AWS WAF & Shield Support
AWS DDoS protection design with Shield.
DDoS defense works best when attack traffic is absorbed at the edge, away from your origin. We design the architecture, decide whether Shield Advanced fits your risk and budget, and write a response runbook so the first attack is not also the first rehearsal.
When You Need This
The situations where this work pays for itself.
Signs it is time
- Your site was hit by a traffic flood or slow request attack
- An origin exposed on a public IP can be attacked directly
- You are deciding if Shield Advanced is worth the cost
- Application availability is revenue critical
- You need a documented DDoS response plan for auditors or customers
What you get
- A DDoS architecture review with prioritized fixes
- Edge, WAF and origin lockdown configuration as code
- A Shield Advanced recommendation with cost reasoning
- An incident runbook and alarm set
How we do it
A clear, safe process you can follow along with.
1. Map the attack surface
We list every internet-facing endpoint: load balancers, EC2 public IPs, Elastic IPs, API endpoints and DNS. Anything that bypasses the edge is a direct target.
2. Put the edge in front
We serve through CloudFront and Route 53, which are covered by Shield Standard, restrict origins so they accept traffic only from CloudFront, and use Global Accelerator where non-HTTP traffic needs protection.
3. Add layer 7 controls
WAF rate-based rules, managed rule groups and, where justified, Bot Control stop application-layer floods that look like normal requests.
4. Evaluate Shield Advanced
Shield Advanced adds protection for covered resources, attack visibility and access to the Shield Response Team, and may include cost protection for scaling charges during attacks. We review current terms against your risk to decide.
5. Make the application scale and degrade gracefully
We check autoscaling, caching of expensive endpoints, connection limits, and which features can be switched off during an attack to protect the core.
6. Write and rehearse the runbook
We define detection alarms, who does what, how to tighten WAF rules and how to contact AWS, then test it with a tabletop exercise and a load test within AWS testing policy.
Mistakes we help you avoid
Common ways this goes wrong, and what we do instead.
Leaving origins reachable directly
Attackers can skip CloudFront if the origin IP is public and open.
Relying only on Shield Standard for application attacks
It covers common network and transport layer attacks, but layer 7 floods need WAF.
No scaling headroom
Even absorbed traffic that reaches the origin can overload an under-provisioned service.
Unrehearsed response
During an attack is a bad time to learn who can change WAF rules.
Frequently Asked Questions
Does AWS protect me from DDoS by default?
Shield Standard is automatically included for all customers and defends against common network and transport layer attacks, but application-layer protection and design are still your responsibility.
Do I need AWS Shield Advanced?
It depends on how costly downtime is and how exposed you are. It adds response support, visibility and possible cost protection. We compare it with your risk.
How do I protect an origin from DDoS?
Place it behind CloudFront or a load balancer, restrict access to the edge only, use WAF rate-based rules and ensure the application can scale.
Want Help With AWS DDoS protection design with Shield?
Schedule an appointment. Tell us about your environment and we will outline the safest, highest-value approach.
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