DOS attack and DDoS attack: are they the same thing?

Attacks on computer systems and networks have become a common occurrence in the modern world. According to Infosecurity Magazine, a journal on information security, the number of DDoS attacks in 2022 increased by 74% annually. The most vulnerable sectors were: fintech industry (34%), telecommunications (26%), and e-commerce (17%). Microsoft recorded an average of 1435 attacks per day, with the highest number of attacks in a single day being recorded on September 22, 2022, with 2215 attacks.

The two most common types of attacks are DoS and DDoS, aimed at overloading a system and causing it to fail. Let's understand the essence of these concepts and what security measures can be taken.

DoS (Denial of Service) attack is a type of attack on a computer system in which an attacker tries to disrupt the service of the system or service. Various techniques are used, such as sending a large number of requests or data packets to the system, overloading its resources, and exploiting vulnerabilities in software. DoS attacks can be launched from one computer or several located in the same network.

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a more complex and common type of attack that uses so-called botnets - a group of computers or devices infected with malicious software to simultaneously launch an attack on the target system or service. The ability to distribute the load across multiple computers makes DDoS attacks more effective and difficult to detect and stop, and devices can be used without the knowledge of their owners.

Thus, the main difference between DOS and DDoS attacks is that a DOS attack is launched from a single computer or a few computers within the same network, while a DDoS attack uses a group of computers located in different places.

DDoS attacks can be classified as L3-L4 (network and transport layers) and L7 (application layer). L3 and L4 DDoS attacks are aimed at overloading network resources such as network bandwidth, routers, switches, and other network devices, as well as fraudulent purposes such as extortion.

VPS Netherlands from LLHOST INC. include L3-L4 DDoS attack protection systems that operate at the network protocol level. These systems are capable of processing a large volume of traffic and quickly responding to attacks to prevent service disruptions. To do this, they use traffic filtering methods such as connection throttling or blocking certain IP addresses to prevent network overload.

To protect from DDoS attacks directed against VPS Netherlands, LLHOST INC. employs the following methods:

1. Using specialized software to detect and block attacks.
2. Regularly updating the software used on network devices and servers.
3. Increasing network bandwidth to provide greater resilience to DDoS attacks.
4. Using cloud resources to distribute the load and ensure high service availability.

Until March 31, 2023, you can get any of VPS Netherlands plans for 6 months with a -40% discount when choosing monthly billing cycle. 

Take advantage of LLHOST INC.'s offer and start your business with a reliable partner!