Category: Attacks

Cyberattacks come in many shapes and sizes, but one of the most common and disruptive is the HTTP flood attack. It’s simple, effective, and dangerous for websites that aren’t prepared. The good news is that with some knowledge and the right defenses, you can protect your online presence.

In this beginner-friendly guide, we’ll explain what an HTTP flood attack is, how it works, why it’s so harmful, and most importantly—how to defend against it.

What Is an HTTP Flood Attack?

An HTTP flood attack is a type of Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack where an attacker overwhelms a web server with a massive number of HTTP requests.

Unlike older attacks that relied on corrupted packets, HTTP floods use legitimate-looking requests, which makes them harder to detect. To the server, the traffic looks like it’s coming from normal users—but the volume is so high that the website becomes slow, unstable, or completely unavailable.

How Does It Work?

Here’s a simple breakdown of an HTTP flood attack in action:

  1. Botnet preparation – The attacker controls a network of infected devices (bots) that can send requests to the target website.
  2. Flood of requests – The bots generate huge amounts of HTTP GET or POST requests.
    • GET flood: Bombards the server with requests for images, pages, or files.
    • POST flood: Sends requests that require more processing power, like form submissions.
  3. Server overload – The web server tries to handle all requests but quickly runs out of resources.
  4. Denial of service – Legitimate users can’t access the website, leading to downtime, lost revenue, and reputational damage.

Why Are HTTP Flood Attacks Dangerous?

Several factors make HTTP floods especially harmful:

  • Hard to detect – The traffic looks normal compared to classic DDoS attacks.
  • Resource draining – Even with moderate bandwidth, the server can be forced to consume CPU and memory.
  • No corruption needed – Attackers don’t need to exploit vulnerabilities; they simply abuse server capacity.
  • Low cost for attackers – With a botnet, launching an attack requires little effort but can cause massive damage.

Signs You Might Be Under Attack

How can you tell if an HTTP flood attack is happening? Watch out for these signs:

  • Unusual spikes in traffic, especially from unfamiliar sources.
  • Server CPU or memory usage rising sharply without clear reason.
  • Slow website performance or frequent “503 Service Unavailable” errors.
  • Logs showing repeated requests for the same resource.

How to Protect Against HTTP Flood Attacks

Defending against HTTP floods requires both technical tools and good practices. Here are the key steps:

1. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A WAF filters incoming requests, blocking malicious traffic while letting legitimate visitors through. Many WAFs can detect abnormal request patterns typical of floods.

2. Enable Rate Limiting

Limit how many requests a single IP address can send in a given timeframe. This reduces the impact of bots spamming requests.

3. Deploy a Content Delivery Network (CDN)

A CDN distributes your website across multiple servers worldwide, absorbing excess traffic and reducing the load on your origin server.

4. Monitor Your Traffic

Keep an eye on server logs and analytics. Early detection is critical—if you see suspicious spikes, you can take action before the attack escalates.

5. Use DDoS Protection Services

Specialized providers offer advanced DDoS protection to automatically detect and block large-scale floods.

6. Optimize Server Resources

Ensure your infrastructure is scalable and can handle unexpected traffic surges. Cloud hosting often makes it easier to scale up temporarily during an attack.

Real-Life Example

In 2020, several financial institutions were targeted by massive HTTP flood attacks. Their servers received millions of requests per second, disrupting online banking services for hours. These incidents show how even well-protected organizations can suffer downtime if defenses aren’t prepared for this type of attack.

Conclusion

An HTTP flood attack may look simple, but it can cause serious disruption if left unchecked. By understanding how it works and taking steps like using a WAF, enabling rate limiting, and monitoring traffic, you can safeguard your website against these threats.

For businesses, investing in DDoS protection is no longer optional—it’s essential. Protecting your online services means protecting your customers, reputation, and revenue.

The Slowloris attack is a sophisticated yet straightforward method used by attackers to disrupt websites and servers. In this article, we’ll break down what these attacks are, their risks, and how to prevent them.

What is a Slowloris Attack?

A Slowloris attack is a type of Denial of Service (DoS) attack designed to overload a server and make a website unavailable to its users. Unlike other DoS attacks that flood the server with large volumes of traffic, Slowloris works stealthily by opening and holding numerous connections to a server, keeping them active indefinitely.

History and Evolution of Slowloris Attack

How Does it Work?

It works by following the steps below:

  1. The attacker sends partial HTTP requests to a server but does not complete them.
  2. The server waits for the incomplete requests to finish, keeping the connection open.
  3. Over time, the server’s resources are exhausted, preventing it from responding to legitimate users.

The Slowloris attack is particularly dangerous because it requires minimal resources from the attacker while causing maximum disruption to the target.

Risks of Slowloris Attack

Slowloris attacks pose several significant risks, especially to businesses and organizations reliant on their online presence. Key risks include:

  • Downtime: Websites and services may become unresponsive, leading to customer dissatisfaction.
  • Financial Loss: Prolonged outages can result in lost revenue and additional costs for mitigation.
  • Reputation Damage: Regular downtime can harm your brand’s credibility.
  • Targeted Exploitation: Attackers may use Slowloris as a distraction while carrying out other attacks.

How to Prevent Slowloris Attack

While Slowloris attacks are challenging to detect due to their stealthy nature, there are several effective ways to mitigate the risk.

  • Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

A WAF can filter and block malicious traffic, including Slowloris-like behavior. Many modern WAF solutions include rate-limiting features to cap the number of requests a single IP can make.

  • Configure Your Server

Making a few adjustments to your server’s settings can significantly reduce its vulnerability:

Set Connection Timeouts: Limit how long a server will wait for incomplete requests.

Limit Simultaneous Connections: Cap the number of connections allowed per IP address.

Enable Keep-Alive Requests: Use this setting to manage inactive connections effectively.

  • Deploy Load Balancers

A load balancer distributes incoming traffic across multiple servers, making it harder for an attacker to overwhelm any single server. Some load balancers also include built-in mitigation features for DoS attacks.

  • Monitor Traffic Patterns

Regularly monitor your traffic for unusual patterns, such as many open connections from the same IP or slow incoming requests. Early detection is key to minimizing damage.

  • Use Anti-DDoS Services

Specialized services can detect and neutralize Slowloris attacks before they impact your site.

Why Prevention Matters

Preventing Slowloris attacks is about more than just keeping your website online. It’s about safeguarding your business’s reputation, maintaining customer trust, and avoiding costly downtime. By implementing proactive measures, you can ensure your digital assets remain secure and accessible.

Conclusion

Slowloris attacks may not generate the same headlines as large-scale DDoS attacks, but their impact can be just as devastating. Understanding how these attacks work and taking steps to mitigate them is crucial for anyone managing a website or server. By using tools like WAFs, configuring your server properly, and monitoring your traffic, you can defend against these attacks and keep your online presence running smoothly.