A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is a type of cyber attack in which a website or online service is flooded with a large volume of traffic in an attempt to make it unavailable to legitimate users. DDoS attacks are launched from a network of compromised computers, often called a botnet, which are controlled by the attacker and used to send a high volume of requests to the targeted website or service. The goal of a DDoS attack is to overwhelm the server or network infrastructure of the targeted website, making it unable to handle the volume of traffic and causing it to become unavailable.
DDoS attacks can have a significant impact on businesses and organizations that rely on their websites and online services to generate revenue or provide essential services. They can disrupt operations, damage reputation, and result in financial losses. To prevent DDoS attacks, organizations can use a variety of techniques, such as rate limiting, traffic filtering, and traffic scrubbing, as well as deploying DDoS protection solutions and working with internet service providers (ISPs) to mitigate attacks.