Definition : DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service)

A DDoS, or Distributed Denial of Service, is a cyberattack aimed at making a machine or network resource unavailable to its intended users. This is typically accomplished by flooding the target with an excessive flow of communication requests with the aim of overloading the system and preventing it from responding to legitimate service requests.

DDoS attacks often utilize numerous compromised computers or other internet-connected devices (such as surveillance cameras or IoT devices) as sources of attack. These devices, often referred to as bots or zombies, form a network called a botnet. The attacker controls this botnet to launch the attack, making it difficult to distinguish between legitimate traffic and attack traffic, thus complicating defense against it.

DDoS attacks can target various parts of a network's infrastructure, including web servers, domain name servers (DNS), network infrastructure, and web applications. They can lead to significant disruptions of online services, revenue losses for affected businesses, and a degradation of user trust.

There are several types of DDoS attacks, including but not limited to: <

1. Volumetric Attacks: Aim to saturate the target's bandwidth with a large volume of traffic.

2. Protocol Attacks: Focus on exploiting weaknesses at the communication protocol level, causing overload at server resources or network equipment.

3. Application Layer Attacks: Target a specific web application with the goal of exhausting its resources and rendering it inoperable.

Mitigating DDoS attacks involves a combination of security solutions, including implementing firewalls, specialized anti-DDoS protection, and distributing traffic through a content delivery network (CDN) to dilute the attack volume.