How to Protect Against Cyberattacks That Overload Websites
The Australian Signals Directorate (ASD), alongside New Zealand’s National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC-NZ), Akamai Technologies, and Cloudflare, released new guidelines to help organizations defend against denial-of-service (DoS) attacks - cyberattacks that can take down websites and online services by flooding them with too much traffic, which the news was published on 17 March 2025.
What Are DoS Attacks?
DoS attacks overwhelm websites, email systems, or other online services, making them slow or completely inaccessible. Cybercriminals use various techniques to do this, such as:
Overloading networks with fake traffic, clogging up bandwidth.
Exploiting server weaknesses to drain their processing power.
Using botnets (networks of infected devices) to launch large-scale attacks from multiple sources.
Hijacking DNS settings to redirect users away from legitimate websites.
How Can Organizations Defend Themselves?
While companies can’t stop hackers from targeting them, they can reduce the damage by taking key security steps:
Use firewalls and security filters to control which traffic can reach their networks.
Leverage content delivery networks (CDNs) that help absorb and block attack traffic.
Separate critical systems to minimize disruptions if one part of the network is hit.
Regularly check security settings with internet service providers to ensure the latest protections are in place.
Prevent their own systems from being exploited by securing online services and blocking unauthorized access.
What to Do If a DoS Attack Happens
If an organization is under attack, they should act fast:
Activate their cybersecurity response plan immediately.
Work with service providers to deploy protective measures.
Turn off unnecessary functions to reduce server strain.
Keep customers informed and stay in touch with security vendors.
Consider changing the targeted server’s IP address, but only after adding protective measures.
Report the attack to ASD and NCSC-NZ to help track and counter future threats.
Cyberattacks are an ongoing threat, but with the right defenses, organizations can minimize damage and keep their services online.
Official press release is available - here