Page 19 - Cyber Warnings

Since DDoS attacks bring down the most visible part of an organization, namely its website and
internal employee Web applications, the pressure put on IT can range from the sales
department all the way up to the C-Suite.

A disruption of this sort can lead to lost revenue, a tarnished reputation and a major IT
headache through the flooding of IT requests.

The solution for defending against being the victim of a DDoS smokescreen attack is two-
pronged. Awareness is key, so organizations must first educate response teams on the various
means used by hackers looking to infiltrate the network.

With this knowledge, IT teams can do a better job of determining what the end-goal of attackers
is, making it easier to push back against pushy C-Suite executives looking for a quick fix.

The second step of protecting against this sort of threat is technological. Without adequate
security solutions in place, IT teams are at a distinct disadvantage when dealing with
cybercriminals.

In the case of the smokescreen DDoS attack, a combination of on-premises and cloud-based
solutions that incorporate network load-balancing technology can handle attacks of varying
types and sizes.

These products give IT decision makers the ability to detect an attack and mitigate it.

Coupled with the appropriate security information and event management (SIEM) solution —
and other tools for flagging unusual network activity — organizations can reduce the confusion
caused by the initial DDoS attack, while maintaining the diligent monitoring necessary for
defending against more serious threats.

About the Author
Rene Paap is a Product Marketing Manager at application networking and
security leader A10 Networks. Rene specializes in analyzing and educating a
product's values, and evangelizing those both inbound and outbound.

19 Cyber Warnings E-Magazine – May 2016 Edition
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