You might have heard the term DDoS flying around. It’s one of the most frustrating things to face as a gamer. It can easily ruin your gaming session and is a hassle to deal with. DDoS attacks are getting quite common nowadays, so protection against them has become a must.

Whether you have or have not experienced a DDoS attack, you should still find measures to prevent them. But before we get into how to protect yourself from DDoS attacks, let’s go over what a DDoS attack is and why you should protect yourself against it.

What is a DDoS Attack?

Distributed denial-of-service or DDoS, for short, is a way to disrupt your network by bombarding your server with requests. This jams your network, and your internet stops working. The requests are usually sent through multiple infected devices like phones, TVs, and computers. The massive influx of requests ends up becoming a problem for the server to deal with, and it slows or causes it. to crash.

While these are not dangerous security-wise, they are frustrating as the device targeted is unable to be used for an extended period of time.

People who have had their IP addresses leaked are usually the prime targets of DDoS attacks. The activity is illegal, however, since the requests come from so many devices, it becomes hard to catch the person behind it.

To sum it up, a DDoS attack is meant to jam up your network and is usually done when your IP address gets leaked.

DDoS Attacks and Gaming

Gamers are more likely to be the subject of DDoS attacks than other people. The reason is, your IP can easily get leaked if you play a game that does not hide your IP address. And, if you get disconnected during a rank-up match, you know how frustrating it can be.

During a DDoS attack, the device (your PC, router, or console) can be left unusable for an extended period, putting a swift end to your gaming session. Keep in mind that no device is safe from DDoS attacks, whether it’s your PC, console, or home router.

As such, prevention against DDoS attacks is even more important for gamers than for other people. Because you never know when a game, app, or website might mistakenly leak your IP address.

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How to Prevent a DDoS Attack

We have established that DDoS attacks are a pain to deal with, but how do we go about preventing them?

Because DDoS attacks are usually targeted towards IP addresses, the first step is to hide or mask your IP address while gaming.

The other thing is to be careful about the games and apps you are using. Just reading up on reviews on Reddit and other websites will let you know if the game is safe to play. Because if the game has a problem with security, a lot of players might have already experienced DDoS attacks. So, a quick search now can save you a lot of time in the future.

The other thing to do is find something that provides extensive security features and hides your IP while you're gaming or browsing. And that’s where VPNs come in. These apps come with a lot of detailed security features and protocols to ensure your IP address or any of your personal information, for that matter, doesn’t get leaked.

VPNs and Gaming

Apart from protecting you from DDoS attacks, VPNs offer a lot of benefits when it comes to gaming. Not only do they have extensive security protocols to prevent any sort of harmful attacks on your devices, but they can also improve your ping and reduce packet loss issues.

If you are having bad ping and there is nothing wrong on your side, chances are you have bad routing. This means that your network does not take an optimal route to the game servers. This is where VPNs can be useful, as they offer the best routing to game servers, which improves your connection.

They can also prevent ISP throttling, which is when your ISP limits your bandwidth when you're gaming, browsing, or streaming content. Because VPNs hide your activity, it completely negates ISP throttling.

Apart from gaming, VPNs are generally useful apps. They allow you to watch region-locked content like an anime that’s only aired in Japan. They also prevent websites from stealing your data to sell to advertisers. Basically, with a VPN, you can game and browse without having to worry about security.

The Best VPN for Gaming and Preventing DDoS Attacks

While VPNs offer a lot of benefits, not all VPNs are worth using, especially free ones. These free VPNs can have a lot of problems, so it’s a good idea to invest in a trusted VPN, and that’s where NordVPN comes in.

It has thousands of reviews and is trusted by the gaming community. It offers a lot of neat features that can be beneficial for gamers.

DDoS prevention, better ping, and security are just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to the features NordVPN offers.

Firstly, it allows 10 simultaneous connections, meaning you can connect 10 different devices with just one subscription. This can be really handy if you are having a LAN party at your house. It’s also available on almost every platform, including macOS, Windows, Android, iOS, AppleTV, AndroidTV, Linux, and much more.

There isn’t a shortage of servers either. NordVPN has over 7500+ servers in 118 locations, so you will easily be able to find the fastest route to game servers and unlock any regional content you want.

They have extensive security and encryption protocols like Advanced Encryption Standard (AES), which prevents any sort of brute force attacks. In addition, it also has its adaptation of Wire Guard Protocols, which are essential for security.

To top it all off, they also have a feature called Threat Protection Pro that is meant to provide safer browsing by blocking malicious websites, phishing attempts, ads, and trackers, as well as identifying files infected with malware.

Overall, it’s a solid choice when it comes to gaming, and it’s also quite affordable, going for as low as 3 USD a month.

Conclusion

To sum it up, DDoS attacks, albeit harmless, are quite a hassle to deal with. They can render your devices useless and end your gaming session. While there are many ways to prevent them, VPNs are the most sure-fire defense against them.

When it comes to VPNs, our recommendation is NordVPN because of the extensive security features it provides and the affordable subscriptions. Get your NordVPN offer here.