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The A to Z of security
Got the Love Bug? Scared of spyware? Read all about what's keeping techies awake at night...

By Natasha Lomas

Published: Tuesday 14 November 2006

DDoS

A denial of service (DoS) attack aims to render a web resource unavailable to its everyday users. It works by flooding a web server with more requests to serve a webpage than it can handle - meaning that during the attack period the hosted site will be dramatically slower to load or may not load at all. Another type of DoS attack - known as an 'email bomb' - targets an organisation's servers by sending more email than the systems can handle.

Security from A to Z

Click on the links below to find out more...

A is for Antivirus
B is for Botnets
C is for CMA
D is for DDoS
E is for Extradition
F is for Federated identity
G is for Google
H is for Hackers
I is for IM
J is for Jaschan (Sven)
K is for Kids
L is for Love Bug
M is for Microsoft
N is for Neologisms
O is for Orange
P is for Passwords
Q is for Questions
R is for Rootkits
S is for Spyware
T is for Two-factor authentication
U is for USB sticks/devices
V is for Virus variants
W is for Wi-fi
X is for OS X
Y is for You
Z is for Zero-day

A distributed denial of service attack (DDoS) means multiple compromised PCs are used to overwhelm a website's bandwidth or resources. The machines used in such attacks are collectively known as a botnet or zombie network and will have previously been infected with malware - meaning they can be remote-controlled by the attacker.

The cyber criminal fraternity uses denial of service attacks as a weapon to blackmail ecommerce businesses, which rely on their websites being accessible in order to make money. Online gambling sites are popular targets - due to the nature of their business and the lure of ready money. But attacks are not always financially motivated - perpetrators can simply be seeking to cause disruption or make a name for themselves.