What is the main goal of a Denial of Service attack?

The primary objective of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack is to disrupt access to services. In this type of attack, the attacker aims to make a network resource unavailable to its intended users, which can lead to significant downtime for websites, applications, or network services. By overwhelming the target with a flood of illegitimate requests or exploiting weaknesses in the system, the attacker can effectively deny legitimate users access, resulting in service interruptions.

DoS attacks can significantly impact businesses and users by preventing them from accessing crucial services, leading to potential financial losses and damage to reputation. The focus is not on stealing data or exploiting vulnerabilities directly, but rather on causing disruption and making services unreachable for legitimate users. Thus, the essence of a DoS attack is encapsulated in this goal of interrupting normal service operations.