Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent malicious traffic patterns.
DDoS attacks have evolved from simple nuisances to sophisticated cybersecurity threats that can seriously impact your infrastructure. Without proper monitoring, these attacks can slip under the radar until it's too late – before you know it, your services are down, and you have big problems. Proactive DDoS monitoring with Paessler PRTG gives you the edge you need to stay one step ahead of attackers.
The key to effective DDoS mitigation is early detection. PRTG continuously monitors your network traffic, establishing baseline metrics for what's "normal" in your environment. When traffic patterns deviate from this baseline, you'll know immediately – often before users notice any performance issues. PRTG helps you identify the attack type so you can implement the right response strategy quickly.
Not every traffic spike means you're under attack. PRTG helps you sort the regular traffic from the malicious attacks. By analyzing traffic patterns, protocol distribution, and source IP addresses, PRTG gives you the context you need to make informed decisions.
Your firewall is your first line of defense against DDoS attacks, but it needs proper monitoring to be truly effective. PRTG helps you optimize your firewall configuration and implement rate limiting to better withstand attacks while ensuring legitimate users can still access your services.
PRTG gives you valuable insights into your network traffic patterns that can help you evaluate how well your DDoS protection measures are performing. By monitoring key metrics before, during, and after attack events, you can monitor critical services to ensure they remain available to legitimate users.
Diagnose network issues by continuously tracking bandwidth usage and traffic patterns. Show protocol-specific metrics and other key indicators in real time. Visualize monitoring data in clear graphs and dashboards to identify problems more easily. Gain the overview you need to troubleshoot potential threats and avoid disruptions before they impact your business.
Device tree view of the complete monitoring setup
Toplist details in the PRTG Packet Sniffer Sensor
Live traffic data graph in PRTG
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With a combination of real-time monitoring, intelligent alerting and comprehensive visibility, PRTG transforms DDoS detection from a reactive scramble into a proactive security strategy giving you precious time to implement countermeasures before services are impacted.
Effective DDoS monitoring requires visibility at multiple levels of your network. PRTG enables you to create a layered monitoring strategy that can detect different types of DDoS attacks. Monitor internet-facing routers and firewalls for volumetric attacks, or track web server and DNS performance for signs of application layer attacks. You can also keep an eye on internal network segments for unusual traffic patterns that might indicate malware or botnet activity.
PRTG's flexible notification system lets you create alert conditions that reduce noise. You can implement alert dependencies to prevent notification storms during large-scale events, or create multi-condition alerts that trigger only when specific conditions indicate an attack - ensuring you're only notified about genuine threats.
When you're responding to a potential DDoS attack, you need clear, actionable information at a glance. By setting up geographic maps showing attack source locations, or building dedicated DDoS monitoring dashboards showing critical metrics, PRTG helps you create a visual command center for DDoS monitoring and response.
PRTG comes with more than 250 native sensor types for monitoring your entire on-premises, cloud, and hybrid cloud environment out of the box. Check out some examples below!
The SNMP Traffic v2 sensor monitors bandwidth and traffic on a device. It can show the following:
The Packet Sniffer sensor monitors the headers of data packets that pass a local network card using a built-in packet sniffer. You can choose from predefined channels. It can show the following and more:
The NetFlow v9 sensor receives traffic data from a NetFlow v9-compatible device and shows the traffic by type. This sensor has several filter options to divide traffic into different channels. It can show the following and more:
The DNS v2 sensor monitors a Domain Name System (DNS) server, resolves domain name records, and compares them to a filter. It can show the following:
The SNMP Custom Advanced sensor monitors numeric values returned for object identifiers (OID). It can show the following:
See the PRTG Manual for a list of all available sensor types.
Custom alerts and data visualization let you quickly identify and prevent malicious traffic patterns.
PRTG is set up in a matter of minutes and can be used on a wide variety of mobile devices.
“Excellent tool for detailed monitoring. Alarms and notifications work greatly. Equipment addition is straight forward and server initial setup is very easy. ...feel safe to purchase it if you intend to monitor a large networking landscape.”
Partnering with innovative IT vendors, Paessler unleashes synergies to create
new and additional benefits for joined customers.
baramundi and PRTG create a secure, reliable and powerful IT infrastructure where you have everything under control - from the traffic in your firewall to the configuration of your clients.
Combining their tools to a powerful solution for advanced analysis and automation, KnowledgeRiver and Paessler enable IT teams to ensure best performance for their infrastructure and networks.
Integrating monitoring results from PRTG into NetBrain maps makes the foundation for network automation.
Real-time notifications mean faster troubleshooting so that you can act before more serious issues occur.
Network Monitoring Software – Version 25.2.106.1114 (July 2, 2025)
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A distributed denial of service (DDoS) attack is when attackers use multiple compromised computers (often thousands at once in what's called a botnet) to flood your systems with traffic. It's like having thousands of people try to squeeze through your office door at once – nobody gets in, and legitimate users can't access your services. These attacks can target your network bandwidth, server resources, or specific applications.
DDoS attacks generally come in three main varieties:
While PRTG isn't a DDoS mitigation tool itself (it won't stop the attack for you), it's an essential part of your defense strategy. PRTG provides early detection through continuous monitoring of traffic patterns and can alert you when potential attack indicators are detected. It offers visibility into the effectiveness of your mitigation techniques and helps identify the type of attack through detailed traffic analysis. For complete protection, PRTG works best alongside dedicated DDoS protection services from ISPs or security service providers.
You can use PRTG to keep an eye on these key metrics:
In PRTG, “sensors” are the basic monitoring elements. One sensor usually monitors one measured value in your network, for example the traffic of a switch port, the CPU load of a server, or the free space on a disk drive. On average, you need about 5-10 sensors per device or one sensor per switch port.
Paessler conducted trials in over 600 IT departments worldwide to tune its network monitoring software closer to the needs of sysadmins. The result of the survey: over 95% of the participants would recommend PRTG – or already have.
Paessler PRTG is used by companies of all sizes. Sysadmins love PRTG because it makes their job a whole lot easier.
Bandwidth, servers, virtual environments, websites, VoIP services – PRTG keeps an eye on your entire network.
Everyone has different monitoring needs. That’s why we let you try PRTG for free.
