Which of the following is a mitigation strategy for denial of service attacks?

Implementing rate limiting is an effective mitigation strategy for denial of service (DoS) attacks because it controls the amount of incoming traffic to a server or network resource. By setting a threshold for the number of requests that can be made by a single user or IP address in a specified time period, rate limiting helps to prevent any one source from overwhelming the system with excessive requests. This ensures that legitimate users can still access the services while mitigating the effects of the attack.

In contrast, increasing bandwidth for all traffic may seem beneficial but does not address the underlying issue of excess traffic from malicious sources and can simply lead to more resources being consumed without effectively stopping the attack. Disabling firewalls reduces security measures and makes a network more vulnerable to attacks, while reducing network security protocols compromises overall security and does not offer any protection against denial of service. Therefore, implementing rate limiting stands out as a proactive and direct method for mitigating the risks associated with DoS attacks.