How to prevent website from DDoS attack?

November 26, 2024

DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service) involves a combination of proactive measures, robust infrastructure, and defensive tools. Here’s a comprehensive guide to protecting your website:

1. Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

  • Why: A CDN distributes your content across multiple global servers, reducing the load on your origin server.
  • How: Services like Cloudflare, Akamai, or Amazon CloudFront absorb and mitigate traffic surges from DDoS attack.

2. Implement a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

  • Why: WAFs filter malicious traffic before it reaches your website.
  • How: Use providers like Sucuri, Imperva, or Cloudflare WAF to block suspicious or malicious requests.

3. Rate-Limit Requests

  • Why: Limits the number of requests a single IP can make, reducing the risk of overwhelming your server.
  • How: Configure rate-limiting rules in your web server (e.g., Apache, Nginx) or with tools like fail2ban.

4. Monitor and Analyze Traffic

  • Why: Early detection of unusual traffic patterns can help mitigate DDoS attack.
  • How:
    • Use tools like Google Analytics, New Relic, or Nagios to track spikes in traffic.
    • Employ server logs to identify repeated requests from specific IPs.

5. Configure DNS Protection

  • Why: Attackers often target DNS services.
  • How: Use DNS protection services like Cloudflare, Neustar, or AWS Route 53 to prevent DNS-based DDoS attack.

6. Enable Anycast Network

  • Why: Routes traffic to multiple data centers globally, distributing the load.
  • How: Choose hosting or CDN providers with an Anycast network.

7. Use DDoS Mitigation Services

  • Why: Dedicated services specialize in identifying and mitigating DDoS traffic.
  • How: Services like Akamai Prolexic, Cloudflare DDoS Protection, Imperva DDoS Protection, or AWS Shield Advanced can handle large-scale attacks.

8. Country blocking.

Blocking visitors based on geo-location is usually effective at significantly lowering risks of an attack. The majority of website attacks come from countries such as China, Russia and Turkey. Although we have nothing against those countries, our WAF does give you the option of blocking them from interacting (POST) with your site. This option also can be beneficial in complying with certain organizational policies, in terms of “blocking hackers.” 

9. Harden Your Server

  • Why: Securing your server reduces its vulnerability to being overwhelmed.
  • How:
    • Use firewalls like iptables or managed firewall services.
    • Close unused ports and protocols.
    • Update server software and plugins regularly.

10. Block Malicious IPs

  • Why: Prevent known attack sources from accessing your site.
  • How:
    • Manually block IPs in your firewall or use services like Fail2ban to automate the process.
    • Use blocklists (e.g., AbuseIPDB) for known malicious IPs.

11. Implement Load Balancers

  • Why: Load balancers distribute incoming traffic across multiple servers.
  • How: Use tools like HAProxy, NGINX, or services like AWS Elastic Load Balancing.

12. Optimize Your Hosting Environment

  • Why: Strong hosting environments can better absorb DDoS traffic.
  • How:
    • Choose hosting plans with scalable resources.
    • Consider using cloud hosting providers (e.g., AWS, Google Cloud, Azure).

13. Disable Unnecessary Features

  • Why: Reduce potential attack surfaces.
  • How:
    • Disable XML-RPC in WordPress.
    • Avoid exposing APIs unnecessarily.
    • Restrict access to admin panels using IP whitelisting.

14. Educate Your Team

  • Why: Awareness helps prevent inadvertent vulnerabilities.
  • How:
    • Train staff on identifying potential threats.
    • Keep credentials secure and implement 2FA (Two-Factor Authentication).

15. Prepare an Incident Response Plan

  • Why: Being prepared reduces downtime during an attack.
  • How:
    • Document steps to mitigate attacks.
    • Have contact information for your hosting provider, DNS provider, and DDoS mitigation service ready.

16. Consider Cybersecurity Insurance

  • Why: Protect against financial losses from prolonged DDoS attack.
  • How: Choose policies that cover downtime, data loss, and recovery costs.

Final Thoughts

No single solution can fully prevent DDoS attack, especially large-scale ones. Combining these strategies will significantly reduce your risk and improve your ability to withstand attacks.