Hack Like a Pro: Denial-of-Service (DoS) Tools & Techniques « Null Byte :: WonderHowTo

Welcome back, my fledgling hackers!Over the years, we have examined multiple ways to own, exploit, or compromise a system. On the other hand, we have not spent a lot of time on denial-of-service (DoS) attacks.For those of you who are new here, a denial of service is basically a simple attack that keeps the target system from operating as it should. In its simplest form, it uses up all of the system resources so that others can't connect. More sophisticated attacks will cause the system to crash or create a infinite loop that uses all of the system's CPU cycles.In general, a DoS attack is the easiest and least sophisticated type of attack. Some have gone so far as to say that an eight-year-old could participate in a DoS attack, and there is some truth to that statement since some tools make it as easy as putting in an IP address and hitting "Start."In recent years, DoS and DDoS attacks (the latter of which involves more than one attack source) have been growing rapidly and more and more companies/websites are employing specialized anti-DoS tools and techniques (among the most popular and most expensive isIncapsula).In this article, I want to lay some groundwork on the techniques for DoSing and provide you with some of the tools to do so. Before we do that, though, I want to point out that some of the tools we have already explored here on Null Byte are useful for DoS attacks, includingHping,Nmap,Metasploit, and evenAircrack-ng(for DoSing wireless access points).MethodsYou can categorize denial-of-service attacks into at least three different types, which include:Volume-BasedThese are the simplest attacks. The attacker simply sends a large volume of packets to the target thereby using up all the resources. The resources used might simply be bandwidth. These attacks include ICMP and UDP floods.Protocol-BasedThese attacks often use the server's resources rather than bandwidth going to and from of the server. They can also use the resources of the network equipment on the periphery of the server (such a firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and switches). Examples include Smurf attacks (ICMP to a broadcast IP with a spoofed IP), Fraggle attacks (same as the Smurf, only using UDP), SYN floods, ping of deaths (oversized ICMP with the same destination and source IP and port), and many others.Application Layer AttacksThese attacks are compromised of what appear to be legitimate application layer (layer 7) requests to the server that are intended to crash it. These include attacks on Apache HTTP Server and Microsoft IIS, and includes tools such as Slowloris.DoS & DDoS ToolsThere are literally hundreds of DoS and DDoS tools available. WithinKali, we can find auxiliary modules within Metasploit specifically for DoSing. If we navigate to:kali > cd /usr/share/metasplot-framework/auxiliary/dosAnd list the contents of that directory, we can see that Metasploit has organized its DoS tools by the type of target. There are hundreds of denial-of-service tools in Metasploit.We can also find hundreds of DoS tools in theExploit Databasebuilt into Kali, and still more atExploit-DB.com. We can find a listing of the Exploit-DB DoS tools by navigating to:kali > /usr/share/exploitdb/platforms/windows/dosA long listing (ls -l) of this directory lists all of the Windows DoS tools. A similar, shorter list is at/usr/share/exploitdb/platforms/Linux/dos.Some of the Most Popular DoS ToolsThere is no way I can list and evaluate every DoS tool, but here is a limited list of some of the most popular and effective. This is far from an exhaustive list, but I hope to give you the basics on some of the most popular DoS and DDoS tools. If you have a favorite, by all means, please put it in the comments with a link to the download.One quick note of warning: Be very careful when looking online for DoS or DDoS tools. Many of them simply take you to a malicious link and will install a trojan on your system.I don't know anyone who would do that. ;-)1. LOICThe Low Orbit Ion Cannon (LOIC) may be the most popular DoS tool and has made its way into hacker lore. It is capable of sending mass amounts of ICMP or UDP packets to the target, thereby saturating the bandwidth, and has been used in some of the most effective and notorious DoS attacks.LOIC was effectively used by 4chan in theProject Chanologyattack on the Church of Scientology website in 2009, and by Anonymous in theOperation Paybackattack against PayPal, Visa, and MasterCard in retaliation for cutting off WikiLeaks donations.LOIC attacks can be largely mitigated by limiting UDP and ICMP packets and limiting how many packets can be sent and delivered to any one client. You can download LOIC onSourceForge. This tool is Windows-based and almost as easy as pointing and clicking.2. HOICThe HOIC was developed during Operation Payback by Praetox—the same folks who developed LOIC. The key difference is that HOIC uses a HTTP flood using booster files that enable a small number of users to effectively DoS a website by sending a flood of randomized HTTP GET and POST requests. It is capable of simultaneously DoSing up to 256 domains. You can download it fromSourceForge.3. XOICXOIC is another easy-to-use DoS tool. The user simply needs to set the IP address and port of the target, select a protocol (HTTP, UDP, ICMP, or TCP), then begin to fire away! You can download it onSourceForge4. HULKHTTP Unbearable Load King, or HULK, is another tool capable of bringing down web servers. This tool uses various obfuscation techniques to limit the ability of the target to mitigate the attack. You can download it onPacket Storm.5. UDP FlooderUDP Flooder does just as you would expect—it sends a flood of UDP packets to the target. It has been effectively used to knock gamers off their networks (online games primarily use UDP). You can download it atSourceForge.6. RUDYR-U-Dead-Yet, or RUDY, takes a different approach to DoSing websites. It enables the user to select a form from the web app and then use that form to send a flood of POST requests. You can download it fromHybrid Security.7. ToR's HammerToR's Hammer was designed to be run through theToRnetwork to anonymize the attack and limit mitigation. The problem with this strategy is that the ToR network tends to be very slow, thereby limiting the rate at which the packets can be sent and thereby limiting the effectiveness of this tool. You can download it fromPacket StormorSourceForge.8. PylorisPyloris is another DoS tool, but with still a different strategy. It allows the user to construct their own, unique HTTP request headers. It then attempts to keep open these TCP connections as long as possible in order to exhaust the connection queue. When it does this, no legitimate connections can be made and new attempts to connect by other users will be dropped. You can download it onSourceForge.9. OWASP SwitchbladeThe Open Web Application Security Project (OWASP) and ProactiveRISK developed the Switchblade DoS tool to be used to test the resiliency of a web app to DoS attempts. It has three modes, 1. SSL Half-Open, 2. HTTP Post, and 3. Slowloris. You can download it fromOWASP.10. DAVOSETDAVOSET(DDoS attacks via other sites execution tool) is a DDoS tool, written in Perl, that uses zombie systems to distribute the attack across multiple systems. This tool uses Abuse of Functionality and XML External Entities vulnerabilities on other sites to "zombie" them and attack the target site. It includes over 160 zombie services. You can download it fromPacket StormorGitHub.11. GoldenEye HTTP DoS ToolGoldenEyeis simple DoS tool that loads an HTTP server attempting to exhaust its resource pool. It's great for testing your website, but not really effective in the real world as most perimeter defenses will detect it. You can download it fromGitHub.12. THC-SSL-DOSThis DDoS tool (built right into Kali) is different from most DoS tools in that it doesn't require huge amounts of bandwidth and can be conducted with a single system. It attacks vulnerabilities in SSL to bring down the server. You can download it fromTHC, but if you are using Kali, you already have it.13. DDOSIM - Layer 7 DDoS SimulatorThis tool fromStorm Securitysimulates a DDoS attack from various zombies with random IP addresses. It attempts to create a full TCP connection (SYN-SYN/ACK-ACK). As the name implies, it operates at the application layer (layer 7). It is also capable of simulating a DDoS attack upon the SMTP server and a TCP flood at random ports. You can download it fromSourceForge.Keep coming back, my fledgling hackers, as we continue to explore the tools and techniques of the most valuable skill set of the future—hacking!Want to start making money as a white hat hacker?Jump-start your hacking career with our2020 Premium Ethical Hacking Certification Training Bundlefrom the newNull Byte Shopand get over 60 hours of training from cybersecurity professionals.Buy Now (90% off) >Other worthwhile deals to check out:97% off The Ultimate 2021 White Hat Hacker Certification Bundle99% off The 2021 All-in-One Data Scientist Mega Bundle98% off The 2021 Premium Learn To Code Certification Bundle62% off MindMaster Mind Mapping Software: Perpetual LicenseCover image viaShutterstockRelatedNews:Anyone Else Likes TDoS?Hack Like a Pro:Digital Forensics Using Kali, Part 1 (The Tools of a Forensic Investigator)Hack Like a Pro:Digital Forensics for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 1 (Tools & Techniques)Hack Like a Pro:How to Hack Web Apps, Part 1 (Getting Started)News:How to Study for the White Hat Hacker Associate Certification (CWA)How To:Get LED Color Effects for Music Playing on Your AndroidHack Like a Pro:How to Conduct Active Reconnaissance and DOS Attacks with NmapNews:Banks Around the World Hit with Repeated DDoS Attacks!Hack Like a Pro:Digital Forensics for the Aspiring Hacker, Part 4 (Evading Detection While DoSing)How To:Advanced System Attacks - Total GuideNews:The 5 Best Apps for Scanning Text & Documents on AndroidHow To:DoS Using SlowHTTPTestHow To:The Five Phases of HackingNews:The Consequences of HackingNews:Tinder Gold Allows Users to See Everyone Who 'Likes' Their ProfileHow To:Use the guitar amp effect in Pro ToolsNews:What to Expect from Null Byte in 2015How To:You Can Easily Hack Instagram for a Crazy Amount of Likes (But You Totally Shouldn't)How To:Introduction to Botnets and RATs : Part 1Hack Like a Pro:Creating a Virtually Undetectable Covert Channel with RECUBHow To:Reshape a body with the liquify tool in PhotoshopHow To:Hack TOR Hidden ServicesHow To:Hack SSL passwords with ARP poisoningHow To:Set Your Android to Atomic Time for a Perfectly Synced ClockHow to Hack Wi-Fi:Performing a Denial of Service (DoS) Attack on a Wireless Access PointBecome an Elite Hacker, Part 3:Easy DDOSHack Like a Pro:How to Save the World from Nuclear AnnihilationRIP:ScroogleNews:What does Pro Tools HD Native mean for you?How To:use the Datel Battery and Magic memory stick to hack the PSPCamera Plus Pro:The iPhone Camera App That Does it AllHow To:Trick YouTube Into Being a Decent Video EditorEasily Access MS Tutorials:Microsoft's Desktop PlayerHow To:Make Your Videos Sound AWESOMENews:Online E-Commerce Video Games RetailersNull Byte:Never Let Us DieHow To:Filter Unwanted Calls & SMS for Free with Google VoiceHow To:How Hackers Use Your IP Address to Hack Your Computer & How to Stop ItHow To:Cripple Websites with DDoS Attacks or Auto-Hacking Botnets