We've all heard the term DDoS (a distributed denial of service attack) but the scale of this issue might surprise you. Kaspersky tracks these malicious attempts to overwhelm websites and platforms, and has estimated that hundreds of these attacks were underway every single day throughout 2017. There are dozens happening as I type, and dozens happening as you read. Neustar estimates that 84% of companies have come under attack in the last 12 months.
The Status Quo
Any business with a web presence comes under such attacks, and a lucrative market has sprung up around protecting companies from the risks. And that isn't surprising, with the average cost of such an attack standing at $500,000 in 2016. But such protection can be inefficient- genuine traffic can be filtered out, and malicious traffic allowed through, the costs of effectively implementing protection can be very high, and with centralised systems there is no guarantee protection will be constant. With the costs of launching a DDoS attack lowering and lowering, a new solution is needed.
How can Gladius help?
If you're anything like me, your computer is connected to the Internet constantly but often left idle. Through a simple desktop client, Gladius wants to harness your unused bandwidth. You become part of a vast, worldwide network of nodes that will be used to filter and manage the large amount of traffic that websites experience, either as part of their normal number of visitors or as part of an attack. You rent out what you what, when you want. Best of all, you accumulate tokens that can be traded for services or currency.Blockchain to the rescue!
Rather than relying on a monolithic centralised SaaS provider such as Cloudfare, which itself is not invulnerable to DDoS attacks, reliance on Gladius gives two clear advantages. First, the decentralised nature of the service means there is no single point of failure in the network, improving the overall protection offered. Secondly, the nature of the service means lower price points for consumers in what is becoming a massive market.
Gladius co-founder Max Niebylski said to itsblockchain.com in October;
“Gladius kills two birds with one stone utilizing unused resources to build a robust network to make websites load faster and yet still stay strong under network flooding attacks. Typically, more people means less security and certainty. However, Gladius completely flips that paradigm by using numbers to our advantage. Using the blockchain to create a network of trust enables us to spread sensitive and vital information across the globe while remaining fully encrypted.”
Normal consumers win too
Using Gladius means serving content to users faster, and for those who want to rent out their unused bandwidth, a token that can be exchanged for services on the network or even fiat currency. On Gladius' homepage, there is a calculator for working out what your idle bandwidth would be worth to you. Take a look- its certainly eye-opening!
An innovative use for the Ethereum blockchain
We are seeing all kinds of applications for the Ethereum network these days, but Gladius could be among the most important. Its a service that appeals to large companies and individuals alike, and with a successful start to their recent ICO, I expect Gladius to go from strength to strength in this space.
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https://steemit.com/blockchain/@originalworks/150-steem-sponsored-writing-contest-gladius