Denial of Service (DoS) and DDoS Attacks

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🔥 DENIAL OF SERVICE (DoS) ATTACK

Definition

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack is a cyber attack in which an attacker attempts to make a computer system, server, or network unavailable to its intended users by overwhelming it with excessive traffic or requests.

The main goal is to disrupt services.

How DoS Attack Works

  1. Attacker targets a server or website.

  2. Sends a large number of fake requests.

  3. Server becomes overloaded.

  4. Legitimate users cannot access the service.

Objective of DoS Attack

  • Shut down website

  • Slow down system

  • Disrupt online services

  • Cause financial loss

  • Damage reputation

Types of DoS Attacks

1️⃣ Volume-Based Attacks

  • Flood the network with huge traffic.

  • Example: UDP Flood, ICMP Flood.

2️⃣ Protocol Attacks

  • Exploit weaknesses in network protocols.

  • Example: SYN Flood Attack.

3️⃣ Application Layer Attacks

  • Target specific applications or websites.

  • Example: HTTP Flood.

Symptoms of DoS Attack

  • Website becomes very slow

  • Server not responding

  • High CPU usage

  • Network congestion

Example

If a website can handle 1,000 users at a time, and attacker sends 100,000 fake requests, the server crashes or becomes unavailable.

🌐 DISTRIBUTED DENIAL OF SERVICE (DDoS) ATTACK

Definition

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is similar to DoS, but instead of one computer, multiple infected computers attack the target simultaneously.

How DDoS Works

  1. Attacker creates a botnet (network of infected computers).

  2. Sends command to all infected systems.

  3. All systems send traffic to target server.

  4. Server becomes overloaded and crashes.

What is Botnet?

A Botnet is a network of infected computers controlled remotely by an attacker.

These infected devices are called “Bots” or “Zombies”.

Difference Between DoS and DDoS

FeatureDoSDDoS
Number of AttackersSingle systemMultiple systems
Traffic SourceOne IP addressMany IP addresses
DetectionEasierHarder
Damage LevelModerateSevere

🔥 Common Types of DDoS Attacks

1️⃣ SYN Flood Attack

  • Sends incomplete connection requests.

  • Server memory becomes full.

2️⃣ UDP Flood

  • Floods random ports with UDP packets.

3️⃣ ICMP (Ping) Flood

  • Sends massive ping requests.

4️⃣ HTTP Flood

  • Overloads web server with HTTP requests.

5️⃣ Amplification Attack

  • Uses third-party servers to increase attack size.

  • Example: DNS Amplification.

🚨 Real-World Impact

  • Online banking services down

  • E-commerce websites offline

  • Gaming servers crash

  • Government websites inaccessible

🎯 Effects of DoS & DDoS Attacks

  • Financial loss

  • Loss of customer trust

  • Service disruption

  • Data unavailability

  • Business reputation damage

🛡 Prevention and Protection

Technical Measures

  • Firewall configuration

  • Intrusion Detection System (IDS)

  • Intrusion Prevention System (IPS)

  • Rate limiting

  • Load balancing

  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)

  • Anti-DDoS protection services

Best Practices

  • Regular server monitoring

  • Update network infrastructure

  • Use cloud-based DDoS protection

  • Backup important data

  • Traffic filtering

🔎 DoS vs DDoS Summary

  • DoS = Single attacker

  • DDoS = Multiple attackers

  • Both aim to disrupt services

  • DDoS is more dangerous and harder to stop

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