What differentiates a DDoS attack from a standard DoS attack?

A DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is characterized by the involvement of multiple compromised systems, often referred to as a botnet, which collectively overwhelm a target with traffic. This contrasts with a standard DoS (Denial of Service) attack, which typically originates from a single source. The multiple sources make DDoS attacks more potent and difficult to mitigate, as the sheer volume of their combined traffic can easily exhaust the target's resources.

In essence, the distributed nature of a DDoS attack means that it can effectively spread the load of the attack across numerous devices, making it harder for the target to defend against it. This complexity and the increased number of attacking devices lead to a greater likelihood of success compared to a single-source DoS attack, which might be relatively easier to block or mitigate.