What is Rudy? What You Need to Know About RUDY Attack

Internet security has become a critical issue today. The technique known as RUDY (R.U.D.Y.) among cyber attacks is a dangerous type of DDoS attack targeting websites. This attack works by sending requests so intense that it can slow down or crash servers and can cause serious damage.

In this article, we will examine what a RUDY attack is, how it works, and methods of protection against this threat. We will also compare the general characteristics of DDoS attacks with the specific techniques of RUDY. This information will help website owners and security experts be prepared for attacks like RUDY.

What is a RUDY Attack?

Description of the RUDY attack

A RUDY attack is a special type of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack that targets web servers. This attack is designed to slow down or crash servers. Unlike other DDoS attacks, RUDY sends a small number of but long-lasting requests instead of a high volume of fast requests. Therefore, it falls into the ‘slow and low’ attack category.

Explanation of the abbreviation RUDY

RUDY is an abbreviation for ‘R U Dead Yet?’. This name clearly reveals the purpose and effect of the attack. With this technique, attackers aim to test whether the target server is ‘dead or not’. RUDY tries to make the web server unusable by consuming its resources.

The purpose of the RUDY attack

The main purpose of the RUDY attack is to prevent legitimate users from accessing the web server by consuming its resources. This attack specifically targets web services that accept form input. Attackers detect form fields and exploit the form submission process.

The RUDY attack works by sending slow HTTP POST requests. These requests are sent to the server continuously and at a very slow speed. Thus, server resources are occupied and consumed for a long time. As a result, the server becomes unable to respond to legitimate traffic.

This attack technique focuses on consuming user sessions instead of completely filling the server. RUDY interrupts sessions by using endless POST transmissions and randomly sending a large content length header value. This method is similar to another DDoS attack called Slowloris.

As a result of a successful RUDY attack, the target server becomes closed to legitimate traffic. This can cause serious problems for website owners. It can have negative consequences such as loss of business, damage to reputation and customer dissatisfaction.

How does a RUDY Attack Work?

Sending slow HTTP requests

The RUDY attack works by sending slow HTTP POST requests to web servers. This attack technique is designed to keep the server busy for a long time. Here is how it works:

1. The RUDY tool detects form fields by scanning the target website.
2. It then creates an HTTP POST request by entering random data into these form fields.
3. This request contains a special HTTP header indicating that very long content will be sent to the server.
4. RUDY breaks the form data into very small chunks (sometimes as small as 1 byte) and sends these chunks at random intervals of about 10 seconds.
5. This process is repeated continuously to keep the server busy.

Consume server resources

The RUDY attack consumes server resources as follows:

1. The server recognises the RUDY agent as a normal user with a slow internet connection.
2. Therefore, the server keeps the connection open until it has received all of the data.
3. However, RUDY is designed not to exhaust the data.
4. This fills the server’s memory with unsent data.
5. The server consumes resources while waiting for the client to be ready to send data.

Filling the connection pool

The RUDY attack fills the server’s connection pool as follows:

1. Web servers can accept a limited number of connections.
2. The RUDY agent can send multiple slow requests at the same time.
3. These requests fill the server’s connection pool.
4. As a result, legitimate users cannot access the server.
5. Even powerful servers can be vulnerable to RUDY attacks (DDoS) from multiple computers simultaneously.

The RUDY attack is a type of attack that is difficult to detect by using low bandwidth and appearing as normal traffic. This feature makes it resistant to traditional DDoS prevention methods. If the attack is successful, the website becomes inaccessible, which can lead to serious consequences such as loss of business, reputational damage and customer dissatisfaction.

Protection Methods Against RUDY Attacks

Various strategies can be applied to protect against RUDY attacks. These methods increase the security of servers and reduce the impact of DDoS attacks.

Limiting timeout values

Adjusting the timeout settings of servers is an effective defence against RUDY attacks. These settings can be configured as follows:

1. Connection time limitation: The server closes connections that remain open without data transmission after a certain period of time.
2. Request completion time: Sets the maximum time for HTTP requests to complete.
3. Session duration limitation: Sets the maximum duration of user sessions.

These settings prevent slow connections from consuming server resources.

Blocking slow connections

The following methods can be used to detect and block slow connections:

1. Data transmission rate control: Connections sending data below a certain speed are terminated.
2. Request number limitation: The number of requests from an IP address is limited.
3. Traffic analysis: Suspicious traffic patterns are detected and blocked.

These methods prevent the slow and long-lasting connections that are characteristic of RUDY attacks.

Firewall usage

The use of a Web Application Firewall (WAF) provides effective protection against RUDY attacks. The advantages offered by WAF are as follows:

1. Traffic filtering: Detects and blocks malicious traffic.
2. Behaviour analysis: Identifies abnormal traffic patterns.
3. Automatic blocking: Automatically blocks suspicious IP addresses.
4. Load balancing: Reduces load by distributing traffic to multiple servers.

The WAF is specifically designed to detect and prevent attacks at the application layer.

In addition, it can be useful to use services that provide DDoS protection. These services use advanced filtering techniques to remove malicious traffic before it reaches the target server.

Regular monitoring is also important. Continuously checking server performance and traffic helps to detect abnormal behaviour early. Early detection is critical to reduce the impact of the attack.

Implementing these measures increases the resilience of websites against DDoS attacks such as RUDY. However, it is important to remember that it is necessary to follow developments in the field of cyber security and constantly update protection methods.

Conclusion

RUDY attacks are a type of DDoS attack that seriously threatens the security of websites. These attacks consume server resources by sending slow and long HTTP requests and cause websites to become inaccessible. It is very important for website owners and security experts to be prepared for this threat.

Various methods can be used to protect against RUDY attacks. Limiting timeout values, blocking slow connections and using firewalls are effective defence strategies. It is also important to conduct regular monitoring and follow developments in the field of cyber security. Implementing these measures increases the resistance of websites against DDoS attacks such as RUDY.

Frequently Asked Questions About Rudy Attacks