What is a common consequence of a DDoS attack?

A Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack primarily aims to overwhelm a target's resources, such as its server, network, or application, with excessive traffic. This flood of traffic can render the targeted services unavailable to legitimate users, which is why unavailability of services is the most immediate and observable consequence of such an attack. Organizations experience downtime, and users may be unable to access websites or services they normally use, disrupting operations and potentially leading to financial losses and reputational damage.

While data theft, malware infection, and unauthorized access are serious security concerns, they are not direct consequences of a DDoS attack. A DDoS attack is specifically designed to disrupt service rather than to steal data, introduce malware, or gain unauthorized access to systems. Therefore, understanding the nature and consequences of DDoS attacks emphasizes the critical need for organizations to prepare and defend against such threats to ensure service availability.