Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack

A type of attack where an attacker tries to make a service (like a website, email service, or any network resource) unavailable by overwhelming it with a flood of traffic or requests. "Distributed" means it comes from many sources at once - often a botnet (a network of malware-infected devices controlled by the attacker) - which makes it hard to simply block one source.

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The result of a successful DDoS is that legitimate users can't reach your service (imagine 10,000 fake visitors hammering your website every second, so real customers can't load the page).

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For an SMB that relies on its website or online services, DDoS can be crippling, even if no data is stolen - it's like your store's entrance is swarmed and blocked. While some DDoS attacks are just done for nuisance or extortion ("pay us or we'll keep your site down"), others might be politically or competitively motivated.

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Mitigating DDoS often requires help from your internet provider or using a service like Cloudflare that absorbs and filters out malicious traffic upstream. Basic steps include ensuring your network equipment is configured to handle bursts, having alerts for traffic spikes, and possibly using rate-limiting (to cap how many requests one IP can make). Many hosting providers include some DDoS protection nowadays.

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It's also wise to have an incident response plan for DDoS - e.g., who to call (ISP, hosting support) if your services become unresponsive due to a suspected attack.

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In summary, a DDoS doesn't steal information but slams the brakes on your online presence, so preparation is about keeping the lights on under stress - much like having a generator for your website to weather a storm of traffic.