DDoS attacks are also more diverse than in the past. They might target a specific vulnerability and throw massive amounts of traffic at it. They might conduct a “drip campaign” using very little traffic over a sustained period of time that suddenly results in system or application crashes. Some DDoS attacks are used as a “smokescreen” attack on one area of the network to divert attention and resources from a second location that they compromise through malicious methods. For the enterprise, this knowledge is worrisome. But there are ways to preempt attacks and know in advance how your infrastructure will function in the event of a DDoS attack.

This white paper provides examples of current DDoS attack methodologies, insights into how enterprises might be vulnerable—and the steps that can be taken to harden defenses and security investment strategies through preemptive security testing and measuring techniques.