Backups, website mirrors and webhost choices are all explained in this guide

Aug 23, 2012 14:01 GMT  ·  By

Whether you’re a famous (or somewhat famous) individual, the owner of a small company, or the one of an enterprise, your website can easily become the target of a distributed denial-of-service (DDOS) attack.

The ones who launch such attacks usually do it because they hate what you preach or they want to cause damage to your company’s systems to lend a hand to the competition.

There are firms that can help you mitigate such threats, but their solutions are not always affordable (in most cases they’re not). This is why the Electronic Frontier Foundation has released a simple guide called “Keeping your site alive.”

The guide includes tips on how to choose a webhost, how to perform backups and set up website mirrors.

“Denial of service attacks have been used by governments to silence online criticism as well as by activists protesting companies and organizations they don't like,” EFF Director for International Freedom of Expression Jillian York explained.

“Major websites often have the resources to keep running during a denial of service attack, but smaller sites – such as those belonging to independent media or human rights organizations – are sometimes taken down permanently. Our online guide is aimed at leveling the playing field.”

EFF International Freedom of Expression Coordinator Eva Galperin notes, “Lack of resources or knowledge can mean some websites are more vulnerable than others. We want to give website operators around the world the tools they need to protect their content and stay online.”

If you fear that your website might become the target of such a cybercriminal operation because of something you said, or because of the activity of your company, be sure to check out “Keep your site alive.”

The guide, available in Persian, Arabic, Chinese, Russian and English, can be found here.