What are the common types of network attacks against servers?
With the rapid development of Internet technology, network security issues have become increasingly significant, particularly the frequent cyber attacks on corporate websites, which have become a hot topic of concern in the industry. Attacks on corporate websites not only pose a risk of data breaches, but in some extreme cases, they can even lead to website crashes, and in severe situations, may necessitate the shutdown of the website. DDoS attacks, CC attacks, and ARP spoofing are currently the most common types of attacks on the network, and the damage they can cause to corporate servers should not be underestimated.
DDoS Attack: Distributed Denial of Service Attack
A DDoS attack, or Distributed Denial of Service attack, overwhelms a target server with a massive number of requests by utilizing multiple computers or network devices, causing the server resources to overload and become unable to handle normal business requests. This type of attack, due to its distributed tactic, is much more powerful than traditional DoS attacks (Denial of Service attacks). Attackers control infected computers (sometimes referred to as “zombies”) to generate a massive amount of data traffic in a short period, exhausting the target website’s bandwidth and processing capacity, resulting in legitimate user requests not being responded to.
CC Attack
A CC attack, also known as an HTTP flood attack, is a form of DDoS attack but is more covert and complex. This type of attack simulates normal user HTTP requests to visit the server in large quantities and at high speed, consuming server resources, especially memory and CPU. Unlike the directness and aggression of a DDoS attack, a CC attack does not generate a large amount of abnormal traffic, making it more difficult to detect and defend against. Attackers often use proxy servers and botnets to disguise the true source IP addresses, making tracking and defense even more challenging.
ARP Spoofing
In addition to DDoS and CC attacks, ARP spoofing is also a common type of attack against corporate websites. It manipulates the ARP (Address Resolution Protocol) table in a local area network, incorrectly associating the target IP address with the attacker’s physical address, thereby intercepting and altering data. ARP spoofing can be used to carry out man-in-the-middle attacks, network eavesdropping, and other malicious activities, posing a potential threat to corporate network security.
How should companies defend against diverse attacks?
DDoS Attack Defense Measures:
- Use high-defense servers: With higher bandwidth and anti-attack performance.
- Configure website firewalls: To monitor and filter malicious traffic.
- Install Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS) and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS): To identify illegal traffic and attack behaviors.
CC Attack Defense Measures:
- Implement behavior analysis: To distinguish between normal user behavior and attacker behavior.
- Set access rate limits: To prevent frequent requests from consuming server resources.
- Introduce captcha validation: To differentiate between human users and automated attack tools.
- Use Web Application Firewalls (WAF): To deeply inspect HTTP traffic and block CC attacks.
ARP Spoofing Defense Measures:
- Employ static ARP binding: To prevent ARP table tampering.
- Deploy dynamic ARP inspection devices: To automatically detect and defend against ARP spoofing.
- Strengthen internal network management and monitoring: To regularly audit the ARP table for security.