Shield

Avoids DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)

DDoS

  • An attacker sends a huge amount of simultaneous requests to your server, typically via a network of (hacked) bot machines
    • Then your sever gets overwhelmed and crashes
    • the individual requests are fine, it’s just that they are too many
  • The danger

Shield

  • Helps with protecting against DDoS attacks

AWS Shield Standard

  • free & enabled by default
  • Basic DDoS protection based on network flow
  • No anomaly detection (it doesn’t analyze your normal network flows & detect anomalies)

AWS Shield Advanced

  • monthly cost
  • Customizable protection rules
  • Anomaly detection & dedicated AWS support