

Made for stealth and efficacy, Slowloris can be redesigned to send different host headers if a virtual host is a target, and logs are kept separately for every virtual host. When attacked sockets time out, Slowloris usually initiates the connections again, continuing to overwhelm the webserver until it is resolved. If unmitigated or undetected, Slowloris attacks can also go on for long periods. But at the end of the day, if the attack is unresolved, Slowloris-though slow like a tortoise-will eventually win the race. The process can be further delayed if legitimate sessions are initiated again. A Slowloris attack has to wait for the release of sockets by legitimate requests before consuming them one after the other.įor a website with a high volume, it may take some time. Getting its name from a type of slow-moving Asian primate, Slowloris gets the job done by moving slowly but steadily. Eventually, the targeted server’s highest simultaneous connection pool gets filled, and extra connection attempts are denied.īy sending incomplete, instead of malformed packets, Slowloris can conveniently slip by conventional Intrusion Detection systems.

The servers that are attacked open further and connectivity open, waiting for the completion of each attack request.Īt some intervals, the Slowloris sends successive HTTP headers for every request, but never actually finishes the request. It does this by sending partial HTTP requests nonstop, with none completed. Slowloris operates by opening different connections to the targeted web server and leaving them open as long as needed.
