Juniper & VeriSign Offer Cloud DDoS Deflection Service
DDoS attacks are on the rise. Juniper and VeriSign recently announced that they have joined each other combating DDoS attacks using the cloud. Verisign currently offers an anti DDoS cloud service while Juniper launched a Linux based datacenter appliance back in Q1 2013. The companies are expected to share technology and resources in efforts to combat the growing problem of DDoS attacks.
What are DDoS Attacks?
If you have ever sleuthed long enough on YouTube, you have probably come across a video of a “Flash mob.” Those grainy security cameras will show an otherwise calm area getting surprised with a sudden burst of people often conducting themselves raucously. The DDoS attack is similar to this phenomenon in that the attack is coordinated and concise. How does such an attack become coordinated? Botnets are formed by people who have inadvertently installed malware on their desktop PC. When the malware’s creator executes the command, the army of personal computers will flood a host with requests making it completely inaccessible to the general public. These attacks are often directed towards the DNS hosts of a website. Data loss or data breaches do not typically occur in a DDoS attack. The unavailability of a website is the end goal of a DDoS attack.
How can Cloud help defend against DDoS attacks?
Juniper and VeriSign coming together to fight the growing DDoS problem will only help minimize the effects of these attacks while raising awareness to the growing problem. DNS redirection is the process in which you setup a large cloud that essentially expands whenever new resources and bandwidth are needed. VeriSign and Juniper’s technology will then redirect and filter the junk traffic and bandwidth while legitimate users are able to see the site as if nothing happened. If the attackers are not able to see results from their attack, they may abort the attack altogether. DDoS attacks are often embarrassing and unpleasant to explain to clients. Banks such as Bank of America, PNC and BB&T have experienced DDoS attacks and these high profile attacks that often leave customers without access to their online banking statements can cause a high level of stress. Financial institutions are the early adopters of this technology.
