When this happens, the receiving computer interprets the packets as legitimate data, and it then processes the information and performs actions based on the instructions contained within the packet. In other words, the receiving computer executes the code inside the packet.
This process repeats itself thousands of times per second, resulting in a huge amount of traffic being sent to the targeted host. Because the packets contain no identifying information about the sender, the target host doesn’t know where the traffic originated. As a result, the host becomes overwhelmed with traffic and stops responding to legitimate requests.
This type of attack is often referred to as a “denial of service” attack because it prevents users from accessing the targeted resource. However, unlike traditional denial of service attacks, which prevent access to a specific application, a DDoS attack targets a network or infrastructure rather than a particular user.
