Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) Attack

Definition

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack occurs when multiple compromised computers flood a target system with an overwhelming amount of internet traffic, causing it to become overloaded and unavailable to legitimate users. These attacks aim to disrupt services and deny access to resources.

Related terms

Botnet: A botnet is a network of compromised computers controlled by an attacker, often used in DDoS attacks.

SYN Flood Attack: A SYN flood attack targets the initial handshake process between two computer systems by sending numerous connection requests but not completing them, overwhelming the target's resources.

Amplification Attack: An amplification attack involves using open servers on the internet to send a large volume of traffic to a target system, magnifying the impact of the attack.