DDoS-атака
DDoS Attack
A DDoS attack is an attempt to take a service offline by flooding it with massive traffic from many sources at once.
What is DDoS-атака (DDoS Attack)?
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a distributed denial-of-service assault. The attacker does not hack the server but clogs its channels and resources with requests until legitimate users can no longer reach the website, API or payment gateway. The traffic typically comes from infected devices combined into a botnet.
## How it works
Attacks fall into three groups: volumetric attacks (they saturate bandwidth, for example UDP floods), protocol attacks (they exploit the protocol stack, for example SYN floods that overflow the connection table) and application-layer attacks (L7, which mimic real user actions, for example mass requests to a login or search page). L7 attacks are harder to tell apart from normal traffic and most often hit casinos and bookmakers during peak hours.
## Where it occurs in high-risk verticals
In gambling and betting, DDoS is used to stop accepting bets during live events, to pressure an operator for extortion, or to benefit a competitor. In crypto services and exchangers, attacks target the frontend and API to block withdrawals and cause panic. In fintech and payment services, payment acceptance gateways come under fire, while in dating and nutra, landing pages and registration systems are the targets. A typical scheme: the extortionist demands a payment in cryptocurrency and promises to stop the attack.
## What it affects
Even a short attack can cause direct losses: halted bet acceptance during a live event, failed deposits, and lost traffic from paid sources. Indirectly, conversion rates suffer, as do approval rates at payment providers (if the gateway is unavailable, some transactions end in decline), along with reputation in the eyes of partners and regulators.
## Common mistakes
The main mistake is having no protection until the first incident. The second is relying on a single provider without a backup channel or an action plan. The third is manually blocking attacking IPs without configuring rate limiting and WAF rules, which adds further load to the infrastructure. The fourth is failing to separate traffic: when landing pages are attacked, the main site also suffers if everything is deployed on one domain and one server.
FAQ
How is a DDoS attack different from a hack?
In a hack, the attacker gains access to data or a system. In a DDoS attack, there is no access sought: the only goal is to overload the service so it stops responding to users.
Can you fully protect yourself from DDoS?
No protection is absolute, but you can reduce the risk and downtime by using a CDN with attack protection, a WAF, rate limiting and backup channels. The goal is to ensure an attack does not stop critical functions.
What should you do if a ransom demand arrives?
Do not transfer funds without consulting lawyers and security specialists, preserve logs and report the incident to law enforcement. Payment does not guarantee that the attack will stop.