Difference between DoS and DDoS Attacks
Difference between DoS and DDoS attacks are the top most question which is being asked these days. The two terms sound similar but there is a difference between Dos and DDos Attacks which are important to understand. In this blog, I will explain what are DoS and DDoS attacks and how they differ among themselves. Moreover, I will try to discuss that how can you protect yourself and your organization from Dos and DDos attacks.
What is a DoS Attack?
A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is an attempt to disrupt the functionality of a target computer, computer system, services, or network by controlling by flooding traffic to the target. The target of a DoS attack is to disable targeted system to respond to the queries of its users. This results in denying them from 1.) accessing to the system 2.) denying the essential services which were required to be performed. Imagine you’re you are trying to access a website, but instead of loading the page, you are given with an error message indicating that the site is unavailable. That might be the first indication that the targeted website is attacked with a DoS attack.
Types of DoS Attacks:
The cybercriminals use various methods and techniques to acquire their desired results however, following are some common types of attacks that can be encountered:
Volume based DoS Attacks:
Similar to the technique used in UDP, ICMP, and SYN flood attacks, these attacks flood the target computer or server with a massive traffic and end up in consuming all available bandwidth, RAM, memory, and other resources.
Protocol Attacks:
As all of us know that in a computer system network layer is considered to be the backbone of network therefore, to overburden a computer or a network the perpetrator exploits the vulnerabilities in network protocols. The main idea behind attacking a network protocol is be to manipulate communication between devices which are connected to that targeted device. To better understand this type of attack Ping of Death and Fragmentation Attacks are common type of protocol attacks which are used for DoS attacks.
Application Layer Attacks:
Network layers are actually the main targets of cybercriminals and being frontend of the any network, applications are considered to be an easy target because of their vulnerabilities. Therefore, these attacks target specific applications or services which are running on a server, and exploit their vulnerabilities. HTTP Floods, Slowloris, and DNS Amplification attacks are examples of this type of attack.
What is a DDoS Attack?
A DDoS attack means Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack which in simple term is more sophisticated and advanced form of DoS attack. In a DDoS attack, multiple compromised systems are coordinated to flood the target computer with fake traffic. These compromised computers are also called “botnets,” or “zombies”. These botnets/zombies may consist of thousands or even millions of infected (computer) systems, including computers, servers, IoT devices, and smart phones e.t.c. In comparison to a DoS attack, a DDoS attacks can generate a multilayered traffic which is difficult to be controlled by a single system and the system ends up to be overloaded and denial of its services.
Difference between DoS and DDoS Attacks:
The difference between Dos and DDoS Attacks is hard to differentiate without a proper cybercrime investigation because the effect or implication of both are same. The only difference in the two is that DoS attack are executed using a single zombie however DDoS attack is executed using multiple zombies or botnets. To further elaborate I would discuss the differences by categorizing the attacks mentioned below:
Source of Attack:
DoS attack
The malicious traffic typically originates from a single or few sources. Whereas, a DDoS attack involves multiple distributed sources, making it more challenging to trace and mitigate the attack. To better understand you may consider an attack which is coming simultaneously from different zombies in Australia, UK, USA, France, UAE, India, Pakistan e.t.c
DDoS attack has a bigger scale and has comparatively more severe impact than a DoS attack. Due to the distributed and multiple sources of attack, DDoS attack can overpower even strong network infrastructures and can cause denial of service for longer time.
Complexity Difference between DoS and DDoS Attacks:
DDoS attacks are more complex in nature, not only in investigation but also in execution. DDoS attacks have to be well coordinated because the executor has to manage that multiple systems launch attack simultaneously and sophisticatedly whereas DoS attacks do not require this coordination. Attackers have to first compromise and control a large number of devices and then to execute a DDoS attack effectively.
Neutralizing DoS and DDoS Attacks:
Neutralizing either Dos or DDoS attack is not very simple because it to detect these attacks in advance is not only hectic but also required 24/7 monitoring of all the activities being carried out on the network. To achieve this target there are multiple solutions which are available in market and discussed below:
Network Security:
Firewalls, intrusion detection and prevention systems (IDS/IPS), and DoS identification and detection tools are now easily available in market which not only detects the attempt but also blocks malicious traffic in advance and stops it from reaching your network.
DDoS Protection Services:
This technique is a double edge weapon because it will slow down the network on its own because DDoS protection services uses advanced filtering techniques to mitigate attacks and maintain service availability. This means that it will already be utilizing lot of resources of the system to check each and every query coming in and then deciding that whether it is legitimate or otherwise.
Network Audits to identify difference between DoS and DDoS Attack:
The difference between Dos and DDos attack is actually a thing line. Therefore, it is important to frequently run network security audits to detect vulnerabilities and to patch them. Moreover all software and firmware should be kept up to date because the software companies are always doing research and development to identify vulnerabilities and to patch them.
Traffic Monitoring:
It is very important to monitor incoming traffic and the actions it performs. Therefore to mitigate Dos or DDoS attack it is necessary to rate incoming traffic and implementing policies to regulate incoming traffic. The policies must be designed to prevent resource exhaustion requests and IPs during peak or off peak times.
Conclusion:
To conclude, I would say that both DoS and DDoS attacks target to disrupt services and deny access to resources. The two only differ in their scale, complexity, and impact. Understanding the difference between DoS and DDoS Attacks is important for those who want to implement effective cybersecurity and to protect against upcoming threats. By deploying strong security policies, staying alert, and adopting proactive measures, we can mitigate the risk of DoS and DDoS attacks on our systems. Moreover by better understanding difference between DoS and DDoS attacks we can ensure uninterrupted availability of our services and resources to our users and potential customers.
How to Report/File a Complaint?
Being a victim of any criminal activity or fraud, it is a social responsibility of every individual to report it to the concerned authorities. Therefore, now I will try to explain that how can an individual who is a victim of an online fraud can report to the concerned authority of his related country.
USA
If you are a resident of United States of America and is a victim of an online fraud, you can directly report and file a complaint online by visiting https://complaint.ic3.gov/ .
UK
For UK nationals or for those living in UK the individual has to first create an account and then he can file a formal complaint by visiting https://reporting.actionfraud.police.uk/login , alternatively you may call 0300 123 2040 for registering your complaint.
Canada
While living in Canada or being a resident or national of Canada you may call 1-888-495-8501. If you have a Government of Canada ID and have GC ID and password then you ma visit https://www.services.rcmp-grc.gc.ca/chooser-eng.html?ipeReferer=CAFCFRS and register your complaint online.
France
French nationals and those living in France may register their online complaints by visiting https://www.service-public.fr/particuliers/vosdroits/F1435?lang=en#:~:text=For%20credit%20card%20fraud%20or,on%20Service%2DPublic.fr.
Pakistan
All Pakistani nationals and those who are at the time of crime residing in Pakistan may register their complaints regarding online fraud at https://www.nr3c.gov.pk or https://www.nr3c.gov.pk/creport.php. You can also register a complaint via email at helpdesk@nr3c.gov.pk or by calling at 0092 51 9106384 or on cell No 0092 336 6006060.
India
Indian nationals and visitor can call helpline number 1930 or report their complaints on National Cybercrime Reporting Portal https://i4c.mha.gov.in/ncrp.aspx#:~:text=Complaints%20can%20be%20reported%20through,on%20National%20Cybercrime%20Reporting%20Portal. Alternatively they can visit https://cybercrime.gov.in/ to report their complaints.
UAE
You can report cybercrimes to the nearest police station in your area, or call 999 for help in case you are a victim of an online fraud in UAE, alternatively you can also register your complaints online at https://www.dubaipolice.gov.ae/wps/portal/home/services/individualservicescontent/cybercrime. UAE also has a live portal of online frauds at https://twitter.com/moiuae/status/1762866045822349606 where you can keep yourselves up to date regarding online frauds in UAE.
Australia
While being a victim of online fraud if you are an Australian national or visiting Australia you can register your complaint regarding online fraud by simply clicking www.reportCyber.gov.au or by calling the Australian Cyber Security hotline on 1300 CYBER1 (1300 292 371). Australia also has a dedicated portal to register online fraud complaints at https://portal.scamwatch.gov.au/report-a-scam/ where you can directly register your complaints.
Other links of your interest:
Delving into the Digital: A Look at Cyber Crime Investigations
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