Keep your business safe from DDoS attacks

There was a time where the threat of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks was limited to major online retailers or gaming and betting sites. This is no longer the case. Now a wide range of companies, from smaller retailers to those in the finance sectors, increasingly depend on web-based transactions which can easily become the target of cyber criminals looking to steal or simply disrupt the customer experience for reasons ranging from activism to revenge.

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack makes a network or website unavailable, stopping customers from making purchases, and impacting sales. A common analogy is to imagine a criminal standing outside a shop and stopping people from entering. A Distributed Denial of Service attack is much harder to combat, as the threat comes from multiple sources. With our shop analogy, we might imagine a group of criminals blocking every entrance and exit.

According to Cisco, annual DDoS attacks are expected to double from 8 million in 2018 to 15.4 million by 2023. The average cost of a DDoS attack ranges from £200,000 to £700,000 per hour, representing a major loss to large companies or a devastating, business-ending disaster for smaller firms. Additionally, 20% of companies with 50 or more employees are reported to have had at least one DDoS attack and the number of attacks rose by 24% in 2020, correlating with Cisco’s 2023 prediction.

The immense threat these attacks pose means that knowledge, awareness, and processes to combat DDoS attacks are essential. The Sure Business team and I are always talking to customers about the threats their businesses face, and the latest cybersecurity products in our range. Our “Sure Business Solution” integrates network-wide intelligence with top-of-the-line threat management processes to stop DDoS attacks in their tracks.

This is then backed up by our 5-step cybersecurity process, which is aligned with the National Cyber Security Centre, Government, and Financial Services Commission guidelines which all align to the NIST Framework. This framework provides a best practice approach that encourages our clients to mitigate the threat of DDoS attacks by not allowing cyber criminals access to the business to begin with.

We find that this approach is realistic and is proven to work, as it highlights a strong defence through an educated workforce is the best weapon against cyber-crime. The steps are Identify, Protect, Detect, Respond, and Recover. By focusing on protection through awareness of the kinds of tactics cyber criminals will take, businesses can remain as safe as possible without needing to engage in the other steps. However, later steps become essential once a breach has been identified and we work closely with our clients to act as quickly as possible, rolling out breach protocol to mitigate the damage.

Proper management and support are vital for combating DDoS threats, as an attack can happen anywhere at any time, particularly for larger clients operating in multiple territories with different time zones. Sure Business employs a dedicated year-round, 24/7 team, supported by Sure’s own IP engineers, and backed up by our suppliers. The team is available whenever they are needed to support on DDoS mitigation and other services, ensuring portal configurations are performed to the highest security standards.

It has never been more essential to protect our clients from DDoS attacks using advanced solutions, a highly engaged professional team on standby, and education about cybersecurity best practice. Sure Business is here to keep your data as safe as possible, allowing your business to run smoothly without fear of DDoS attacks and other cybercrimes.