WordPress is one of the world most used site builder tool, that is globally used by both companies and small companies to push their business to the internet for recongnization or For creating awareness .
So Many WordPress are opened everyday to show case businesses and organizations to the users of the internet to gain sales and clients. WordPress Was able to archive this great Height because of the amazing feature that users of site are allowed to add to their site through the installation of plug-ins and external scripts, which have generated huge trouble for so many WordPress websites today.
The fear of malicious plug-in has been the major concern of all WordPress users including small firms, most at Time Big companies hire Developer to build scripts from scratch for them to avoid spamming or malicious codes from their websites which Later Result to Ddos Attacks from hackers.
Now the Big question is How can a company, Business Or Individual Prevent his OR her WordPress website from this Attack ? First Let Break Down Some Things.
What is a DDoS Attack?
DDoS attack, short for Distributed Denial of Service attack, is a type of cyber attack that uses compromised computers and devices to send or request data from a WordPress hosting server. The purpose of these requests is to slow down and eventually crash the targeted server.
DDoS attacks are a hot topic in online business and cyber security. This situation is not new and the term emerged in the industry ages ago, in the early 1990s. Over the years, they have caused many web services to be taken offline, by making public websites impossible to access. Victims were and still are numerous. This is why learning how to stop a DDoS attack became a priority for businesses big and small.
A DDoS attack sends many requests to the target website, which is the victim. This traffic usually originates from networks and computers that are compromised by malware or Known As BOTNETS. When the requests reach the target, the server hosting the site becomes so busy that it will soon stop responding. It’s a tactic that has been used by attackers for a long time now. In some cases, they also demand ransom to get the website running again.
Types of DDoS attacks
DDoS attacks come in a variety of types and sub types. Listing all of them would be impossible, but the most common ones are:
- Zero-Day: These attacks are less common because they involve more effort from the attackers. They need to do thorough research to figure out the weak spots in a site’s server. Zero-Day attacks are less common, but they often have the most catastrophic results.
- Volumetric: These are the most popular DDoS attacks and they work as described above. Volumetric attacks flood websites with bogus traffic until it shuts down completely. If the attack is severe enough, the ISP or hosting company may step in and take action to block all traffic indiscriminately, further exacerbating the problem.
- Resource Depletion: Instead of taking the website down entirely, Resource Depletion attacks focus on making the website slower by exploiting software bugs. Not only will the site be slower during an attack, but it may also remain slow after a restart. This type is more troublesome compared to Volumetric DDoS.
The types mentioned here are just a few of the existent ones. And DDoS attack prevention doesn’t stop here. You’ll now have to learn how to stop DDoS attacks from happening in the first place.
How can you protect WordPress websites against DDoS attacks?
Because using WordPress doesn’t involve a lot of technical knowledge, almost anyone can use it. This means that people who don’t know much about malware and cyber attacks are predisposed to getting their websites broken. Webmasters who recklessly install plugins and themes from unsafe sources are always more prone to being hacking victims.
DDoS attacks can be cleverly disguised and difficult to deal with. However, with some basic security best practices, you can prevent and easily stop DDoS attacks from affecting your WordPress website.
01. Using switches and routers
Most routers and switches come with built-in software that is able to identify when a fake IP is used to send a request. The software can limit the system from consuming all the resources of the network. Simply put, switches and routers have the ability to block untrustworthy traffic sources, thus stopping DDoS attacks.
Most people don’t have the resources to invest in the necessary hardware equipment personally. Instead, it’s best to opt for WordPress hosting platforms that have their own secure data centers. Hosting providers can afford to use high-end hardware and you can take advantage of this. You don’t need to learn as much about how to stop a DDoS attack if you are professionally protected in the first place.
02. Constant surveillance
Applying all the security measurements in the world to prevent DDoS attacks still won’t be as effective as watching the situation with your own eyes. Paying attention to how your website functions and noticing the signs of a DDoS attack in time can help you tremendously. Whenever you believe that there is something wrong with the load times, take the necessary pre-emptive measures. It is important to stop a DDoS attack before it has tragic effects on your website.
03. Scrubbing centers
Before reaching a network or a website, on-going traffic may be filtered in a scrubbing center. These centers are owned by companies that know how to stop DDoS attacks faster and more efficiently. They offer DDoS mitigation services which can be quite expensive. However, if your site is very important and you can’t afford to experience downtime, paying for these services is the best option you have.
04. The XML-RPC functionality
Ever since WordPress was updated to version 3.5, a new option became enabled by default. This option might make your website more vulnerable to DDoS attacks. The setting was included by WordPress in order to provide users with ping backs and trackbacks, as well as a few other options that don’t drastically affect the functionality of your sites.
Unfortunately, these new features can be exploited by cyber attackers. The corruption involves sending HTTP requests to targeted websites by abusing the XML-RPC protocol, because the functionality of XML-RPCcan be easily compromised. If multiple sites are compromised through the XML-RPC setting, a large DDoS attack can take place. It’s best to turn off this functionality and prevent DDoS attacks from happening because of pingbacks or trackbacks.
05. Intrusion Prevention Systems
IPSs (Intrusion Prevention Systems) are used to detect DDoS attacks. Cyber security companies employ an IPS to determine traffic patterns that are unusual and clean them out. IPS systems can also block events that are potentially malicious before they can inflict damage on a website. The mechanism behind IPS is a simple one – it analyzes data packets that are carried on the Internet and spots suspicious ones in order to block them.
06. Updating WordPress
Another step in learning how to stop a DDoS attack is making a habit out of updating WordPress regularly. Running updates as soon as they are launched is a necessary condition of keeping your website secure. Most updates come with security enhancements that make your website safer than it used to be. Even though it’s not always convenient to upgrade your WordPress, you ought to take the time and do it, so you can worry less about the probability of a cyber attack on your website at any given moment.
07. Security plugins
WordPress is known for the many plugin possibilities you have. This is both a blessing and a curse, considering that not all plugins are as safe as they claim to be. Even so, some plugins can help you protect your website from DDoS attacks. One example is Loginizer, which limits the number of log-ins on a website. If the requests are pushy, the plugin blocks the IP address associated with that account. This plugin is perfect if brute force attempts are a problem on your site.
Note that you shouldn’t fully rely on plugins for DDoS protection. Apply other security procedures besides using plugins to sleep better at night. Because WordPress is open-source, you can install add-ons from any provider, even possibly dodgy ones. Not all plugin providers are well-intentioned, and some of them might want to harm your website directly. Always check which plugins are trusted in the WordPress community and which are signaled as dangerous.
Conclusion:
If You have been following this Article till Now you should have known what Ddos Attack is and How to fully prevent it from your site. Completing and applying this above mentioned method to your site you will be completely free from The fear of being attacked. thanks for following till now.
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