What is a DDoS Attack?
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack floods your server with fake traffic, overwhelming it until legitimate players can't connect. Game servers are frequent targets because they're publicly accessible and downtime is immediately noticeable.
If you've ever had your server suddenly go offline during a busy evening or after a dispute with another player, you may have been DDoS'd.
How DDoS Attacks Target Game Servers
Common Attack Types
UDP Floods: The most common attack against game servers. Sends massive amounts of UDP packets to your server port, consuming bandwidth and processing power.
TCP SYN Floods: Overwhelms the server with connection requests that never complete, exhausting available connections.
Application Layer Attacks: More sophisticated attacks that send valid-looking game packets, making them harder to filter.
How to Protect Your Server
1. Choose a Host with Built-In DDoS Protection
The single most effective step is using a hosting provider that includes DDoS mitigation. DoomHosting includes enterprise-grade DDoS protection on all plans at no extra cost.
What to look for:
- Always-on protection (not just reactive)
- Game-aware filtering that doesn't block legitimate players
- Multiple Tbps of mitigation capacity
- No extra fees for protection
2. Hide Your Server's Real IP
If attackers know your actual server IP, they can bypass some protections.
- Never share your server IP publicly if possible — use a domain name
- Use a proxy or tunnel for services like voice chat
- Be careful with DNS records — they can reveal your IP
3. Configure Rate Limiting
Most game server software supports connection rate limiting:
For Minecraft (paper.yml):
settings:
incoming-packet-threshold: 300
connection-throttle: 4000
4. Use a Firewall
Configure firewall rules to only allow traffic on necessary ports:
- Block all unused ports
- Rate-limit connections per IP
- Whitelist trusted admin IPs for sensitive services
5. Keep Software Updated
Outdated server software may have vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Always run the latest stable version.
6. Monitor Your Server
Watch for warning signs of an attack:
- Sudden spike in CPU or bandwidth usage
- Players reporting connection issues
- Console flooding with connection attempts from unknown IPs
- Server becoming unresponsive without high player count
What to Do During an Attack
- Don't panic — most attacks are short-lived
- Contact your host — if you have DDoS protection, your host should be mitigating automatically
- Don't respond to the attacker — engaging often prolongs attacks
- Document everything — save logs for potential reporting
- Wait it out — most DDoS attacks stop within minutes to hours
The Cost of No Protection
Running an unprotected game server is a risk:
- Community trust: Players leave servers that go down frequently
- Time invested: Months of building a community can be destroyed
- Revenue: If you run a commercial server, downtime means lost income
DoomHosting DDoS Protection
All DoomHosting game servers include:
- Enterprise-grade DDoS mitigation
- Always-on protection — no need to enable manually
- Game-optimized filtering that doesn't add latency
- Protection against UDP floods, TCP attacks, and application-layer attacks
- No bandwidth penalties during attack mitigation
Get protected hosting and keep your server online no matter what.