A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is a malicious attempt to disrupt the normal functioning of a server, service, or network by overwhelming it with excessive traffic. When multiple systems are used to carry out the attack, it becomes a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack. In the case of the conversation between Elon Musk and Donald Trump on X (formerly Twitter), Musk blamed a massive DDoS attack for causing a 40-minute delay and technical glitches during the live audio interview.
DDoS Attack Overview:
- Objective: To overload a target's resources (network, server, or website) with so much traffic that legitimate users are unable to access the service, leading to outages and slowdowns.
- Impact: Causes disruptions in normal operations, service unavailability, and significant downtime.
Common Types of DDoS Attacks:
- Smurf Attack:
- Attackers use ICMP broadcast packets with a spoofed source IP address of the target.
- When multiple hosts respond to the broadcast, they unknowingly flood the target's server with traffic, causing a denial of service.
- SYN Flood:
- Attackers send SYN (synchronization) requests to initiate TCP connections, but never complete the handshake.
- The server allocates resources for each incomplete connection, eventually depleting them and preventing legitimate users from connecting.
These types of attacks highlight the vulnerability of online platforms and the potential for disruptions when large-scale traffic surges, whether from legitimate sources or malicious ones, occur.