denialofserviceangrep

Denial of service attack, or denialofserviceangrep, is an attempt to make a network service or website unavailable to legitimate users by overwhelming its resources. The attack can originate from a single machine or be coordinated across many systems in a distributed denial of service (DDoS). The goal is to disrupt availability rather than to break into systems or steal data.

DoS attacks are commonly categorized by the method used: volumetric attacks aim to saturate bandwidth with large volumes of traffic; protocol attacks exhaust processing capacity or state information in network devices; and application-layer attacks target specific features of a service, such as authentication or search endpoints, often requiring fewer resources to achieve impact.

The consequences can include service downtime, degraded performance, loss of revenue, customer churn, and reputational damage. In some cases, critical services or infrastructure may be affected, with broader effects on partners and users.

Mitigation requires a layered approach. Network-edge filtering and rate limiting can reduce incoming excess traffic, while content delivery networks, anycast routing, and dedicated DDoS protection services help absorb or deflect traffic. Redundant infrastructure, load balancing, and scrubbing centers further improve resilience. Regular patching, secure configuration, and an incident response plan are also important components of defense.

Legally, denial-of-service activity is unlawful in many jurisdictions and can be prosecuted as cybercrime. Ethical and professional guidelines emphasize defense, resilience, and responsible disclosure over exploitation.