Social networks have been the subject of many recent virus attacks including attacks by the blogger Cyxymu, who infected millions on Twitter, LiveJournal, and Facebook.

Since then many people have incorrectly commented that DDoS attacks cannot be prevented.

However, while it is hard to stop the appearance of validity created by the fake credentials that hackers can use when they hijack information via botnets, it is possible for web organisations to still protect themselves against DDos attacks according to Wick Hill Group Specialist Ian Kilpatrick.

Kilpatrick stated that online sites such as gaming sites that continue to run even after DDoS attacks are launched, prove that such attacks can be prevented.

The attacks are formed when valid traffic floods a service until there is not enough bandwidth for the service to stay live.

The usual defence against such an attack is to take the service down to stop the flood of attacks, which basically means that the hackers were successful.

Yet, some programs, such as a behavioural threat detection service from Allot’s ServiceProtector, claims that it can protect services against DDos attacks by identifying actions and behavioural patterns of users that are abnormal suggesting botnets may be at work.

Once an attack is suspected it is possible to block the attackers’ bandwidth so that service does not have to be disrupted.

The most famous DDos attacks to make the news in the last several years was the attack on Georgian government websites that crippled the government, banking sector, and most citizens lives for a few weeks.

The US Government released news earlier this week that it has strong reason to believe the attacks were launched by Russian gangs.

The US had previously commissioned an independent institute to research and analysis the attacks.

Source