Is It Possible to DDoS Dedicated Server?
The internet has come to stay and is constantly evolving to suit changing societal needs. For business owners and clients alike, the internet has made commerce much easier and faster. However, they also have many concerns about keeping their sensitive data safe in cyberspace.
Data security is a priority for many internet users, and everyone would do everything possible to protect their data from unauthorized users. However, cyber attackers continuously devise more sophisticated means of hacking data even as web users find more ways to forestall them.
Currently, there are more than 15 types of cyberattacks. From phishing to eavesdropping attacks, MitM, SQL injection attacks, and lots more, the effects of these cyber-attacks are far-reaching. In this article, we’d DDoS attacks—one of the most common types of cyberattacks. We’d let you in on whether you can DDoS your own dedicated server and how to prevent such attacks.
What’s a DDoS Attack?
A DDoS attack is a Distributed Denial of Service attack. A DDoS attack happens when cybercriminals flood a server, website, service, or network with so much traffic than it can handle. When that happens, the normal traffic flow is obstructed, and users can no longer operate on the target resource.
DDoS attacks are very powerful types of cyberattacks and have been in use for more than twenty years. This attack causes a denial of service for the users of the targeted server, service, network, or website. It overwhelms its target with so many requests for data that it crashes.
There are three types of DDoS attacks. They’re the volume-based, network-layer, and application-layer DDoS attacks. The volume-based DDoS attacks send lots of traffic to overpower the target, while network-layer (or protocol) DDoS uses many packets to achieve the same goal. For application-layer attacks, the target is flooded with lots of malicious applications.
Can I DDoS My Dedicated Server?
A dedicated server is a type of web hosting that commits a server to suit a single tenant’s needs. Since two or more users don’t share dedicated servers, the single-tenant enjoys all the server resources alone. Hence, the client gets ample security, privacy, and top-notch functionality. That doesn’t mean, however, that the dedicated server is immune to DDoS attacks.
The bottom line is that if you can send a request to a dedicated server, you can DDoS that server by sending more requests than it can regulate. As such, hackers can DDoS a dedicated server when they use multiple machines to send malicious traffic to it. Since DDoS attacks cannot come from a single computer, you cannot DDoS your dedicated server internally from one computer.
However, it’s possible to DDoS your own dedicated server if you use multiple computers to overwhelm it. You can use a botnet (several interconnected devices that run one or more bots) to launch a DDoS attack on your dedicated server and cause it to shut down. It doesn’t depend on who is launching the attack but rather the capacity of the attacker.
How to Protect Your Dedicated Server from DDoS Attacks
One of the easiest ways to protect your dedicated servers from DDoS attackers is by hiring a hosting provider that offers automated DDoS protection. These providers will offer you DDoS-protected dedicated servers when you hire one.
You can further protect your dedicated server by:
- Purchasing additional protection
- Learning to spot attack signs
Conclusion
Just as hackers can DDoS your dedicated server, you can too if you have the right resources. If you want to protect your dedicated server from any form of DDoS attacks, you can do so by taking the steps discussed above.