DDoS, short for Distributed Denial of Service, is a malicious cyber-attack in which multiple compromised computers, also known as "botnets," are used to overload a target network or website with an overwhelming amount of traffic or requests. The aim of a DDoS attack is to flood the targeted system's resources, such as bandwidth or server capacity, rendering it unavailable to legitimate users and causing disruptions in its normal functioning.
During a DDoS attack, the attacker typically controls a network of computers using malware or other remote control mechanisms, forming a botnet. These compromised machines, often unaware of their involvement, launch a coordinated assault on the target by initiating an excessive number of requests or flooding the network with a massive volume of data packets. This influx of traffic overwhelms the target, leading to network congestion, systems slowdown, or even complete failure.
DDoS attacks can be executed using different techniques, including UDP flood, TCP/IP-based SYN flood, ICMP flood, application layer attacks, and DNS amplification, among others. It is often challenging to distinguish legitimate traffic from malicious activity during a DDoS attack, which enhances its disruptive potential.
DDoS attacks pose a severe threat to businesses, organizations, and network infrastructure alike, as they can result in significant financial losses, reputation damage, service disruptions, and potential security vulnerabilities. Mitigation of DDoS attacks requires robust network security measures, such as traffic filtering, rate limiting, and the use of specialized tools and services that can detect and block malicious traffic to ensure the availability and regular operation of targeted systems.
