distributed denial of service

noun phrase

: an attempt to interfere with the normal operations of an online service (such as a website or app) by overwhelming it with repeated automated requests for data from multiple sources

Although computer viruses, worms and other so-called malware can be countered with good security practices and up-to-date defensive software, distributed denial of service attacks are hard to protect against.

—John Schwartz

A new distributed denial-of-service tool found recently in computers at several universities may be able to avoid defenses put up by Web sites …

—Jack McCarthy

—abbreviation DDoS

Examples of distributed denial of service in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

Four techniques constitute the bulk of its direct actions: distributed denial of service attacks; document disclosures; defacement of Web sites; and non-cyber action, ranging from pranks, such as sending targets unwanted pizza deliveries, to street protests. —Yochai Benkler, Foreign Affairs, 4 Apr. 2012

Word History

First Known Use

1998, in the meaning defined above