Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is when multiple computers, often compromised by malware, overwhelm a target server or network with a flood of traffic. This intentional overload prevents legitimate users from accessing services, such as websites or online applications. DDoS attacks can disrupt businesses, leading to downtime and financial losses. They exploit the distributed nature of the Internet, using many sources to make it difficult to defend against or mitigate the attack effectively. Essentially, it's like a traffic jam caused by a multitude of vehicles, blocking the road to everyone else.