Twitter Attack Could Have Been Defended Against

Misconception that DDoS attacks cannot be defended against

Allot’s ‘ServiceProtector’ behavioural threat detection system can protect against DDoS attacks, botnets and zero-day attacks

Woking, Surrey: 19th August 2009 – We’ve read about recent attacks on Twitter to get at the Georgian blogger Cyxymu, which also affected Facebook, LiveJournal and parts of Google. There has been much misguided comment about the risks to the Internet of distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks and the difficulty of defending against such attacks. Much of the commentary has been about the “impossibility of the saervers to handle the traffic.”

While it isn’t possible to stop the credulity of users who are click-jacked into installing malicious code and becoming unwitting members of ‘botherds’, Ian Kilpatrick, chairman of security specialist Wick Hill Group, says that it is possible for web based organisations to defend themselves against DDoS.

He commented: “A lot of people, including some commentators in the national press, believe that you can’t protect against DDoS attacks. However, the evidence of many online sites, including gaming sites (which are often targeted by criminal gangs launching such attacks yet continue to function normally), is clearly proof to the contrary.”

DDoS attacks are created by flooding a service with valid traffic, until the service fails due to lack of enough resources (a particular problem for router based defences) or bandwidth to keep up with the flood. Up until now, one of the main defences against a DDoS attack has been to take down the service, which effectively makes the attack successful.

However there are solutions available which will give you proper protection and make this extreme and undesirable remedy unnecessary.

Allot’s ServiceProtector
Allot’s ServiceProtector is a behavioural threat detection system which protects against DDoS attacks, botnets and zero-day attacks, providing real-time detection and mitigation of threats at the network level.

Behavioural threat detection offers significant advantages over traditional intrusion detection systems (IDS)/intrusion prevention systems (IPS), which rely on signature-based recognition and are often playing catch up with the attackers.

Allot’s ServiceProtector solution detects and reacts to attacks in real-time, yet does not suffer from the false positives that are common in today’s IPS/IDS systems, due to the unique way it detects threats.

ServiceProtector accurately identifies the attacks in real time and when coupled with Allot’s NetEnforcer range of traffic management devices, mitigates the attack automatically by throttling the attack’s bandwidth, without causing a loss of service.

ServiceProtector can also detect botnet threats by identifying infected users on the network and isolating them from such activities as outbound spam and port scanning.

In a recent deployment on a service provider’s network, Allot’s ServiceProtector technology was able to detect and report on an actual DDoS attack taking place against a UK betting website.

Kilpatrick concluded: “For users running internet-based mission critical applications, DDoS attacks can be protected against and it is not necessary to be exposed to the risks of financial loss and a harmed reputation caused by botnet attacks”

About Wick Hill
Value added distributor Wick Hill distributes Allot solutions in the UK and Germany. Established in 1976, Wick Hill sources and delivers best-of-breed, easy-to-use solutions through its channel partners and provides support, implementation, training and technical services.

The portfolio includes IT security, performance, access and management solutions from leading vendors such as Allot, Marshal8e6, Barracuda Networks, Check Point, CRYPTOCard, Open Text, Kaspersky Lab, VASCO, WatchGuard, Samsung, NetGear and ArcSight .

Solutions include unified threat management, encryption, authentication, single sign-on, anti-virus, anti-spyware, anti-spam and instant-messaging security. Wick Hill also provides hosted solutions for service providers as well as a range of converged fixed/mobile voice/data solutions.

About Allot Communications
Allot Communications (NASDAQ: ALLT) is a leading provider of intelligent IP service optimization solutions for DSL, wireless and mobile broadband carriers, service providers, and enterprises. Allot’s rich portfolio of hardware platforms and software applications utilizes deep packet inspection (DPI) technology to transform broadband pipes into smart networks that can rapidly and efficiently deploy value added Internet services. Allot’s scalable, carrier-grade solutions provide the visibility, security, application control and subscriber management that are vital to managing Internet service delivery, guaranteeing quality of experience (QoE), containing operating costs, and maximizing revenue in broadband networks.

ENDS

For further press information, please contact Annabelle Brown on 01326 212130, email abpublicrelations {at} btinternet(.)com. For pic of Ian Kilpatrick, please contact Annabelle Brown or download from http://www.wickhill.com/company/press/pictures.php. For reader queries, please contact Wick Hill on 01483 227600, web www.wickhill.com. Or go to www.allot.com.