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Questions and Answers
Define a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
Define a denial-of-service (DoS) attack.
A denial of service (DoS) attack is an action that prevents or impairs the authorized use of networks, systems, or applications by exhausting resources such as central processing units (CPU), memory, bandwidth, and disk space.
What type of resources are targeted by such DoS attacks?
What type of resources are targeted by such DoS attacks?
Resources that could be attacked include any limited resources such as network bandwidth, system resources, or application resources.
What is the goal of a flooding attack?
What is the goal of a flooding attack?
The goal of a flooding attack is generally to overload the network capacity on some link to a server, or alternatively to overload the server's ability to handle and respond to this traffic.
What types of packets are commonly used for flooding attacks?
What types of packets are commonly used for flooding attacks?
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Why do many DoS attacks use packets with spoofed addresses?
Why do many DoS attacks use packets with spoofed addresses?
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What is 'backscatter traffic'?
What is 'backscatter traffic'?
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Define a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
Define a distributed denial-of-service (DDoS) attack.
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What architecture does a DDoS attack typically use?
What architecture does a DDoS attack typically use?
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Define a reflection attack.
Define a reflection attack.
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Define an amplification attack.
Define an amplification attack.
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Study Notes
Denial of Service (DoS) Attack
- A DoS attack prevents or impairs authorized access to networks, systems, or applications by depleting resources like CPU, memory, bandwidth, or disk space.
- Targeted resources include limited network bandwidth, system resources, and application resources.
Flooding Attacks
- The primary goal of a flooding attack is to overwhelm network capacity or the server’s ability to manage incoming traffic.
- Common packet types used in flooding attacks include ICMP, UDP, and TCP SYN packets.
Spoofed Addresses in DoS Attacks
- Many DoS attacks utilize packets with forged source addresses, causing responses to be scattered across the Internet rather than returning to the attacker.
- This leads to an increase in traffic directed at the target system with responses potentially sent to random addresses.
Backscatter Traffic
- Backscatter traffic consists of packets generated as responses to spoofed DoS packets, providing insight into the type and scale of attacks.
- It can inform about attacks using forged random source addresses, including single and distributed flooding or SYN spoofing attacks.
- It does not provide information on attacks using direct source addresses or those based on reflection or amplification techniques.
Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) Attack
- A DDoS attack involves multiple attackers' systems, often compromised user PCs, forming a botnet under one attacker’s control.
- Utilizes several systems to greatly increase traffic volume and makes tracing the attack back to the source more challenging.
DDoS Attack Architecture
- DDoS botnets feature a control hierarchy, with a few systems acting as handlers overseeing numerous agent systems.
- Attackers can deploy commands efficiently by sending a single command to a handler, which then relays it to all controlled agents.
Reflection Attacks
- In a reflection attack, spoofed packets are sent to a server, with responses flooding a target’s network link.
- They leverage legitimate server systems, making them easier to implement and harder to trace.
Amplification Attacks
- Amplification attacks involve sending requests to intermediaries with spoofed target addresses, generating numerous responses for each request.
- Methods often include directing requests to a network’s broadcast address or using services like DNS that produce larger response packets than the original requests.
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Description
Test your knowledge on denial-of-service attacks in Chapter 7 of Computer Security & Privacy. This quiz covers key definitions and types of resources targeted by DoS attacks. Dive into the world of cybersecurity and understand how these attacks affect networks and systems.
