How to Prevent DDoS Attacks with VPN and Other Methods

Cyber risks like DDoS attacks can happen in various situations, targeting all types of platforms, banks financial institutions, etc. Terrible results of being attacked by DDoS include immediate financial losses, operational chaos, shattered trust, and catastrophic slowdown. Learning how to prevent DDoS attack is crucial as prevention is the key. Just start with the basics of DDoS attack and common easy ways to prevent DDoS attacks.

DDoS attack means Distributed Denial of Service attack, a malicious attempt to disrupt websites, online services, or networks with a flood of internet traffic. The malicious traffic can quickly consume bandwidth, server resources, and network capacity, making the site’s normal traffic come to a halt. Legitimate users fail to access the site normally due to DDoS attacks.

Before resorting to any DDoS attack prevention tools, it’s important to identify a DDoS attack. A typical indicator is a sudden increase in traffic, which may lead to service disruption. You should also note if there’s any sudden inaccessibility, sluggishness, and unresponsive network services on your website. DDoS attack tools are also useful in DDoS detection.

There are several types of DDoS attacks, targeting different network and web services, for example, volumetric attacks, TCP/IP Protocol attacks, application layer attacks, and state-exhaustion attacks. Put more simply, the most common three types include volume-based attacks, protocol attacks, and application layer attacks.

The volume-based attack is known for spoofed-packet floods and consumes the bandwidth of the target website. Protocol attack consumes server resources and communication equipment. Examples of application layer attacks are SMTP/SMTPS attacks and VoIP attacks. SMTP/SMTPS attacks focus on disrupting email services, while VoIP attacks target voice communications.

Lots of users are searching for tutorials on how to prevent DDoS attacks because DDoS attacks can have unexpected severe consequences. For online retailers, it causes direct revenue loss and reputation damage if customers can’t order due to DDoS attacks. If you fail to access your accounts on an online banking platform because of DDoS attacks, you will face anxiety and switch to other platforms. It’s likely to lead to chaos if government services are hit by DDoS attacks. Lives and national security are all at risk.

Continue to read to find the most straightforward solutions - DDoS attack VPN services, to improve cyber security.

Some users wonder “Does VPN prevent DDoS attack”, the answer is yes. VPN services can prevent DDoS attacks efficiently by hiding IP addresses and encrypting online traffic. The following 3 safest VPNs for DDoS protection are shared and reviewed for your reference.

iTop VPN

iTop VPN is the first DDoS attack VPN highly recommended here. It provides a large number of servers across 100+ locations worldwide to change IP address and  reduce the risk of DDoS attacks. Equipped with a 256-bit encryption protocol, the free VPN ensures a high level of encryption, making it difficult for unauthorized DDoS attacks to intercept. Data is transmitted securely. Thanks to the kill switch feature, it automatically terminates the internet connection, offering strong privacy and security. With effective safety features, iTop VPN safeguards against any threat and loss caused by any type of DDoS attack.

iTop VPN - Private VPN to Stay Anoymous Online

• Get 3200+ servers to visit sites freely worldwide
• Hide your IP address to protect your privacy
• Automatic kill switch to protect your data
• Double VPN & dark web monitor for extra security

Buy iTop VPN Download Now

Buy iTop VPN Download Now

NordVPN

NordVPN is another best VPN for DDoS protection. It also adopts the AES encryption standard with 256-bit keys, protecting you from DDoS attacks, be it volume-based attack, application layer attacks, or protocol attacks. The DDoS attack VPN uses different security protocols to make it a safe VPN for streaming , browsing, gaming, and other online activities.

However, some users complained about its vulnerabilities related to Single Sign-On (SSO) functionality, which possibly leaks sensitive information. Overall, it’s a go-to VPN for Windows and other platforms to help against DDoS attacks.

ExpressVPN

How to prevent DDoS attack? ExpressVPN is worth trying as its top encryption tech, such as AES-256, private DNS, kill switch feature, and Lightway protocol. Lightway protocol is a highlighted protocol in terms of security. But it’s far from perfect. Despite all the wonderful security features to prevent keylogging and DDoS attacks, there is always a potential for vulnerabilities from the DDoS attack VPN.

How to prevent DDoS attack without using a free VPN to change location and encrypt? Below are some tested traditional ways to prevent DDoS attack. These solutions are enough for DDoS attack prevention.

1. Reduce attack surface exposure

Minimize the number of open ports and services on your network. Close unnecessary ports that are not actively in use to limit potential points of entry for attackers.

Regularly update and patch software, operating systems, and applications to address known vulnerabilities and weaknesses that could be exploited.

2. Fortify the network architecture

Implement robust network security measures such as firewalls, intrusion prevention systems (IPS), and load balancers to filter incoming traffic and protect against suspicious or malicious requests. Use load balancing techniques to evenly distribute traffic across multiple servers, preventing any single server from becoming overwhelmed during an attack.

3. Understand the warning signs of a DDoS attack

Before digging out how to prevent DDoS attack, familiarize yourself with the indicators of a DDoS attack, which may include sudden spikes in traffic, unusual patterns in data flow, and a noticeable degradation in network performance. Monitor network traffic and set up alert systems to promptly detect and respond to suspicious activity.

4. Take advantage of DDoS protection tools

Resort to dedicated DDoS protection services or appliances provided by specialized cybersecurity firms. DDoS protection tools help you easily identify and avoid DDoS attacks in real-time, thus you can get normal network operations without further ado.

5. Deploy web application firewall

Implement a web application firewall to filter and monitor HTTP traffic between a web application and the internet. A WAF can help identify and block malicious requests or traffic patterns commonly associated with DDoS attacks. Configure the WAF to set specific rules and policies that align with your organization's security requirements.

6. Use content delivery networks

Employing a CDN can distribute the load of incoming traffic across a network of servers geographically dispersed around the world. This helps absorb traffic spikes and mitigate the impact of DDoS attacks.

7. Pay for a DDoS mitigation service

Consider paying for a trustworthy DDoS mitigation service that specializes in protecting against these types of attacks. DDoS mitigation service providers often have advanced detection and mitigation capabilities, as well as extensive experience in handling DDoS incidents.

Q1: How can DDoS attacks be prevented?

DDoS attacks can be prevented by network security methods. Common ways include firewalls, Intrusion Detection Systems (IDS), and Intrusion Prevention Systems (IPS), and using services to filter out malicious traffic before it reaches your network. The easiest way is to use a safe VPN like iTop VPN to encrypt online traffic.

Q2: What are the most common signs of a DDoS attack?

The most common signs of DDoS attacks include slow network performance, sudden spike in traffic, intermittent outages or error messages, and flooded security and server logs.

Q3: Can a firewall stop a DDoS attack?

Yes. However, a firewall is not sufficient to completely prevent DDoS attacks. Firewalls are designed to filter and control incoming and outgoing traffic based on predefined security rules, which can be used to stop certain types of DDoS attacks.

Conclusion

DDoS attacks can cause unexpected bad results for individuals and organizations. How to prevent DDoS attack? There are lots of traditional security measures for DDoS attack prevention. However, for stronger security, it is recommended to use iTop VPN, which offers robust encryption and protection against DDoS attacks.