FAQs about Denial of Service or Distributed DoS Attacks

A Denial of Service (DoS) attack makes a computer, network or website unavailable by temporarily or indefinitely disrupting its hosting service or system.

Similar to a Denial of Service attack, this type of attack involves multiple, sometimes hundreds or thousands, of internet-connected devices to disrupt the services of a specific computer, network or website.

During a DoS or Distributed DoS attack, the attacked computer, network or website will be unavailable and unusable. It won’t become available again until normal service is restored, and even then it may experience ongoing degraded or disputed service.

If your device is participating in these activities, bring it to a third-party computer repair technician to help solve the problem.

• Perform a thorough virus and malware scan on your device using downloadable applications like the Microsoft Windows Malicious Software Removal Tool.
• If you have anti-virus software installed, make sure you’re always updated with the latest version.
• Keep your device’s browsers and operating system up to date. Software updates help protect your system and personal information.
• Continuously change your passwords. Make sure your passwords are complex and impossible to guess.
• If you receive an email from an unknown or suspicious sender, do not open it or click any attachments or links in it. This is one of the most common sources of all forms of viruses and malware.

What is a Vulnerability?