What does the acronym DDoS stand for?

The acronym DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service. This term refers to a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a targeted server, service, or network by overwhelming it with a flood of internet traffic.

In a DDoS attack, multiple compromised systems, often part of a botnet, are used to send an excessive amount of traffic to the target, making it unable to respond to legitimate users. The "distributed" aspect indicates that the attack originates from many different sources, which makes it more challenging to defend against compared to standard denial of service (DoS) attacks that come from a single source. Understanding the nature of DDoS attacks is critical for cybersecurity professionals, as it underscores the importance of developing robust mitigation strategies and response plans to protect resources from such overwhelming threats.