Today, viruses come in several forms to infect our devices in different ways. Each of the viruses infects our devices differently, but the aim is to gain unauthorized access to your network. The hackers are interested in stealing your confidential or organizational data to cause financial or reputational harm. Therefore, it is crucial to learn about the different types of hacking so you can put efficient security measures into practice.
There is a wide range of cyber-attacks that hackers launch. In this blog, we will discuss the smurf attack, which is a type of DDoS attack. In 2021, 35% of the DDoS attacks were directed at the United States. Within seconds, these attacks can cripple the server and cause financial harm because these are specialized virus attacks that are capable of causing serious damage to your computer network. So, let’s delve in!
What Is a Smurf Attack?
In the world of cybercrimes, a smurf attack is just another type of cyber attack manufactured to hack our network. A common type of distributed denial of service attack (DDOS) makes computer networks inoperable. It does this by exploiting internet protocol vulnerabilities. Once it is launched, it overwhelms all the devices with prompt requests.
Smurf attacks can result in significant revenue losses for businesses. And within seconds, this attack can shut down the services and pose data or intellectual property theft.
Seven Ways to Prevent Smurf Attacks
Mitigating the smurf attack is all about protecting your network. Read the following are the ways to prevent smurf attacks.
Use a Secure Internet Connection
To protect your devices against smurf attacks, you need a secure internet connection from a reliable ISP. If you own a business and have chosen an unreliable ISP, your devices are at risk of being hacked. Most ISPs sell your information to a third party or neglect your network security. Thus, the vulnerabilities in your network make it easier for hackers to hack your devices. But a trustworthy ISP not only offers a secure internet connection but also offers security features to enhance your cyber security. For example, if you choose HughesNet, you will get a secure internet connection and an antivirus solution to protect your devices from viruses. It is powerful antivirus software that blocks hackers from infecting your devices. You can visit the website of HughesNet for more information.
Use a Good Antivirus Software
Antivirus software can help you identify the potential threats in your computer and deletes them before they can corrupt your system. Also, a smurf attack runs in the background of your computer, and you might not even notice it. But antivirus software can help identify potential threats and protects your system.
Disable IP Broadcasting
This feature of your router sends data packets to all devices on the given network. Hackers exploit this feature to launch attacks and send requests on every device connected to your network. Therefore, you should disable the IP-directed broadcast on the router and configure your network devices to not respond to ICMP requests. This will block the directed broadcast traffic coming into the network.
Monitor Your Network
One of the best ways to prevent these attacks is to monitor your network for signs of strange activity. A cyber security technician can monitor your network round the clock to detect unusual signs. So, hire a professional cyber security officer to protect your network against the smurf attacks.
Use Specialized Web Applications Firewalls
Firewalls are considered to be the initial defense against external attacks. A good firewall can prevent incoming attacks by using multiple scanning systems.
Use a Redundant Server
Smurf malware sends out prompt requests to every device connected to the network. Therefore, relying on multiple servers makes it harder for the hacker to attack each server at the same time. So, other servers would remain unaffected even if a hacker manages to launch a successful smurf attack on a single hosting device. This way, you can keep your business data protected.
Use a Cloud-Based DNS Provider
You should also consider using a cloud-based DNS provider, as cloud servers are specially designed to handle cyberattacks. Transitioning to the cloud can offer better security and other additional benefits.
To End Things Off
Since cybersecurity remains the top concern of the people! So you must use proper security measures, so you don’t easily fall victim to different types of attacks, specially smurf attacks. Smurf attacks can cripple your network within seconds by flooding your network with prompt requests. So, use the above strategies to prevent attacks and enhance your cybersecurity.
