Palvelunestohyökkäykset

palvelunestohyökkäys is the Finnish term for a denial-of-service (DoS) attack or a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack. These are cyberattacks where the perpetrator seeks to make a machine, service, or network resource unavailable to its intended users. This is typically achieved by overwhelming the target with a flood of internet traffic or malicious requests, causing it to crash or become so slow that it is effectively unusable.

DoS attacks are usually launched from a single source, while DDoS attacks employ multiple compromised computer systems, often forming a botnet, to attack a single target. The sheer volume of traffic from numerous sources makes DDoS attacks more difficult to mitigate.

The goal of a palvelunestohyökkäys is not to gain unauthorized access to systems or steal data, but rather to disrupt the normal functioning of a service. This can have significant consequences, leading to financial losses, reputational damage, and loss of customer trust for the targeted organization. The motivations behind such attacks can vary, ranging from activism and political protest to extortion or simply causing chaos. Defending against these attacks involves various strategies, including traffic filtering, rate limiting, and distributed defense systems.