DDoS-As-A-Service. DDoSaaS. A Distributed Denial of Service is a malicious attempt to stress a network or server by overloading it with massive amounts of data. The overwhelming traffic will render the resources unavailable. This tactic is normally utilized by hackers and hacktivists. Cyber criminals are looking to disrupt an organization that results in loss of business and productivity.
This threat has emerged to be easily accessible to anyone that wants to launch such an attack. Users now have the option to attack their defined target anonymously. DDoSaaS can be purchased for as little as $5 and can range from a one-time occurrence to a continuous stream of attacks.
DDoSaaS works as a series of botnets to perform the attacks which makes it nearly impossible to track back to its origination.
‘Stresser’ and ‘Booter’ services may advertise themselves as legitimate services that are meant for troubleshooting and testing a user’s own network in order to identify security holes and risks. There are legitimate services that can be purchased for this purpose. However, whenever the use of anonymity is involved it should lead to suspicion.
DDoS attacks are illegal. Any intention to disrupt or cause damage to Internet connected devices can be met with legal ramifications.