Putting DDoS Protection to the Test at the British Library

The Company

The British Library is a world-renowned UK government organisation that provides access to information and knowledge for businesses, researchers and students. As an increasing proportion of its services and intellectual property are delivered online, maintaining the availability, integrity and security of digital assets is critical to its mission.

The Challenge

With more information being accessed digitally, the British Library had invested significantly in an on-premise Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) mitigation appliance to protect its critical IP assets. These assets were hosted across multiple data centres, each supported by high-capacity internet connections. 

While the mitigation solution was in place, its real-world effectiveness under live attack conditions had not been validated. Senior stakeholders required confidence that the system would perform as expected during an actual cyber-attack, and that people, processes and response plans were fully prepared.

The Solution

A series of controlled, 90-minute DDoS simulation tests were designed to validate the performance of the mitigation appliance under realistic attack conditions. 

Testing was planned to take place within standard maintenance windows, with a designated target server established and third-party service providers informed in advance. Key monitoring points were defined, and a cross-functional testing team was assembled, bringing together stakeholders from across critical IT infrastructure areas. 

Multiple attack scenarios were executed, allowing system adjustments to be made between tests and improvements in mitigation performance to be measured. Throughout each test, stakeholders remained connected via a live web conference, ensuring transparency and real-time visibility of attack behaviour through the test portal. An emergency stop procedure was also available, enabling the test to be halted within seconds if required. 

The simulations included three distinct attack types and were carried out at 25%, 50% and 105% of available internet bandwidth.

The Results

The tests demonstrated that the DDoS mitigation appliance performed effectively under a range of attack conditions, while also identifying specific scenarios where further improvements were required. Once these enhancements were implemented, repeat testing confirmed that the issues had been resolved successfully. 

Beyond technical validation, the testing programme delivered wider organisational value by strengthening preparedness and response capability.