Distributed network attacks are often referred to as Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. This type of attack uses certain bandwidth limitations that are characteristic of any network resources, for example, the infrastructure that provides conditions for the operation of the company's website. A DDoS attack sends a large number of requests to the attacked web resource in order to exceed the site's ability to process them all... and cause a denial of service.
Standard targets of DDoS attacks:
Websites of online stores
Online Casino
A company or organization whose work is related to the provision of online services
How a DDoS attack works
Network resources, such as web servers, have limits on the number of requests they can serve simultaneously. In addition to the allowable load on the server, there are also limitations on the bandwidth of the channel that connects the server to the Internet. When the number of requests exceeds the performance of any infrastructure component, the following can happen:
A significant slowdown in the response time to requests.
Denial of service for all or part of user requests.
As a rule, the ultimate goal of an attacker is a complete shutdown of a web resource - a "denial of service". An attacker can also demand money for stopping the attack. In some cases, a DDoS attack may be an attempt to discredit or destroy a competitor's business.
Using a network of zombie computers to carry out DDoS attacks
To send a very large number of requests to the victim's resource, a cybercriminal often creates a network of infected "zombie computers". Since the criminal controls the actions of every infected computer in the zombie network, the attack may be too powerful for the victim's web resource.
The nature of modern DDoS threats
In the early and mid-2000s, such criminal activity was quite common. However, the number of successful DDoS attacks is decreasing. This is probably due to the following factors:
Police investigations that led to the arrest of criminals around the world
Technical countermeasures that are successfully used to counter DDoS attacks