Explanation:
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic.

DDoS attacks are executed using multiple compromised devices, forming a botnet. These devices, often without the owners’ knowledge, generate large volumes of traffic aimed at overloading the target’s resources.

The primary goal of a DDoS attack is to make websites or services inaccessible, often causing downtime, financial losses, and reputational damage for organizations.

Additional Information:
DDoS attacks come in several forms, including volumetric attacks (flooding bandwidth), protocol attacks (targeting system resources), and application layer attacks (disrupting web applications).

Mitigation techniques include using load balancers, rate-limiting, and deploying Web Application Firewalls (WAF). Services like Cloudflare and Akamai provide DDoS protection for organizations.

Formal Definition:
A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack is a cyber-attack where multiple compromised systems are used to flood a target’s network or servers, rendering them unavailable to legitimate users.