What is the primary goal of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack?

The primary goal of a denial-of-service (DoS) attack is to make a resource unavailable to its intended users. This is typically accomplished by overwhelming a target system, service, or network with a flood of traffic or requests, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate user requests. The attack's intent is to disrupt normal operations and deny access to users, which can cause significant downtime and operational disruption for businesses and services.

Making a resource unavailable stands at the core of what defines a DoS attack, as it is specifically designed to impede or halt the availability and functionality of targeted systems. This differs from objectives such as data theft or unauthorized access, which focus on breaching security to gain sensitive information or control over systems. Rather, a DoS attack targets the availability of services without necessarily leaking or accessing sensitive data.