Skip to main content

Are you prepared for a DOS/DDOS attack?

By November 10, 2016January 11th, 2017Business Insurance
Cyber Security Newsletter

Denial of Service (DOS) attack hits major DNS provider -ArsTechnica

Most industry experts recognize that denial of service attacks are on the rise. In September of 2016 one of the largest recorded Distributed-Denial of Service (DDOS) attacks took place against a cybersecurity reporter, Brian Krebs. The attack was over 600 GIGABITS PER SECOND! This was not a normal sized attack, and introduces an extremely scary new attack vector: The Internet of Things. Smart watches, Wi-Fi enabled cameras, even smart refrigerators are now all available for attackers to use as pieces of their botnets.

While it is easy to assume that DDOS attacks are difficult to defend against, there are some ways that you can help yourself and your business. First, make sure your firewall is configured to see and shut down bursts of traffic. Many modern firewalls have this capability, including: Sophos, WatchGuard, and Juniper Networks.

Next work with your Service Providers (ISP); while not a guarantee, there are ISP’s out there that are willing to help mitigate this risk and shut down a burst of traffic to your IP address. Doing this can help alleviate some of the stress on your firewall, which may be unable to work against the DDOS attack quickly enough. Third, have a plan. Do you have a backup site that could go online while you’re under attack? If you are under attack will your phones be able to operate? What about your website?

Finally, make sure your business is covered if you do have downtime because of a DDOS attack. Interruption insurance is there to help you recoup that lost time. We are here to help! Johnson-Witkemper is ready to provide you with some of the best insurance built specifically for cyber security and keeping you online.