Is blockchain the solution for DDoS?

Increase in DDoS attacks has led to discovering newer and better ways to protect our systems. Is blockchain capable of protecting us from a DDoS attack? Let’s find out.

The process of disrupting a service by interfering with the network and rendering a system unavailable by sending more requests than it can handle is known as a DDoS attack. Under this attack, people are unable to access websites or publish information.

How DDoS attack takes place?

Attackers initially create a network of infected computers which are referred to as “botnets”. Botnets are created by sending emails that consist of malicious software or media. Once this malicious software infiltrates the system, a hacker gains access to the system without the owner’s knowledge about their system being compromised. These botnets are used as an army to launch an attack on a target. In some cases, the number of botnets can be in millions. Post botnet creation, the hackers launch an attack on a specified target. The attack can be executed by overwhelming the target with more requests using botnets that have been initially created. Since the target cannot handle so many requests, the attack occupies the service’s entire bandwidth. One of USA’s network providing company, Dyn, suffered a DDoS attack in 2016. In this attack, there were three phases involved where the attackers hacked the systems three consecutive times. In this attack, the “Mirai” Malware was used to overwhelm the servers with requests.

How can blockchain avoid the DDoS attack?

Blockchain stores data on ledgers using encrypted ‘blocks’. This, by itself, makes the blockchain a secure system. To add to this, the blockchain is also decentralized. Decentralizing the entire system means that data is not stored on a single system, it has been distributed on all the systems that are connected to the network. For a hack to occur, the hacker must gain access to all the systems to manipulate the data contained in the decentralized ledgers. This is a herculean task as the number of systems in a blockchain’s decentralized network could be in millions.

So, how can blockchain technology be used in preventing a DDoS attack? With blockchain technology, private keys can be provided to the systems that are stored on the network to communicate with each other. Using these keys, computers can securely transfer their data without any interpretation from uninvited guests. Since blockchain is a decentralized network, even if the hacker gets access to private keys, the hacker has to hack into all the decentralized systems throughout the network. Perpetrating this kind of an attack becomes difficult, allowing the data and the network to be secure.

The Blockchain is turning out to be a tremendously versatile technology that has evolved over time. It has moved on from its early days, where its primary application was its usage as the underlying technology for Bitcoin. Blockchain’s applications are vast and include use cases in postal services, real estate, and many more industries. It would be interesting to see what further applications of blockchain can be envisioned of in the future.