The most obvious symptom of a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack is a site or server suddenly becoming slow or inaccessible. This can happen because someone has launched a DDoS against a particular target or because a large amount of unwanted traffic has overwhelmed the system. In either case, it’s important to know what you are looking for, because there are many reasons why a site might experience sudden spikes in traffic.

One of the easiest ways to identify whether something is wrong with your site is to use tools to monitor incoming traffic. Once you’ve identified suspicious activity, you can dig deeper into the cause. Here are some things to look out for:

• Traffic coming from one specific IP address or blocked IP.
• Traffic from devices sharing a common behavior profile, such as a certain type of smartphone or tablet.
• Multiple requests to a single URL or resource on your site.

If you notice any of those patterns, it could indicate that a DDoS attack targets you. If you suspect your site or service has been attacked, contact your hosting provider immediately and ask them to investigate. They’ll likely want to see evidence that the request originated outside your network and that a botnet didn’t send it.

More info: What are Managed IT Services and Why do Businesses Need Them?