What is a DDoS attack designed to do?

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack aims to overwhelm a system, service, or network with an excessive amount of traffic to make it unavailable to users. This is typically achieved by leveraging multiple compromised devices or "bots" to flood the target with requests, exhausting its resources and causing legitimate requests to fail.

This method can disrupt the normal functioning of websites, online services, or networks, leading to downtime and loss of access for users. Unlike other types of attacks, such as data theft or unauthorized access, the primary focus of a DDoS attack is not to compromise data or steal information, but rather to increase traffic significantly to saturate the target and disrupt service availability. Understanding this is crucial for cybersecurity professionals as it informs the strategies needed for defense and mitigation against such threats.