Nine Myths About DDoS Defense

by Rackspace Technology Staff

A man with glasses looking at a computer screen

 

Myth or reality?

Cybersecurity is more critical than ever. Here are nine steps you can take to understand your risk profile and separate the myths from reality when it comes to DDoS defense. Download our free e-book to learn more.

Over the past two years, the frequency of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks has doubled. At the same time, the number and combination of attack vectors has increased significantly.

Organizations are dealing with more people, places and devices in the workforce than ever before. And that translates to an expanded attack surface, increased insider and third-party risk, and greater security and compliance challenges.

Some enterprises believe they are at low risk for a DDoS attack simply because they have never experienced an attack, or they have invested in expensive security services and tools. But mission-critical services and applications are potent targets in every industry. And they can expose every business to downtime and diminished performance.

 

Findings from our recent survey

If you’re worried about cybersecurity risks, you’re not alone. According to the Rackspace Technology® Cybersecurity Annual Research Report 2022, more than half (59%) of IT leaders cite cybersecurity as the number one business concern in the C-suite. But only 43% say they are protecting critical data and assets from threats.

We also found that there are several myths and misconceptions related to DDoS protection. That’s why, working in association with Akamai Technology, we’ve created this free e-book, “Nine Myths About DDoS Defense.” Here are just three of the common misconceptions we uncovered:

 

DDoS defense myth #1: Total capacity indicates available mitigation resources

A simple network capacity number omits key details. How much network capacity is dedicated for consuming attack traffic? How much of the system’s resources are dedicated to stopping attacks? How much of the network and system is available to deliver clean traffic to all customer origins on that platform?

If, at some point, technology doesn't work effectively or mitigation isn't optimized, which dedicated human resources can be deployed for escalation, incident response and mitigation fine-tuning?

Tip: Take a closer look at the differences between a provider’s total network capacity and platform stability, the available capacity to mitigate attacks and the use of clean traffic delivery.

 

DDoS defense myth #4: It doesn’t matter who shares the cloud platform

From the harmless to the highly controversial, every organization needs security. If your company shares a cloud security platform with an illegal or frequently attacked enterprise, the potential for collateral damage is high. Vendor resources may already be tied up or overwhelmed, leaving your business exposed.

Tip: Carefully review a cloud security vendor’s acceptable use policy (AUP) to confirm that you aren’t sharing security platform resources with high-risk targets.

 

DDoS defense myth #7: You don’t need multiple layers of defense

Every organization should build a multilayered defense. However, relatively few take a hybrid approach to building a multilayered defense.

Instead, companies often attempt to bolster their on-premises security solution by upgrading its defenses through a cloud-based solution from the same vendor. However, that doesn’t guarantee a comprehensive defense. The problem is that when multiple layers of defense are built on the same underlying technology, those layers share the same gaps and weaknesses, leaving you just as vulnerable.

Tip: Layer best-of-breed technologies with different strengths and weaknesses so that gaps in one layer are covered by defenses in another.

 

It’s time to get real about risk

DDoS protection must be a key element of your overall security strategy, so maintaining awareness of the myths surrounding this topic can be crucial to your DDoS mitigation posture.

If your work model is like many organizations, it includes full-time, part-time and contract workers from multiple locations. They are connecting from anywhere and conducting diverse tasks with varying levels of risk. Also, if your organization is like most, it shares a cloud security platform with numerous enterprises. Without a doubt, these scenarios factor into your overall risk profile and security.

Now is the time to consider what is fact and what is fiction about this all-important aspect of your business’s successful defense posture. At Rackspace Technology®, we want to help companies like yours make DDoS protection a core part of your security strategy. Our goal is to deliver innovative cloud capabilities that help you build new revenue streams, increase efficiency and create incredible customer experiences.

 

Download our free e-book here to learn more about “Nine Myths About DDoS Defense” from Akamai and Rackspace Technology.

Learn more in our free e-book, “Nine Myths About DDoS Defense.”