Facing a DDoS attack? Here are ways to safeguard yourself.
Facing a DDoS attack? Here are ways to safeguard yourself.
Hello, this situation is pretty tricky. The child is just starting out with hacking and cheating, and he’s only 13 years old. He accidentally hit the wrong person, which has led to a DDOS attack on their home network. All devices are experiencing slow internet speeds. I suggested they contact Verizon to change their IP address and consider using a VPN service. What additional steps can they take to safeguard themselves? They’ve already had their IP changed and faced another DDOS attack. I learned that some companies offer software that detects excessive pings and blocks the connection automatically. There’s also mention of tools that monitor network traffic, like Wireshark, which could help identify and stop malicious activity. If the attacks are coming from a network of devices, it might be difficult to fix without more resources. I suspect this situation is beyond what government intervention can easily resolve, so they’ll need to rely on their own solutions. The child thinks he understands who’s behind the attack, but I’m not sure if there’s anything official they can do. This thread seems useful for anyone facing similar threats. I’m currently studying computer security, but most of the material focuses on large organizations and doesn’t offer practical advice for beginners. After some research, I noticed most recommendations are similar to what I’ve already shared. I think they might benefit from a network monitoring tool to see which connections are trying to flood the system and block them manually. Another resource I’m exploring is https://www.esecurityplanet.com/network-...tacks.html. Some points stand out: certain routers can be set up to filter obvious attacks, and UDP traffic can sometimes be blocked. Since they play online games like Minecraft and Fortnite that use UDP, this could be relevant.
He received what he earned for dishonesty. Typically, to protect against anti-DDoS attacks, you require a high-end business firewall.
Running games through a Proxy like a VPN seems like the safest choice. Higher ping might occur, but any DDoS attempts would be blocked. Switching his home’s public IP would only work if an attacker gained access to his new IP while he was playing. Wireshark isn’t useful here since it focuses on LAN network monitoring. You’ll need a tool that can redirect traffic away from the WAN. You won’t be able to detect DDoS attacks on the WAN connection using WireShark. That’s because DDoS operates by bypassing your local network. Most consumer router-based mitigation solutions offer limited protection. Even if the router discards packets, processing still consumes CPU resources, and a strong attack could still saturate it.
In a home setting, most options are limited. If his public IP address has shifted and he's still under DDoS attacks, it likely means he's revealing the new IP somehow—through IRC, links he clicks, or data scraped from forums or websites.
Initially it's important to confirm the nature of the issue before assuming a DDoS scenario. DDoS attacks come in various forms, and ICMP pings are only one type among many. Blocking a single method isn't straightforward, as even a home router can become overwhelmed depending on the attack's intensity. If packets are malformed and aimed directly at the router, it drops them automatically unless there are unusual configurations. Adding more firewall rules won't resolve the problem. For high volumes, a business-grade firewall might not suffice. If the attacker controls a 1Gbps connection while you have only 100 Mbps, they can saturate your line completely, making even a capable firewall ineffective. The safest approach is to reach out to your ISP for guidance—they're typically against their policies for causing service disruptions. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) involves many devices participating, whereas a non-distributed attack from a single network is simply a DoS attempt.
His friend must update their IP address once more and restrict the kid's internet access. It’s important they understand the repercussions before facing serious consequences. Being 13 doesn’t change the fact that his actions are against the law, and the responsible party will be held accountable.
Let the child handle his own business link. When he moves to a different connection, he’ll quickly understand the consequences, helping clear the household’s bandwidth.