What is a DoS attack?

A DoS (Denial of Service) attack is a malicious attempt to make a system, network, or service unavailable by overwhelming it with traffic or exploiting vulnerabilities so that legitimate requests cannot be processed.

How is a DoS attack different from a DDoS attack?

In a DoS attack, the attacker uses a single machine or source to launch the attack, while in a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack, multiple compromised systems (botnets) are used to launch the attack from many sources simultaneously.

Why do attackers use DoS / DDoS attacks?

Attackers may use these attacks for various reasons: to disrupt business operations, cause reputational damage, distract from other malicious activities, extort payment, or gain competitive advantage.

DoS (Denial-of-Service) Attack Definition

What is a Denial-of-Service Attack?

Denial-of-service (DoS) attack is an attack against a system aiming to cause it to stop providing a service — a flood of bogus requests made to the system causes its overload, making it unable to handle requests from legitimate users.

Being cheap to implement and efficient, DoS attacks are often used for unfair competition and other illegal purposes.

How DoS is Different from DDoS

The main difference is that a DoS attack comes from a single source while a DDoS (Distributed Denial-of-Service) attack comes from multiple sources and is much larger and more difficult to trace and mitigate.

Learn more in our blog: DoS vs DDoS Attack Difference.