denial of service attack

An assault on a network that floods it with so many additional requests that regular traffic is either slowed or completely interrupted. Unlike a virus or worm, which can cause severe damage to databases, a denial of service attack interrupts network service for some period. A distributed denial of service (DDOS) attack uses multiple computers throughout the network that it has previously infected. The computers act as "zombies" and work together to send out bogus messages, thereby increasing the amount of phony traffic. See smurf attack, SYN flood attack, land attack, teardrop attack and Ping of Death.

Hackers Caused a Denial of Service

Computers with high-speed connections to the Internet were hacked and planted with illicit programs that, when activated, sent out an unending number of requests and caused a denial of service at Yahoo!, eBay, Amazon.com and other Web sites during the second week of February 2000. (Article headline courtesy of the Philadelphia Inquirer.)