How to Limit Denial of Service (DOS) Attack Damage
You may not think you are at risk of a DOS attack, especially if you operate a small web site, but if you cross paths with the wrong person, you could end up in the cross hairs of someone who could take your site down. Many smaller sites are finding themselves under attack these days because they are most vulnerable.
Resisting off a DOS attack can be a very difficult task. Once your site is under attack, you are really pretty limited in the way you can respond. The following steps will not only help you minimize the damage a DOS attack can inflict on your business, but help reduce the chances of one taking place at all.
1. Be familiar with your hosting company
As part of your hosting selection process, be sure you have a complete understanding of their security measures. Check with them on how they will help you should your site come under attack. Do they have a team of security experts that will assist you? What kind of prevention measures do they take at the network level?
2. Keep Operating Systems and Software up to date
Your host isn't the only responsible party. Security holes in operating systems as well as software programs can also be responsible for allowing DOS attacks. Be sure your anti virus and spyware programs are up to date at all times on all the machines you use in your business. Be sure you've got your computers set to download security updates to your OS and other software programs automatically.
3. Increase server capacity
The more server capacity you have, the better off you'll be to handle your traffic and fend off a DOS attack. A DOS attack works by increasing the demand on your site and takes it to a point where there is no more capacity to allow more visitors on the site. With larger capacities, you can help stave off smaller DOS attacks.
4. Report all attacks
If you find your site under attack, report the attack to the FBI immediately. The FBI maintains a specific division to handle these situations. The Internet Crime Complaint Center, or ICC, handle a myriad of Internet complaints, from fraud to DOS attacks. They can be reach at ic3.gov.
5. Block the additional traffic
Working with your hosting company, you can actually block traffic coming from what appear to be suspicious IP addresses. Your hosting company will likely have a list of known problem IP addresses and can also find out where the majority of the increased traffic is coming from and block it. Sure, you could end up blocking legitimate customers, but this until the problem is resolved, at least your site would continue to operate.
6. Be on top of things
As these DOS attacks continue to increase, both in the type of attacks as well as the frequency, you've got to stay on top of security issues. The best way to prevent attacks may just be with your knowledge of what's going on at any given point in time. Do a search online for message boards / forums / blogs that discuss such issues and read them on a regular basis so you'll know what's happening regarding DOS attacks. A great site for keeping on top Internet security issues is the Computer Crime Research Center. You can find them at crimeresearch.org
This article has been posted by Warren. Warren has been writing articles and producing how to courses online since 2005. He specializes in online business issues and currently operates a number of websites in a number of different niches.
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