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DDoS attacks are a nightmare for any server operator. These malicious cyber attacks are designed to disturb your server by overloading it with traffic, but how should you protect yourself from these attacks? Here in this article we talk about FiveM and the threat of DDoS attacks on one’s gaming experience along with what to do and how to do it to be able to protect an operating FiveM server.
What is FiveM?
FiveM is a modification of the RockStar game Grand Theft Auto V (GTAV) which enables players to have a multiplayer experience. It has been built on the prior developments of the Cfx.re framework. Cfx.re has been around since 2014 in various forms providing the source code to the contributors to work on, fix bugs, write documentation, and do game research.
How to run your own FiveM Server?
FiveM provides documentation and guides on how to set up your own server. You can use approved hosting services like Monovm which has a range of services it offers or any other hosting service that fits your needs better.
How to protect FiveM servers from DDoS attacks?
Now we are to get to the main purpose of this article, a guide on how to protect your FiveM server from DDoS attacks. One of the most important parts of maintaining a functioning server is to keep it secure. And DDoS attacks are no joke, there have been multiple high value tournaments in various games which have suffered because of this malicious attack. There are several ways to make your server secure and protected against such attacks.
Real-Time Packet Analysis
To be able to have a secure server against DDoS attack, one of the must haves is a reliable packet analysis tool. By using such a tool you will be able to identify and block unwanted packets before they can cause any harm to your server. There are different popular tools you can use for this important task
1. WireShark
Wireshark is one of the best network protocol analyzers out there. It can give you a more detailed view of traffic on your server. Wireshark offers the following features to its users:
- Deep inspection of hundreds of protocols, with more being added all the time
- Live capture and offline analysis
- Standard three-pane packet browser
- Multi-platform: Runs on Windows, Linux, OS X, FreeBSD, NetBSD, and many others
- Captured network data can be browsed via a GUI, or via the TTY-mode TShark utility
- The most powerful display filters in the industry
- Rich VoIP analysis
- And much more
2. TCPDUMP
Tcpdump is a powerful command line packet analyzer; and libpcap, a portable C/C++ library for network traffic capture. A powerful and versatile tool that includes many options and filters, which can be used in different cases. It is ideal for remote servers since it's a command line tool.
Anti DDoS services based on cloud
To protect your FiveM server from DDoS attacks you can use Cloud-based DDoS protection service. Cloud-based services protect your server by mitigating attacking traffic before it can get to your network. They also can adapt to new threats which shows flexibility that can be a great asset to any network in need of protection.
These services are mostly affordable and will greatly reduce the risk of attacks finding your network vulnerable. You will also receive 24 hours monitoring for 7 days a week. All in all making Cloud-Based Anti-DDoS Services a well suited option for you.
DDoS Defence System DDS
Having an exclusive DDoS defense system is a great way to protect your FiveM server from DDoS attacks. Using this system your server would have the ability of identifying and blocking attacks before they reach your server preventing any downtime or damage resulting in loss of revenue or gaming quality. The system uses a diverse set of techniques to protect your server.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A Web Application Firewall (WAF) protects your web application via filtering and monitoring the incoming traffic between a web application and the internet. It commonly protects web applications from such attacks as cross-site forgery, cross-site-scripting, file inclusion, and SQLinjection among many more.
By deploying a Web Application Firewall you are placing a shield between the web application and the whole internet. Although it is not designed to withstand all types of attacks but with its 7 layer protocol, defense is a great tool to be added to your defensive arsenal.
Rate limiting
One of the most problematic sides of a DDoS attack is the fact that the server is swarmed with malicious traffic drowning legitimate requests and slowing down response time because of the sheer number of requests not being able to process on time. An answer to this problem could be Rate limiting, by doing this you will ensure that only a certain amount of requests will be processed in specific units of time which will result in legitimate requests not being drowned or slowed down.
Setting up encapsulation
Encapsulation setup is an advanced option which adds one more layer of security to your server by rerouting your traffic through an encapsulation server, helping you hide the original IP of your server and protect it from being attacked directly. It's especially a good option if your server has high volumes of traffic.
Protecting a virtual private server from FiveM DDoS Attacks.
One of the easiest ways to protect your VPS from FiveM DDoS attacks is to use a VPS hosting provider which offers built in VPS protection plans. There are a lot of providers who will offer you protection a few are mentioned below
- OVHcloud: OVH is europe’s leading cloud provider, offering domain name, registration, telephony service and internet access.
- Vultr: Founded in 2014 it is focused on simplifying the deployment of infrastructure through an advanced cloud platform.
- Digital Ocean: Digital Ocean has been offering simple affordable cloud computing services since 2012. Nowadays it provides a range of cloud computing solutions from virtual machines to managed Kubernetes, tailored to the needs of startups and businesses.
How to protect your remote FiveM server?
After acquiring a remote VPS for your FiveM server, your hosting service will probably offer plans for protection which you can get with a price. But the offered plan is not suited for you, you can use different websites which offer a variety of custom game DDOS protection. Some of which are mentioned below.
- Vibegames: VibeGames offers real time DDoS detection and mitigation, specially crafted and developed for the supporting games including but not limited to Grand Theft Auto V: All mods.
- CubixServ: Cubix Serv offers protection compatible with all hosts, 24/7 technical support, and an advanced service focusing on delivering an exceptional gaming experience.
Conclusion
In conclusion, it is crucial for you to set up ways to protect your FiveM server from DDoS attacks if you are to maintain a healthy stable server with an enjoyable gaming experience for your players. By employing various ways mentioned in the article such as Packet analysis and WAF among others alongside using service providers with cost effective and guaranteed protection plans you will be able to have a much safer space free from cyber threats.
Hello, everyone, my name is Lisa. I'm a passionate electrical engineering student with a keen interest in technology. I'm fascinated by the intersection of engineering principles and technological advancements, and I'm eager to contribute to the field by applying my knowledge and skills to solve real-world problems.