What is a common characteristic of a DDoS attack?

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is characterized by the involvement of a large number of compromised devices, often referred to as a botnet, that collectively target a single system or service. This coordinated effort overwhelms the target with an excessive amount of traffic, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate requests, effectively denying service to users.

The use of multiple devices is critical to the effectiveness of a DDoS attack; it allows a distributed approach, circumventing protections that might block a single source of attack. This contrasts sharply with other types of attacks that may focus on gathering personal data or sensor only specific network components. By leveraging many compromised devices, the attack amplifies its impact and creates significant challenges for the target in mitigating the attack.