Define “DDoS” attack.

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is characterized as a type of cyber attack that employs multiple systems to overwhelm a target system with an excessive amount of traffic. This flood of requests is designed to either exhaust the resources of the target, such as its bandwidth or processing capabilities, or to disrupt the normal functioning of a service, making it inaccessible to legitimate users.

DDoS attacks typically involve a botnet, which is a network of compromised computers that can be controlled remotely to execute the attack. The sheer volume of requests from numerous sources makes it challenging for the target to differentiate between legitimate and malicious traffic, ultimately leading to service outages or significantly degraded performance. Understanding this mechanism is crucial for cybersecurity analysts as they work to identify vulnerabilities and implement measures to mitigate such threats.