How do cloud providers like AWS and Azure handle DDoS attacks on data centers? Does this process require manual intervention?

DDoS attacks are a common problem in today's digital space. These actions can paralyze websites and services, leading to significant downtime and financial loss. Amazon Web Services (AWS) and Microsoft Azure, two leading cloud providers, have built substantial defenses against such attacks. This blog post examines how these giants of the cloud go about defending their data centers from DDoS assaults, and also whether there is any human participation in the process. 

Understanding DDoS Attacks 

However, before examining the mechanisms employed by AWS and Azure, it’s important to understand what DDoS attacks mean. A DDoS attack is when an internet network is flooded with too much traffic rendering all its other services unusable by anyone else but attackers. This could be done through several vectors among which include volumetric attacks, protocol attacks as well as application layer attacks. 

AWS and Azure: Leaders in Cloud Security 

 Amongst the largest cloud service providers globally are AWS and Azure which serve millions of customers that require advanced and comprehensive security measures, particularly for protection against DDoS attacks. 

AWS Shield 

The company offers a dedicated service called AWS Shield which handles Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection. It has been divided into two tiers; AWS shield standard and advanced. 

AWS Shield Standard: 

• Automatic Protection: The most widespread kinds of distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) like SYN/ACK floods, reflection assaults, or HTTP request floods are collectively managed by AWS Shield Basic at no extra cost to every consumer on AWS sites. 

• Always-On Detection And Mitigation: This service keeps watch over all incoming packets from within the web and then automatically deploys countermeasures upon detection of malicious behavior thus ensuring that no customer intervention is required for mitigation during this period thus improving the availability of service under attack. 

AWS Shield Advanced: 

• Enhanced Protection: In addition to real-time visibility during an attack, advanced attack mitigation and financial protections are some additional features provided by AWS Shield Advanced which are required by some customers interested in more comprehensive DDoS protection. 

• 24/7 Access to DDoS Experts: The AWS DDoS Response Team (DRT) provides real-time support and assistance to customers during the attack. 

• Cost Protection: Shield Advanced includes cost protection for scaling and bandwidth charges that could arise due to a DDoS attack. 

Read More:- 5 Essential Cybersecurity Facts!

Azure DDoS Protection 

It also offers tiered services for its clients about DDoS protection like AWS: 

Azure DDoS Protection Basic: 

• Default Protection: It uses Azure’s infrastructure as an additional measure of security for all Azure services as part of its default package at no charge whatsoever. 

• Always-On Monitoring: This protects against the most common network-layer attacks on the Azure backbone at all times without any configuration or tuning. 

Azure DDoS Protection Standard: 

• Enhanced Mitigation: Customers benefit from advanced, tailored threat intelligence and detailed mitigation reports about particular Azure resources offered by this service. 

• Application and Cost Protection: Includes protection against application-layer attacks and cost protection similar to AWS Shield Advanced. 

• DDoS Rapid Response (DRR): Azure’s experts in Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) can be engaged during an active attack, assisting in configuring mitigation strategies that best suit their environments or specific applications thus optimizing them accordingly. 

Automated vs. Manual Intervention 

Automation is emphasized heavily when it comes to mitigating DDoS attacks by both AWS and Azure. This means that they can detect and deal with such intrusions quickly, reducing the need for human involvement in the process while minimizing customer impact as much as possible. 

Automation in DDoS Mitigation 

• Real-Time Monitoring: Both companies employ defined algorithms capable of differentiating between normal traffic spikes as well as malicious activity through their machine learning-enabled monitoring systems. These networks keep constantly scanning patterns within traffic inflow databases looking out for any irregularities that may be indicative of a suspiciously high influx of traffic which could be a DDoS attack. 

• Automatic Scaling: Cloud services can scale resources automatically to handle increased traffic due to a DDoS attack, thus helping maintain service availability and performance even though this may lead to higher costs that are covered by such offerings as AWS Shield Advanced or Azure DDoS Protection Standard. 

• Dynamic Mitigation: This means that after the detection of an attack, automated systems could take immediate action like rerouting, rate limiting, and traffic filtering. These measures include application layer security groups, regional edge caches, and network perimeter firewalls/proxies. 

The Need for Manual Intervention 

Despite the role played by automation in containing DDoS attacks, it is still necessary to use manual intervention during some instances, especially in cases where the attacks are sophisticated or persistent. 

• Expert Support: The two providers also have expertise teams offering support before and after a DDoS attack takes place. This human aspect ensures that there is a proper understanding of intricate attack patterns and fine-tuning of mitigation techniques. 

• Tailor-Made Mitigation strategies: Some customers may request customized mitigation approaches considering their applications’ architecture among other specifications. Such solutions can be implemented with assistance from DDoS consultants. 

• Post-Attack Analysis: Oftentimes, such analysis on a forensic basis requires manual intervention. Understanding the vectors of an attack helps enhance future defenses while providing insights useful to other companies experiencing similar threats. 

Read More:- Understanding VPNs: What They Are and How They Work

Conclusion