The threat of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) and denial-of-service (DoS) attacks is growing along with our digital economy. These attacks, which can paralyse cloud-hosted systems or cripple eCommerce websites, have grown to be a major concern for organisations all over the world.
At ARANKISH Cyber Security, we help businesses prepare for and respond to these attacks using a proactive, intelligence-driven approach that aligns with the latest guidance from the Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), New Zealand’s NCSC, and other global authorities.
What Is a DoS or DDoS Attack?
The goal of a denial-of-service attack is to overload a system, such as a DNS, email server, or website, with traffic or malicious requests. Multiple sources, typically compromised IoT devices like smart kettles, CCTV cameras, or even hoover cleaners, are the source of this traffic in a DDoS attack. Hacktivists and cybercriminals purchase or rent the compromised devices that make up the botnet.
Why DoS Attacks Are on the Rise
- Insecure IoT devices are easier to exploit.
- Hacktivism and cybercrime continue to target businesses for disruption or attention.
- Low barriers to entry allow even unsophisticated attackers to launch attacks using rented infrastructure.
Preparing for a DoS Attack: Best Practice from ARANKISH
We help you adopt the ASD’s top strategies to reduce your vulnerability and improve resilience:
Evaluate Your Business Continuity Needs: Determine which services must stay online during an attack and which can tolerate short-term outages.
Use a CDN with Built-in DoS Protection: Modern CDNs don’t just cache content—they provide intelligent traffic filtering and attack detection at the edge.
Protect Your Origin Server: Hide its IP address, restrict access via firewalls, and segment your server architecture to handle trusted and high-risk traffic separately.
Choose Cloud-Based DoS Mitigation: Partner with trusted vendors that can auto-detect and neutralise threats without human intervention.
Reduce Your Attack Surface:
- Outsource DNS and email to resilient providers.
- Partition critical services from public-facing ones.
- Configure firewalls to allow only essential traffic.
Test, Monitor and Harden:
- Run DoS simulations and load testing.
- Monitor real-time network and CPU usage.
- Secure domain names with registrar locks.
Responding During an Attack
If you’re under attack and unprepared, time is critical. ARANKISH helps with:
- Activating incident response protocols.
- Working directly with your service providers to deploy emergency defences.
- Communicating with customers and stakeholders.
- Deploying lightweight static website versions to maintain presence.
- Quickly changing and protecting exposed IP addresses.
Don’t Contribute to the Problem
ARANKISH also ensures your systems aren’t part of a botnet:
- Secure and monitor all IoT devices and exposed services.
- Block unused services and implement rate limiting.
- Follow guidance from ASD and CISA to defend against UDP-based amplification attacks.
Final Thought: Prevention Is Better Than Cure
While you can’t prevent being targeted, you can prevent disruption. At ARANKISH, we believe in cyber security by design—mitigating threats before they escalate.
📞 Ready to protect your digital front line?
Let our GRC and security testing experts conduct a DoS resilience assessment tailored to your business.