What are DDoS? (Denial of Service)

A DDoS attack floods the targeted network or server with a constant flood of traffic, such as fraudulent requests, overwhelming the system and causing a disruption or denial of service.

What Is a DOS ATTACK?

DOS stands for Denial of Service, and it's a cyber attack on a specific server or network to disrupt that network's or server's normal operation.

Let's imagine we have a web server here that is on loan to a company that sells things over the Internet, and we have a couple of clients with their computers accessing the company's website looking for products or services, let's just say that someone just wanted to do an attack on this company's web server, and let's just say that they're going to attack the server for whatever reason, for example, maybe they don't like the company or the owners of the company or whatever, so what happens is the attacker will use their computer and their program to attack the server for whatever reason, so what happens is the attacker will use their computer and their program to attack the server for whatever reason.

Now, this isn't a DDoS attack; it's simply referred to as a DOS attack, which stands for denial of service because a DOS attack is an attack that originates from a single source. Normally, a network or server can handle an attack from a single source because it's easier to pinpoint; the server can simply close the connection where the attack originates, which isn't a problem; however if the attack originates from multiple sources.

What Is a DDOS ATTACK?

DDOS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, which is an attack from multiple sources all at once. For example, the ringleader here can communicate with other computers all over the world and coordinate an attack on this server, so instead of dealing with a single source, the server now has to deal with multiple sources, which will overwhelm the server.

As a result, these legitimate computers will be denied service because the server is too preoccupied with dealing with a DDoS attack. As a result, the webpage that these computers want to access will either not load or will load very slowly, giving them that familiar spinning wheel of lag on their screens. So the question is, how does the attacker get other computers?

How do other computers get involved in a DDoS attack?

The simple answer is that an attacker will create malicious software and distribute it over the internet, including on things like websites and email attachments, so that if a vulnerable computer visits these infected websites or opens these infected email attachments, malware will be installed on their computer without the owner even realizing it.

This botnet isn't just limited to a few computers; it could be hundreds or even thousands of computers spread across the globe. This botnet can now be controlled like an army, waiting for orders from the attacker, who is now acting as the botnet's centralized command and control center. The attacker can then send out commands to all of these computers and tell them what to do.

Why do people do DDoS attacks?

DDoS assaults can occur for a variety of reasons. For example, it could be for financial reasons and the attacker is ddosing a competitor in the marketplace; it could also be for political reasons and the attacker does not agree with the targeted organization's ideas or it could just be for fun.