Valve has reported on its efforts to counter DDoS attacks on Dota 2 servers in the years 2014-15

Valve has recently unveiled a new blog post in their “Between the Lines” series, delving into the challenges and solutions encountered during the evolution of Dota 2 and its esports landscape. This time, Valve zeroes in on the issue of DDoS attacks during the 2014/15 season.

Throughout 2015, DDoS attacks became a significant problem for the Dota 2 esports scene, impacting both players and game servers. Many matches were played with incomplete rosters or faced postponements, with even the official broadcast of The International 2015 suffering. The problem arose due to a surge in DDoS attacks transitioning from individual actions to bot-driven assaults.

By the early months of 2015, a notable uptick in DDoS attacks on Dota and CS:GO was observed, affecting various companies. In August 2015, these attacks disrupted The International, impacting studio commentators and analysts and jeopardizing the online broadcast.

Valve shares insights into how they addressed the issue, implementing intermediary servers and relays to control and protect all network traffic. The solution involved authenticating and redirecting client connections through relays, concealing server IP addresses from potential attackers. This simple yet effective measure transformed the nature of DDoS attacks, making them substantially more challenging to execute.

The blog emphasizes that this protection extended beyond DDoS threats. The Secure Datagram Routing (SDR) network seamlessly delivers up to 140 million packets and 550 gigabits of data per second. With relays in 31 data centers capable of storing over 5 terabits of information, the system not only safeguards against DDoS attacks but also enhances connection speed and reduces response time for players across various games on the Steam platform.

Valve’s innovative solution, initially devised to protect a single game’s servers, has surpassed expectations, fortifying online gaming experiences against a myriad of cyber threats.