DDoS

Distributed Denial of Service

A type of cyber attack in which multiple compromised computers or devices flood a target system or network with massive traffic, overwhelming its resources and making it unavailable to legitimate users.

In a DDoS attack, the attacker typically controls a network of infected computers, known as a botnet, which are often compromised without their owners’ knowledge. The attacker can remotely command these compromised computers, called bots, to send a flood of requests or data packets to the target system, overwhelming its capacity to handle legitimate traffic.

The goal of a DDoS attack is to disrupt the normal functioning of a website, online service, or network infrastructure by consuming its resources, such as bandwidth, processing power, or memory. This traffic overload can lead to slow response times, unresponsiveness, or even a complete shutdown of the targeted system.

DDoS attacks can be launched using various techniques, including ICMP floods, SYN floods, UDP floods, HTTP floods, and DNS amplification. Attackers constantly evolve their tactics, making it challenging for organizations to defend against such attacks.

DDoS attacks can cause significant financial losses, damage a company’s reputation, and disrupt critical online services. Organizations employ various measures to mitigate DDoS attacks, such as traffic filtering, rate limiting, and dedicated DDoS mitigation services or appliances.

• Abbreviation: DDoS