Which attack type specifically targets application-layer

Solution

A DDoS attack overwhelms an application or server by flooding it with a high volume of requests, often targeting application-layer protocols such as HTTP (web requests), DNS (domain resolution), and SMTP (email services). Application-layer DDoS attacks are difficult to detect because they mimic legitimate user traffic, exhausting server resources.

1. Impact: It disrupts services, leading to downtime, loss of business, and customer dissatisfaction.
2. Prevention: Mitigation involves using rate limiting, traffic filtering, and DDoS protection services like Cloudflare or AWS Shield.

• Brute Force Attack: Attempts to crack passwords or keys, not overwhelm protocols.
• Injection Attack: Exploits database queries, not application-layer protocol overload.
• XSS: Targets client-side browsers, not server-layer protocols.
• CSRF: Exploits session trust, unrelated to flooding servers.