News
6 Ways to Protect Your Networks Against DDoS Attacks
A DDoS attack can happen to anyone.
In the past, it has hit Twitter, Telegram, GitHub, and the BBC. Whole governments, like those of Ecuador and Estonia, have had their websites knocked out by it.
This is not a rare threat. Every year, numerous organizations suffer from targeted DDoS attacks, launched at them by malicious agents from unknown locations. It causes their websites and networks to shut down and makes them lose millions of otherwise productive hours.
That’s a lot of revenues foregone. In the United States alone, businesses lose $10 billion annually because of these incidents. And with these attacks growing in other parts of the globe, there’s reason to be wary of the threat that they pose.
Your organization could be at risk, regardless of where you are.
But what are DDoS attacks? How do they work?
What is a DDoS Attack?
A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a type of DoS attack.
In a DoS attack, a malicious agent attempts to overwhelm their victim’s networks with fake traffic. For instance, they could send a lot of false requests to the victim website. The aim here is to stuff the network so much that people with real requests cannot get through to the website.
A regular DoS is launched from a single user device. But in a DDoS, the human agent gains access to several devices (PCs or smartphones) by infecting them with malware, and use those devices (collectively called a ‘botnet’) to flood the victim’s network with fake requests.
When a network comes under attack in this way, its servers will either fail to perform optimally or crash.
What are the Types of DDoS Attacks?
There are two general groups of attacks in this category:
- Network Layer Attacks: this aims to clog up the pathways connecting your network. They make it difficult for genuine traffic (from customers or non-malicious visitors) to access the affected organization.
The scale of these attacks is measured in Gigabytes per second (Gbps). Assaults of several hundred Gbps have been reported, but anything above 20Gbps could knock out your network.
- Application Layer Attacks: In this case, the attacker sends requests that require considerable resources to handle. They cause the victim’s disk spaces and CPU to fill up with false logs.
What Motivates DDoS Attacks?
Here are the most common reasons why attackers launch DDoS assaults.
- Extortion: They may ask you for a ransom in exchange for ceasing their attacks.
- Cyber-Activism: Also known as ‘hacktivism’. Certain groups strike at organizations that they believe aren’t aligned with their cause (e.g. if they think the organization has a bad social or environmental record).
- Competition: A competitor may be responsible for a DDoS attack launched at your business.
- Lone Attackers: Some people may do this for other reasons, e.g. gaining the respect of a community of illegal hackers.
How Do You Protect Against DDoS Attacks?
You wouldn’t want to waste days recovering from a DDoS strike, or lose substantial amounts of money in that period. Here are some steps you can take to prevent this from happening:
- Design a Response Plan for DDoS Attacks
Document a response strategy for a DDoS attack. This should include ways to ensure business continuity even when a DDoS attack succeeds. Assign roles (for instance, a rapid response team) and establish communication systems that can be activated if this happens.
- Guard Against Other Threats to Your Networks
Many cyber attackers are now using DDoS as a diversionary tactic. They could keep IT teams engaged with a DDoS strike, while they launch malware at your systems. This calls for vigilance on your part. Don’t be so preoccupied with fending off a single threat that you forget to guard other posts.
- Track Your Traffic
Use monitoring tools to track traffic. Monitor for possible spikes in incoming network traffic, and keep an eye on suspicious IP addresses when you spot them. Note that sudden, sharp, and unexplained rises in traffic could be a sign that an attacker is ‘testing’ your defenses. If the threat isn’t checked at this early stage they may follow up with a major DDoS attack.
This measure isn’t enough to keep malicious agents away. But it does let you prepare for a possible strike against your network infrastructure.
- Set Up Network Security
You should have a combination of network security tools in place to protect against these strikes. These include firewalls, content filtering, anti-spam, and load balancing. Taken together, these should give you a moderate buffer against malicious traffic.
- Update Your Systems
Your old systems could have vulnerabilities in them that DDoS attackers could exploit. By updating your system, you gain access to the newest defenses that your IT service providers have to offer and stay a step ahead of the vandals.
- Work with an IT Security Solutions Provider
Unless you have a big, five-star in-house IT team, even your best efforts may fail to ward off a DDoS attack. That’s why you need to work with an IT security services company that takes on this task and delivers at the highest level.
If you’re in Nigeria, you can trust Layer3 to secure your networks against security threats. It provides this service to clients in several industries, including some of the country’s top organizations.
Conclusion
Denial-of-service attacks are becoming more frequent. It’s one unsavory consequence of an interconnected world—ill-intentioned actors can target victims from wherever they are in the world. Unless you have the right defenses and mitigating strategies, you may suffer major losses from these assaults.
Thankfully, there’s help you can use. At Layer3, our team of experienced cybersecurity professionals can help you guard against these threats. Whether it’s testing and vulnerability assessment, log management, incidence response, or a fully managed security service, you’ll get the protection that suits your needs.
Would you like to get a robust defense against DDoS and other cyberattacks? Get in touch with us today via the contact channels here.
Dr. Obiageli Amadiobi, director general, National Office for Technology Acquisition and Promotion (NOTAP), has expressed displeasure over the level of Intellectual Property Right (IPR) losses by Nigerian researchers due to insufficient knowledge of the benefits of IPR protection.
Speaking at a one-day Coordinator’s Forum organized by the Office in Uyo for the South-South geopolitical zone of the country, the Director General, represented by Mrs. Caroline Anie-Osuagwu, director of Technology Acquisition and Research Coordination (TARC) department, said that prior to the establishment of the Intellectual Property and Technology Transfer Offices (IPTTOs) in Nigerian knowledge establishments, Nigerian researchers had no deep knowledge of the importance of IP protection, hence losing their IP rights.
In a statement signed by Raymond Onyenezi Ogbu for the head, Public Relations and Protocol Unit of NOTAP, the DG advised researchers to always file for a patent each time they anticipate a breakthrough and avoid publishing before patenting, as any research work published in a paper is already in the public domain and can no longer be patented.
“IP rights are rights granted to a researcher or inventor by the government to have a monopoly over the financial exploitation of their inventions for a period of time to recoup the expenditure on their research undertaking”. the DG said.
She challenged patent owners to license or commercialize their inventions, adding that patents that cannot metamorphose into tangible products and services are not worth keeping, as they are liabilities to the owners.
The DG said that researchers with patented inventions can license their invention for royalty purposes or sell them outrightly to venture capitalists if they cannot commercialize.
“Over the years, the nation has depended on the consumption of products from foreign research, while Nigeria is blessed with skilled human resources but only needs to be strategic in their research understanding”.
“The aim of organizing the IPTTO coordinator’s forum was to interact with the coordinators, know their challenges and achievements, and encourage the centers that are not very progressive to strengthen their centers.” She added.
The DG stressed that while a number of centers are performing well, some are struggling to find their fit, occasioned by bureaucratic bottlenecks.
She expressed confidence in the ability of the research communities engaging in demand-driven and market-driven research to fast-track development adding that technology development is a product of research work, and knowledge institutions are duty-bound to engage in critical research to advance the IPR ecosystem in Nigeria.
Participants from the South-South Zone took turns to commend NOTAP for the impactful program and requested the Office to assist them with links to venture capitalists for the commercialization of their research results.
All the IPTTO coordinators presented their scorecards and were advised to get ready for the 2026 IPTTO ranking that would be organized by the Office.
A Nigerian tech enthusiast known online as the “tech queen,” Sapphire Egemasi, has been arrested by the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) in connection with a massive fraud scheme targeting U.S. government agencies.
Egemasi, a programmer with an active Devpost profile, was apprehended around April 10, 2025, in the Bronx, New York, reports The Nation.
She was arrested alongside several alleged co-conspirators, including Ghanaian national Samuel Kwadwo Osei, believed to be the ringleader of the syndicate.
The arrests follow a federal grand jury indictment filed in 2024, which charged the group with multiple counts of internet fraud and money laundering. The crimes allegedly took place between September 2021 and February 2023.
According to prosecutors, the syndicate defrauded the city of Kentucky of millions of dollars by creating spoof websites that mimicked official U.S. government portals. These fraudulent platforms were used to harvest login credentials and redirect funds into accounts under the group’s control.
Investigators say Egemasi served as the technical lead of the operation. She allegedly designed the fake websites and managed the coordination of wire transfers.
Records show that in August 2022 alone, the group rerouted $965,000 into a PNC Bank account and funneled another $330,000 into a Bank of America account.
Before her arrest, Egemasi was reportedly based in Cambridge, United Kingdom, though authorities believe she previously lived in Ghana, where she may have forged ties with other members of the syndicate.
To mask the origin of her wealth, Egemasi claimed on social media and professional platforms to have held internships with multinational corporations such as British Petroleum, H&M, and Zara.
Her LinkedIn profile portrayed a polished image of a successful tech professional, while her social media accounts featured images of lavish vacations to destinations like Greece and Portugal —trips prosecutors allege were funded by illicit gains.
Egemasi and her co-defendants are currently in federal custody, awaiting trial in Lexington, Kentucky. If convicted, each faces up to 20 years in prison, hefty financial penalties, and likely deportation upon completing their sentences.
A former Executive Director at Asset Management Corporation of Nigeria (AMCON), Abbas Muhammed Jega, has shed light on the financial dealings between Arik Air and Union Bank, revealing that the airline’s debt to AMCON was over N100 billion as of 2015 and remained unpaid.
Testifying as the third prosecution witness in the ongoing trial of Ahmed Kuru, former AMCON MD/CEO, and four others, Jega disclosed that AMCON acquired Arik’s loans from Union Bank and Keystone Bank, but not Zenith Bank, which was purchased after his exit.
According to Jega, AMCON discovered in a London meeting that Union Bank had sold them a guarantee rather than a loan, which was meant to cover foreign lenders in case Arik defaulted.
“We invited Arik to resolve the issue with Union Bank, but the arrangement disclosed by me never existed,” Jega said.
Jega attributed Arik’s inability to repay to over-trading, which led to their inability to service existing debts. He revealed that AMCON attempted to restructure Arik’s debt and even offered additional loan facilities to help the airline with working capital problems.
However, Arik failed to meet repayment obligations, prompting AMCON to propose two solutions: a debt equity swap and management control. Both options were rejected or delayed by Arik.
Under cross-examination, Jega confirmed that Kamilu Omokide and Captain Roy Ilegbodu played no role in the loan purchase or London meeting.
The matter has been adjourned to June 30, July 1, and July 2, 2025, for further cross-examination.
The case involves alleged financial misappropriation amounting to N76 billion and $31.5 million, with Ahmed Kuru, Kamilu Omokide, Captain Roy Ilegbodu, Union Bank Ltd, and Super Bravo Ltd as defendants, presided over by Justice Mojisola Dada.
NOTAP Boss Laments Loss of IPR by Nigerian Researchers
NIMC Denies Blocking Police Commission from Verification Server
PalmPay Seeks $100m Funding Round
AFC Proffers Action Plans for Nigeria, Africa to Unlock $4trn from Investors to Grow Economy
Ayo Adepoju Joins Ecobank Board as Group Executive Director
E-Business2 days agoAXIAN Telecom Invests in Jumia Post-MTN Era
- E-Financial2 days ago
UBA Compiles with NCC, to Deduct USSD from Customers’ Accounts
E-Business2 days agoNigeria Strengthens Cybersecurity, Launches National Cleanup Plan
News2 days agoARCON to Crackdown on AI-Generated Fake Ads
Telecom2 days agoUnion Bank and PAPSS Revolutionize Cross-Border Payments
News2 days agoFG, UNICEF Partner to Train 20m Youths on Digital Skills
Telecom2 days agoMTN Nigeria Unveils 21 Days of Y’elloCare to Empower Communities through Digital Tools
General News2 days agoReport Shows AI Curiosity Among Children more than Doubled in 2025