DoSattack

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is a cyber attack aimed at making a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. This is typically achieved by flooding the target with traffic or sending it information that triggers a crash. DoS attacks are often used as a preliminary step for more sophisticated attacks. They can be categorized into two main types: network-level attacks and application-level attacks.

Network-level attacks target the network infrastructure, such as routers and switches, to disrupt the flow of legitimate traffic. Common techniques include SYN floods, where the attacker sends a large number of SYN packets to a target's server in an attempt to exhaust server resources, and UDP floods, which involve sending a large number of UDP packets to random ports on the target machine.

Application-level attacks, on the other hand, target the application layer of the OSI model. These attacks exploit vulnerabilities in the software running on the target machine. For example, HTTP floods involve sending a large number of HTTP requests to a web server, overwhelming it and preventing it from responding to legitimate requests.

DoS attacks can be mitigated through various means, including network traffic filtering, rate limiting, and using specialized hardware or software solutions. However, the most effective defense is often a combination of these methods, tailored to the specific vulnerabilities of the target system.