{"id":1763,"date":"2018-12-20T19:33:48","date_gmt":"2018-12-20T19:33:48","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/live-infoblox-blog.pantheonsite.io\/?p=1763"},"modified":"2020-12-05T18:26:12","modified_gmt":"2020-12-06T02:26:12","slug":"ddos-attacks-make-their-big-screen-debut-what-enterprises-can-learn-from-ralph","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.infoblox.com\/blog\/security\/ddos-attacks-make-their-big-screen-debut-what-enterprises-can-learn-from-ralph\/","title":{"rendered":"DDoS Attacks Make Their Big-Screen Debut — What Enterprises can Learn from Ralph"},"content":{"rendered":"

If you have young children, or are a fan of Disney movies, you may have seen \u201cWreck It Ralph 2: Ralph Breaks the Internet<\/a><\/u>,\u201d and noticed that (spoiler alert!) a DDoS attack was the culprit. The film shows at a high-level the impact a DDoS attack can have on an end-user. But how can users \u2013 and enterprises \u2013 prevent these attacks from affecting their business?<\/p>\n

If you haven\u2019t seen the movie, here\u2019s a quick rundown of the scenario: Ralph and Vanellope are two video game characters and best friends living inside an arcade machine. When one day, Vanellope decides she wants to check out the new \u201cinternet\u201d the arcade owners have installed, she finds a racing game better than her own and decides she wants to live there permanently.<\/p>\n

It all goes downhill when Ralph, her hurt best friend, uses a black market \u201cinsecurity virus\u201d in a last-ditch effort to get her to change her mind. The virus seeks out \u201cinsecurities\u201d and when it catches sight of the needy aspects of Ralph\u2019s personality, it makes thousands of clones of Ralph. These turn into one large Ralph-like figure that wreaks havoc on the internet, shutting down major websites. There\u2019s even a short clip of a YouTube celebrity angrily trying to access a blank webpage that won\u2019t load.<\/p>\n

While not having access to the internet is frustrating, and the thought of hundreds of \u201cRalphs\u201d flooding the network is a cute way to personify network activity — the reality of DDoS attacks are far more serious. DDoS attacks make it impossible for users to access a website and can cost businesses and organizations thousands of dollars in lost revenue and brand reputation damage. In fact, one\u00a0recent report<\/a>\u00a0<\/u>from Kaspersky found that the financial impact of a DDoS attack is rising globally, costing enterprises over $2 million on average per attack.<\/p>\n

There are three common and dangerous misconceptions about DDoS attacks. This first is that most people\/organizations are under the impression that it won\u2019t happen to them, and, as a result, fail to take the necessary preventative measures. Secondly, many believe they can only be attacked by cybercriminals from the outside world when in reality, the threat of a volumetric attack can come from inside their own network. Lastly, DDoS attacks don\u2019t just come from laptops or computers. IoT devices like smart refrigerators, thermostats or voice assistants can also be vehicles to watch out for.<\/p>\n

To better safeguard their networks, IT professionals should take a closer look at how they use DNS as a security tool. Not only is DNS the backbone of the internet, but it can also provide organizations with more visibility into the devices on their network and any potential malicious activity they maybe engaged in. For example, if a user has a smart thermostat made by GE, the thermostat will work by connecting and sending data to a GE server on a regular basis, and this \u00a0uses DNS communications. If the device comes under the control of an attacker and becomes part of a botnet, it can use DNS to connect to C&C servers instead, before launching attacks. (i.e. the thermostat begins deviating from its normal pattern by connecting to a malicious server). Using DNS security, IT and security professionals can:<\/p>\n