DDoS Mitigation: Protecting Your Web Applications from Denial of Service Attacks

DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks continue to grow in frequency, sophistication, and impact in 2026. Application layer attacks, in particular, have become the weapon of choice for attackers, as they can be launched with minimal resources while causing maximum damage.

In this guide, we'll explore how DDoS attacks work and how WafWay helps protect your web applications from these devastating attacks.

Understanding DDoS Attacks

DDoS attacks aim to overwhelm your infrastructure and make your services unavailable. They can target different layers:

Network Layer (L3/L4) Attacks

These attacks flood network infrastructure with massive traffic volumes:

• UDP Floods: Massive volumes of UDP packets
• SYN Floods: Exploit TCP handshake to exhaust resources
• ICMP Floods: Ping floods consuming bandwidth
• Amplification Attacks: DNS, NTP, SSDP amplification

Application Layer (L7) Attacks

These attacks target web applications directly and are what WafWay specializes in blocking:

• HTTP Floods: High volumes of HTTP GET/POST requests
• Slowloris: Holding connections open indefinitely
• RUDY: R-U-Dead-Yet slow POST attacks
• Cache-busting: Requests designed to bypass caching

Why Application Layer Attacks Are Dangerous

L7 attacks are particularly challenging because:

• Low bandwidth required: Can be launched from a single machine
• Hard to distinguish: Requests look like legitimate traffic
• Target specific functionality: Attack expensive operations
• Bypass traditional defenses: Network-level protection doesn't help

How WafWay Mitigates DDoS Attacks

WafWay provides comprehensive application layer DDoS protection:

Intelligent Rate Limiting

WafWay's rate limiting goes beyond simple per-IP limits:

• Per-IP rate limits: Configurable requests per second
• Per-session limits: Track authenticated users
• Endpoint-specific limits: Stricter limits on expensive operations
• Sliding window: Accurate rate calculation
• Burst tolerance: Allow legitimate traffic spikes

Connection Management

WafWay detects and blocks slow attacks:

• Request timeout enforcement
• Header size limits
• Body size limits
• Slow POST detection

Bot Detection

Most DDoS attacks use botnets. WafWay identifies bot traffic through:

• User agent analysis
• Behavioral patterns
• IP reputation checks
• Challenge-response validation

Geographic Filtering

Block traffic from regions where you don't have customers:

• Country-level blocking
• Suspicious region alerts
• Temporary geographic restrictions during attacks

DDoS Attack Indicators

Signs that your application may be under DDoS attack:

• Sudden spike in traffic from unusual sources
• Increased latency or timeouts
• High CPU/memory usage on servers
• Many requests to a single endpoint
• Traffic patterns inconsistent with normal users
• Requests with unusual or missing headers

WafWay's real-time dashboard helps you identify these patterns immediately.

Configuring DDoS Protection

Rate Limiting Configuration

Set appropriate limits based on your application:

• Global limit: 100-1000 requests per IP per minute
• Login endpoint: 5-10 requests per minute
• Search endpoint: 20-30 requests per minute
• API endpoints: Based on expected usage

Alert Configuration

Configure alerts for:

• Traffic exceeding baseline by X%
• Spike in blocked requests
• New attack patterns detected

DDoS Response Playbook

When under attack, follow these steps:

1. Identify the attack: Use WafWay dashboard to analyze traffic
2. Enable emergency mode: Activate stricter rate limits
3. Block attack sources: Use IP blocking for confirmed attackers
4. Enable challenges: Present CAPTCHAs to suspicious traffic
5. Scale if needed: Add capacity to handle legitimate traffic
6. Document and learn: Review logs after the attack

Beyond WAF: Complete DDoS Protection

While WafWay excels at L7 protection, complete DDoS defense may require:

• CDN: Distribute traffic and absorb attacks
• Network DDoS protection: For volumetric attacks
• Upstream filtering: ISP-level protection
• Anycast: Distribute attack traffic globally

WafWay integrates seamlessly with these solutions, providing the application-layer intelligence they lack.

Conclusion

Application layer DDoS attacks are sophisticated, hard to detect, and can bring down your services even with limited attacker resources. A specialized WAF like WafWay is essential for detecting and blocking these attacks before they impact your users.

Visit www.wafway.com to learn how WafWay can protect your web applications from DDoS attacks and keep your services online.