CompTIA ITF+ Practice Test 2025 - Free CompTIA ITF+ Practice Questions and Study Guide

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is a common form of cyberattack in which an attacker seeks to make a network service unavailable to its intended users. This is typically achieved by overwhelming the targeted service with a flood of illegitimate requests, exceeding the server’s capacity to handle them. As a result, legitimate users are unable to access the service, leading to downtime and potential loss of revenue or reputation for the affected organization.

In the context of cybersecurity, the main goal of a DoS attack is disruption. Attackers may use various methods, such as sending excessive data packets or exploiting vulnerabilities in software, to achieve their aim. This type of attack does not directly involve stealing data, which differentiates it from other attack types like phishing or malware. Instead, it focuses solely on service interruption.

Understanding how a DoS attack operates highlights the importance of network security measures and response strategies to mitigate the risk and impact of such attacks.