Understanding DDoS Attacks
How it works:
- Attacker compromises thousands of computers (creating a "botnet")
- All compromised computers simultaneously send requests to target server
- Server is overwhelmed by massive traffic volume
- Legitimate users can't access the service (denial of service)
DoS vs DDoS:
- DoS (Denial of Service): Attack from ONE source - easier to block
- DDoS (Distributed DoS): Attack from MULTIPLE sources - much harder to defend against
Business impact:
- Website/service becomes completely unavailable
- Lost revenue from inability to process transactions
- Reputation damage and loss of customer trust
- Cost of mitigation services and recovery
This deep dive covers Deep Dive: DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) within Technical Attacks for GCSE Computer Science. Revise Technical Attacks in 3.6 Fundamentals of Cyber Security for GCSE Computer Science with 18 exam-style questions and 16 flashcards. This is a high-frequency topic, so it is worth revising until the explanation feels precise and repeatable. It is section 5 of 9 in this topic. Use this deep dive to connect the idea to the wider topic before moving on to questions and flashcards.
Practice questions for Technical Attacks
Which of the following best describes a brute force attack?
Explain what a DDoS attack is and how it affects a network.