Performance Analysis of Target Systems Under Hybrid Protocol DDoS Attack Simulations in Cloud Environments: A DDoSphere-Based Evaluation

Abstract

This study presents DDoSphere, a cloud-based simulation platform developed to analyze the effects of hybrid-protocol Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks on target systems. Modern DDoS threats exploit multiple network layers—such as TCP, UDP, SSL, and HTTP—either simultaneously or sequentially, making them more difficult to detect and mitigate. Such attacks have evolved beyond traditional volumetric floods, leveraging protocol diversity to evade detection. Within controlled cloud environments, various single-protocol and multi-protocol attack scenarios were executed using DDoSphere to assess their impact on system performance. Key metrics such as CPU and memory utilization, response latency, packet loss, and request success rate were monitored. Experimental results revealed that hybrid attacks consumed significantly more resources, induced higher latency, and degraded service quality compared to single-protocol attacks. DDoSphere’s cloud-native architecture enables scalable, repeatable, and safe experimentation, providing valuable insights for both academic research and practical cybersecurity testing. The findings highlight the necessity of multi-layered, adaptive defense mechanisms to counter emerging hybrid DDoS threats effectively. Furthermore, the proposed platform offers a scalable testbed for cybersecurity researchers and practitioners to validate multi-vector defense systems under realistic and repeatable conditions.