Top Features for Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Software
Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks are carried out by malicious actors who overwhelm a system with requests, causing it to be unavailable for legitimate users. Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) protection tools counter these threats through intelligent traffic filtering, rate control, and real-time threat monitoring—ensuring services remain accessible. Sophisticated techniques such as traffic scrubbing, rate limiting, and behavioral analysis to differentiate between legitimate and malicious requests are deployed to mitigate such risks. DDoS platforms utilize global threat intelligence and AI-driven automation to provide a multi-layered defense.
This article brings the Top Features for Distributed Denial of Service Software for you to build an idea on how the DDoS platform can be chosen and employed based on its features and functions.
Always-on monitoring
Most leading cloud-based DDoS protection services offer “always-on monitoring” as a standard feature. This approach is widely regarded as the preferred method for mitigating DDoS attacks. It relies on continuous traffic analysis and automated response mechanisms to safeguard online assets.
Benefits
- Continuous Monitoring: Tracks traffic patterns around the clock to detect unusual activity before it escalates.
- Automated Defense: Responds instantly to threats using intelligent filtering and rate controls without any manual action.
- Smart Threat Adaptation: Combines AI and real-time intelligence to stay ahead of evolving cyberattacks, including previously unknown threats.
Azure DDoS Protection
For organizations securing fewer than 15 public IP addresses, Microsoft recommends the IP Protection tier as the most cost-effective solution. When protecting more than 15 public IPs, the Network Protection tier becomes more economical and includes added benefits such as DDoS Protection Rapid Response (DRR), cost protection guarantees, and discounts on Web Application Firewall (WAF) services.
Automatic scalability
Automatic scalability is a cloud-based DDoS protection, enabling systems to dynamically allocate resources to absorb attack traffic. This capability can be exploited in Economic Denial of Sustainability (EDoS) attacks, where adversaries trigger repeated scale-ups to inflate operational costs. Advanced DDoS mitigation tools address this risk by applying intelligent traffic analysis and filtering to distinguish legitimate users from malicious actors, minimizing unnecessary scaling.
Benefits
- Cloud-based protection: Cloud-based protection offers services that use their vast infrastructure to absorb and mitigate large-scale attacks, often using automated, intelligent, and scalable systems.
- Dedicated software: Companies offer dedicated DDoS protection solutions that can be deployed as hardware or virtual appliances, providing automated, high-precision, and intelligent mitigation.
Check Point Quantum DDoS Protector
Check Point’s Quantum DDoS Protector delivers multi-layered defense across the OSI model. It mitigates volumetric threats at the network layer (Layer 3) using advanced traffic engineering, while securing the application layer (Layer 7) by analyzing HTTP/HTTPS traffic for anomalies and malicious activity.
Behavioral analysis and monitoring
DDoS software with behavioral analysis watches how users and networks normally behave. If something unusual happens, it flags it as a possible attack. This helps catch new types of threats that haven’t been seen before.
Benefits
- Normal Traffic: Learns what typical network activity looks like, so anything unusual can be spotted.
- Multiple Defenses: Combines tools like firewalls, traffic filters, and threat alerts to protect the systems.
- Automation: Let the systems respond automatically to threats to reduce damage and downtime.
- Keep Systems Updated: Regularly install security updates and use the latest threat information to stay protected.
IBM Cloud Internet Services
IBM Cloud™ Internet Services includes integrated features like Domain Name Service (DNS), Global Load Balancer (GLB), DDoS mitigation, Web Application Firewall (WAF), Transport Layer Security (TLS), and advanced caching for optimized delivery and threat resilience.
Security policy management
Managing DDoS security policies includes the use of several layers of protection. These include limiting traffic, using firewalls to block harmful requests, spreading traffic across servers, and watching for unusual activity. Keeping systems updated and knowing what normal traffic looks like helps spot and stop attacks quickly.
Benefits
- Update Regularly: Keep all software and systems up to date to stay protected from known security issues.
- Reduce Risk Areas: Turn off services that aren’t needed and limit how many parts of the system are exposed online.
- Use Caching: Store static content in a CDN so the main servers don’t get overwhelmed during heavy traffic.
DDoS-GUARD
DDoS-GUARD is a robust DDoS protection solution for websites and servers, enhanced with integrated CDN and traffic optimization. Its proprietary, geo-distributed mitigation network spans around the U.S., Hong Kong, Russia, Kazakhstan, and the Netherlands, enabling high-capacity threat absorption and rapid response.
“We use DDoS-GUARD to protect our servers and 30+ client websites from DDoS attacks to make sure there is uptime and credibility. It helps us filter traffic for 100,000 daily requests and integrates with our hosting solutions. This protection allows us to focus on delivering reliable managed IT services without the burden of building our own costly DDoS mitigation infrastructure. Overall, it helps in our operational efficiency and service credibility.”
Read Sushil’s full review here.
Request rate limiting
To defend against DDoS attacks, organizations use rate limiting to cap the number of requests a user can make in a given time. This helps maintain system stability by blocking traffic floods before they disrupt services.
Benefits
- Source Identification: Systems recognize where requests come from, typically using IP tracking.
- Policy Configuration: Rate limits are set to control how many requests a user can make, tailored to system load and endpoint type.
- Traffic Oversight: Continuous monitoring ensures request volumes stay within safe limits and helps spot potential threats early.
NETSCOUT Arbor DDoS Protection
Arbor Sightline delivers advanced DDoS detection and mitigation capabilities, spanning from capacity planning to real-time threat response. Its AI/ML-powered Adaptive DDoS Protection integrates global threat visibility with behavioral analytics to identify and neutralize attacks. The platform also monitors infrastructure capacity to prevent overload and dynamically re-engineer traffic for optimal performance.
Traffic filtering
DDoS protection relies on traffic filtering to block harmful requests before they disrupt services. This includes using firewalls and WAFs to detect suspicious activity based on known patterns and IP addresses. Cloud-based solutions enhance this with Anycast technology to distribute traffic across global networks, while on-premise tools use rate limits and blacklists to stop attacks at the edge.
Benefits
- Firewalls: The tool checks incoming traffic and blocks anything suspicious before it reaches your systems.
- Cloud Scaling: Cloud services can quickly add more resources when traffic gets heavy, helping keep things running.
- Spread the Load: Using multiple servers and locations means no single system gets overwhelmed during an attack.
Cloudflare
Cloudflare keeps the online presence safe and resilient with advanced DDoS protection, WAF, bot control, and API security. Empower teams with zero trust security that protects remote access, data, and business-critical apps.
“We use Cloudflare to mitigate risk, as a DNS provider, domain registrar, and a Content Delivery Network. Those are the main services that we see no competitor offering compared to Cloudflare; their service is top of the line. All 200+ websites we maintain run through their DNS and other services.”
Read Michał’s full review here.
Bot detection
DDoS protection software spots harmful bots by watching how traffic behaves and using smart tools like machine learning. It compares bot activity to normal user behavior and blocks anything suspicious. Firewalls, traffic limits, and live threat updates help keep systems safe and running smoothly.
Benefits
- Recognize Known Threats: Signature-based tools block attacks by identifying familiar patterns.
- Stay Informed: Threat intelligence sharing helps security systems stay ahead of new botnets and attack methods.
- React Instantly: Real-time monitoring allows teams to spot unusual activity and respond before damage occurs.
Global threat intelligence
DDoS attacks are evolving rapidly, using AI and machine learning to evade detection. Global threat intelligence plays a critical role in identifying emerging threats and attack patterns like Slowloris and botnet-based assaults. To stay protected, organizations rely on automated defenses, global infrastructure, and layered security tools such as WAFs to intercept and diffuse attacks before they disrupt operations.
Benefits
- Automatic Protection: Systems act fast to stop attacks without waiting for human input.
- Multiple Layers of Security: Firewalls and traffic filters work together to block harmful requests.
- Stay Ahead of Threats: Use up-to-date threat reports to spot new risks and get ready before attacks happen.
Akamai App & API Protector
Akamai App & API Protector delivers comprehensive security for websites, applications, and APIs. Building on Kona Site Defender, it integrates protection against sophisticated web applications and DDoS threats, while improving delivery performance across web and mobile environments.
Choosing the Top Features for DDoS Software
DDoS software is definitely very crucial for any business environment. It is employed to protect businesses from unwanted malicious software attacks and to keep a business workspace performing seamlessly. It is a considerable task for companies to choose suitable DDoS software for their workspace, and this article on the top features for DDoS Software helps companies with that. Companies, irrespective of their size, must ensure that they buy suitable software for their workspace that meets business goals, keeping it cost-effective.
To continue your research, explore the DDoS software on TrustRadius. You can compare products, read verified reviews, and see which solutions best fit your needs. You may also find value in related categories and resources, including:
