DDoS attack (Distributed Denial-of-Service attack)

 A DDoS attack (Distributed Denial-of-Service attack) is a type of cyberattack where multiple systems flood the bandwidth or resources of a targeted system, such as a web server, making it slow, unreliable, or completely unavailable to legitimate users.

Here's how it works:

• Botnets: The attacker uses a network of compromised computers (called a botnet) to send massive amounts of traffic or requests to a target.

• Overwhelming the target: The goal is to exhaust the target’s resources (CPU, memory, bandwidth), so it can't respond to normal traffic.

• Distributed: Since the attack comes from many different sources (often globally distributed), it's harder to block than a single-source attack.

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Common Types of DDoS Attacks:

1. Volume-based attacks (e.g., UDP floods, ICMP floods): Saturate bandwidth.

2. Protocol attacks (e.g., SYN floods): Exploit server resources or intermediate communication devices like firewalls.

3. Application layer attacks (e.g., HTTP floods): Target web apps directly, often appearing like legitimate requests.

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Real-world impact:

• Website downtime

• Loss of revenue

• Brand reputation damage

• Possible data breaches (in advanced attacks)
  
  
  

  Example:

  Imagine a coffee shop (your server) that can serve 50 people (users) at a time. A DDoS attack is like thousands of fake customers flooding the shop all at once, leaving no room for real customers.