger number of requests.

Many businesses still lack adequate security solutions that can help them identify and mitigate DDoS incidents before the hacker crashes their online services.

What can you do to prepare for a possible DDoS attack?

Have a layered stack of security tools. Then, manage and strengthen your cybersecurity posture and be ready for future attacks — even if you’ve already been the victim of this type of cyber attack.

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