What is the primary threat of a DDoS attack?

The primary threat of a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is to overwhelm a network or service. In a DDoS attack, multiple compromised computers or devices are used to flood a target with excessive traffic. This influx of traffic exhausts the resources of the target system—such as bandwidth, memory, and processing power—making it unable to respond to legitimate requests and effectively disrupting or disabling the service.

This overload can lead to significant downtime for businesses, loss of customer trust, and even financial losses due to the inability to conduct usual operations. DDoS attacks are typically not aimed at stealing data or gaining unauthorized access; instead, their goal is to disrupt service availability. Thus, the emphasis on overwhelming a network or service is what characterizes the nature of a DDoS attack as a primary threat.