What does "DDoS" stand for?

The term "DDoS" stands for "Distributed Denial of Service." This refers to a type of cyber attack in which multiple compromised computers, often part of a botnet, are used to flood a target system, server, or network with an overwhelming amount of traffic. The goal of a DDoS attack is to render the targeted service unavailable to legitimate users by overwhelming the system’s resources.

The "distributed" aspect indicates that the attack is launched from multiple sources, making it more difficult to defend against compared to a Denial of Service (DoS) attack that typically originates from a single source. Understanding this concept is essential in cybersecurity as organizations must develop strategies to mitigate such attacks to ensure the availability of their services.