December 24, 2024
Within the domain of cyber defense, the prevalence of DDoS protection solutions among organizations is undeniable. Yet, amidst this shielded landscape, a fundamental question arises: "Is your current solution equipped to defend against every type of DDoS attack?" While many boast protection, the stark reality remains that not all mitigation solutions are created equal. The intricacies of complex and advanced threats such as Carpet Bombing and SYN-ACK attacks demand specialized capabilities that elude the grasp of many conventional defenses.
Understanding the three main categories of DDoS attacks is crucial for formulating robust defense strategies against such threats. Tailored approaches are imperative for effectively mitigating each type of attack, often necessitating a blend of network, protocol, and application-layer defenses.
Volumetric attacks: Volumetric attacks are designed to exhaust the bandwidth of the target network or service by inundating it with a massive amount of data. These attacks commonly employ tactics like UDP floods, ICMP floods, or DNS amplification to overwhelm the target. Attackers generate large volumes of traffic by leveraging numerous devices across the Internet, resulting in a deluge of data packets.
Protocol attacks: Protocol attacks aim to exhaust server resources or intermediate communication equipment (like firewalls and load balancers) by exploiting the vulnerabilities within protocols. SYN floods, Ping of Death, and Smurf attacks are common examples. These attacks concentrate on draining state table resources or imposing a heavy computational burden on protocol stack implementations, thereby interrupting genuine connections.
Application layer attacks: Attacks at the application layer target Layer 7 of the OSI model, with the objective of disrupting specific functions or features of a website or online service. Instances encompass HTTP floods, Slowloris, and DNS query floods. These attacks frequently emulate genuine user actions, heightening their detection complexity. Their emphasis lies in depleting application resources, resulting in denial of service for legitimate users.
While some DDoS mitigation providers focus on addressing these common attack vectors, the cybersecurity landscape is continually evolving, with threat actors devising more sophisticated and stealthy attack methods. This evolution underscores the importance of comprehensive protection strategies that encompass not only the known attack vectors but also anticipate and defend against emerging threats to ensure robust security posture in the face of evolving cyber risks.
Commonly known as a Carpet Bombing attack, these attacks target Autonomous System Number (ASN)-level Communications Service Provider (CSP) networks by distributing small amounts of junk traffic across a broad spectrum of IP addresses encompassing hundreds of IP prefixes. Designed to evade detection, the convergence of polluted traffic towards the target IP prefix results in a massive traffic flow that can overwhelm conventional mitigation devices and lead to severe latency or complete system paralysis.
Carpet Bombing attacks pose a unique threat as they involve very low volumes of traffic per IP address, making it challenging for conventional detection systems to recognize the signs of an attack.
The core issue lies in the reliance of most conventional detection systems on thresholds to determine acceptable traffic levels to individual destination IP addresses. Given that Carpet Bombing attacks typically operate well below these predefined thresholds, they can easily slip under the radar, making their detection exceedingly arduous.
By dispersing attack traffic across numerous destination IP addresses, creating “low and slow” attack signatures, attackers can evade or mislead conventional detection systems. Even if a few IP addresses exhibit suspicious activity, the bulk of malicious traffic can still pass through undetected, further complicating the mitigation process.
Nexusguard's approach to Carpet Bombing mitigation transcends conventional boundaries by adopting a holistic strategy that encompasses the meticulous monitoring of traffic across diverse endpoints. Leveraging sophisticated machine-learning algorithms, Nexusguard's solution stands out for its ability to analyze traffic patterns comprehensively, identifying anomalies and potential threats across dispersed attack vectors. By scrutinizing traffic behavior with a keen eye, Nexusguard's system can discern subtle deviations indicative of impending Carpet Bombing attacks, enabling preemptive action against these insidious threats.
Central to Nexusguard's defense architecture is a proactive detection and filtering mechanism that sets it apart from traditional threshold-based approaches. Unlike conventional methods that rely solely on predefined thresholds, Nexusguard's solution employs a dynamic filtering strategy that adapts to evolving threats in real time. By moving away from fixed thresholds and adopting a sophisticated anomaly detection approach, Nexusguard's system shines in thwarting Carpet Bombing attacks, strengthening networks against malicious traffic with exceptional precision and adaptability. This proactive strategy ensures the interception and neutralization of threats before they can leverage vulnerabilities, setting a new standard in the realm of DDoS protection.
In a SYN-ACK flood attack, malicious threat actors overwhelm a target server with falsified SYN-ACK packets at a rapid pace. The server, puzzled by this out-of-sequence influx (deviating from the typical SYN, SYN-ACK, ACK TCP handshake sequence), expends substantial processing power trying to make sense of the anomaly. Consequently, the server becomes overwhelmed by the deluge of deceptive traffic, rendering it incapable of efficiently processing legitimate requests and paving the way for a successful denial-of-service scenario orchestrated by the attackers.
The vulnerability of non-inline solutions to SYN-ACK attacks brings to light a critical weakness: the reliance on traffic routing through scrubbing centers only upon reaching predefined thresholds. This reactive approach introduces significant delays in response times and, more alarmingly, results in incomplete mitigation of sophisticated threats. Imagine a perpetrator launching a precise and relentless SYN-ACK attack - the precious moments lost as traffic accumulates to trigger a threshold could spell disaster for network integrity and operational continuity.
Non-inline solutions, constrained by delayed activation process, inadvertently expose organizations to prolonged periods of vulnerability and heightened risk. This underscores the critical need for inline mitigation, a proactive defense approach that detects and surgically mitigates flooding attacks directly within the data path where the attack infiltrates the network.
When a client initiates a connection request (SYN segment) to the host, Nexusguard's always-on inline mitigation platform, bolstered by advanced filtering techniques, intercepts the SYN segment and promptly responds to the client with a SYN/ACK segment. Subsequently, the platform awaits the return ACK from the client within the specified timeout period to finalize the TCP handshake.
Should the platform not receive the anticipated return ACK within the designated time out period, it swiftly drops the packet. Conversely, upon receipt of the return ACK, signifying the client's authenticity and absence of spoofing, the platform establishes a secure connection with the requested server and seamlessly forwards the initial connection request.
As a second layer of defense, the platform offers the flexibility to restrict the number of embryonic (half-open) connections. Upon surpassing the embryonic connection threshold for a connection, the platform assumes a proxy role for the server and issues a SYN-ACK response to the client's SYN request utilizing the SYN cookie method. Following the client's ACK response, the platform verifies the client's legitimacy and grants access to the backend server.
Furthermore, Nexusguard's mitigation platform leverages global BGP Anycast to effectively disperse and mitigate attack traffic across its extensive global scrubbing network. This strategic dispersal not only fortifies resilience but also ensures minimal latency during periods of attack, culminating in an unparalleled defense mechanism against sophisticated threats.
As we navigate the complex landscape of cybersecurity threats, the pivotal question lingers: Does your current solution truly protect you against these advanced and evolving threats? The reality is stark - traditional defenses may falter in the face of sophisticated attacks like Carpet Bombing and SYN-ACK attacks, leaving organizations vulnerable to severe disruptions and potential breaches.
Nexusguard emerges as a beacon of resilience in this tumultuous digital terrain, offering a powerful arsenal of defense mechanisms that set it apart from the conventional paradigm. Through its fusion of holistic traffic monitoring, proactive mitigation strategies, and leading-edge inline protection protocols, Nexusguard not only fortifies defenses against known DDoS threats but also stands as a protective shield against the ever-looming specter of advanced cyber attacks.
Reach out to us today for a comprehensive assessment or a proof of concept to see how Nexusguard’s solutions compare against existing DDoS protection setups.
Nexusguard's innovative defense strategies go beyond traditional measures, safeguarding you from the increasingly sophisticated landscape of cyber threats.
