Denial of Service (DoS)

Definition:

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is an attempt by an attacker to disrupt the normal functioning of a network, system, or service by overwhelming it with excessive traffic or resource requests, causing it to become unavailable.

Use Cases:

  • Used by attackers to take down websites or online services by flooding them with traffic, making them inaccessible to legitimate users.
  • Employed in competitive or retaliatory attacks to disrupt business operations.

Related Terms:

Questions and Answers:

  • What is the difference between DoS and DDoS attacks?
    A DoS attack is launched from a single source, while a DDoS attack involves multiple sources (often using botnets) to overwhelm the target.

  • How can organizations protect against DoS attacks?
    Organizations can protect against DoS attacks by using firewalls, traffic filtering, and rate-limiting techniques to control the flow of incoming traffic.

  • What are the effects of a successful DoS attack?
    A successful DoS attack can lead to downtime, loss of revenue, and damage to the target's reputation due to service unavailability.
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