DDoS-for-Hire

What is DDoS-for-Hire?

DDoS-for-hire refers to the illicit service offered by individuals or groups who rent out their network of compromised devices, known as botnets, to launch Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks against targeted websites or online services. These attacks flood the target with a high volume of traffic, overwhelming its resources and making it inaccessible to legitimate users. DDoS-for-hire services are often used for extortion, sabotage, or competitive advantage by individuals or organizations with malicious intent.

While the internet has brought good tidings, there are also numerous bad sides to the internet. One of the bad sides mentioned in this article is DDoS and how most firms and freelancers offer this service to attack a server and cripple its activities. Gaining unsolicited access to a server is quite a difficult task that requires a lot of strategy and planning. When a server isn’t properly equipped with the right security that can fight against malicious traffic, then a DDoS attack will progress there.

Over the years, there has been an increase in the demand for DDoS-for-hire services, and this will increase attacks on functional networks and active servers. This is a huge threat to organisations and individuals that have mounted servers for diverse purposes.

Understanding DDoS-for-Hire

Before we forge ahead, let’s give a proper definition of DDoS and connect the meaning to this entire article. DDoS is a well-known acronym for Distributed Denial of Service; if you are not new to technological systems, IT and security, then DDoS shouldn’t be a new word. DDoS is an attack that happens when a user sends out traffic from multiple sources and untracked locations to an organisation’s server or other online activities.

Typically, the attack on the system makes activities slow or even leads to a disabled system – no organisation would want this because it takes time and resources to revive a system that is not efficient or working at all.

DDoS-for-hire is derived from the concept of SaaS (software as a service). It’s a service hiring option that allows one to carry out a DDoS attack for a few dollars. The DDoS-for-hire is meant for legitimate reasons, but the purpose has been tossed as it is used for malicious attacks and sending fake traffic to a particular server.

Regretfully, there is no proper structure or mechanism by authorities to analyse the stimulation of DDoS, hence the reason most DDoSer use it as an opportunity for illegal server attacks.

Ideally, DDoS for hire is the selling of access to botnets (networks of infected systems). According to Troels Oerting, Lead, cybercrime centre EU, botnets are the major tool for DDoS and are simple to build. The individual that does DDoS-for-service is known as a “stresser”.

On the flip side, not much dollar is required to rent a botnet. That is why the dirty work of DDos-for-service can be done easily at any pay. The profitability of DDoS lies where the stresser offers the service to multiple clients, which is possible.

Significant problems with DDoS-for-Hire

As mentioned, attacks on servers and networks have been happening for decades, and during the first quarter of 2021, over 2.9 million DDoS attacks were reported. This was information released by Infosecurity, a renowned platform that offers first-hand updates about cybercrime, security, and systems protection.

There are many reasons why DDoS-for-hire is considered problematic, and in this section, we’ll highlight a few that are significant.

High rate of cybercrime: DDoS has brought a new level of cybercrime. Numerous hackers who want to cause damage and make a buck from it are currently titling to become stressers. It requires a little technical knowledge, preparation, and resource, and then you are in the DDoS-for-hire circle. This is one of the biggest problems that pose danger in all areas.

Negative threat to online businesses: DDoS-for-rent is one of the dangerous sources to online businesses, especially those that are active 24/7, like e-commerce. DDoS sends traffic to online business websites; in some cases, the traffic looks real. The realness comes when the business has thousands of customer data and tops it up with complete trust for users. The server becomes completely unavailable when a business falls victim to a DDoS attack. The webpage and payment gateway will cease functioning, manipulated by botnets or zombies. Generally, this will slow the operations of the business under attack.

Creation of cyber weapon: There is a saying that where there is no weapon, there is no war. DDoS-for-hire allows creating and accessing cyber weapons to cause cyber war. Here, the weapon consists of the tools and equipment used for DDoS attacks, including botnets, mobile devices, malware computers, etc. Sadly, all these weapons are in high demand, available upon request, and built for immediate action, damaging a functional application or system.

Lack of client trust: Another problem resulting from DDoS-for-hire is putting businesses in the state of losing clients’ trust. When one client doesn’t trust a business anymore, ten other clients will not also trust you. Customers always rush to click, pay, and get the product delivered to them. When the business site is attacked, and these actions can’t be carried out, the customers will leave. In the long run, the lack of trust will infiltrate the business revenue, and what’s a business without profit?

In conclusion, this article intends to give you greater insight into DDoS-for-hire and the problem they cause to organisations and individuals. You may have related to one or more of the highlights. When you are under a DDoS-for-hire attack, there is no exact approach to avoiding it, but you can always put preventive measures in place.

It could be a line set of security systems, firewall applications, or any structure recommended by your IT personnel. Alternatively, you can check this cybersecurity guide. You must consistently monitor and evaluate all traffic sources that tap into your server. Despite becoming popular, DDoS attacks can be advanced, and you might find them difficult to tackle. Always stay alert to avoid DDoS-for-hire and its aftermath experiences.