Ethical Hacking Essentials Practice Test

In ethical hacking, what is the ultimate purpose of a denial of service attack?

1. To steal sensitive data

2. To disable services and networks

3. To gain unauthorized access

4. To monitor user behavior

The correct answer is: To disable services and networks

The ultimate purpose of a denial of service (DoS) attack is to disable services and networks. This type of attack overwhelms a target system—be it a website, server, or network—by flooding it with excessive requests or malicious traffic, rendering it unable to respond to legitimate user requests. The goal is to disrupt normal functioning, often leading to downtime that can affect availability for users, damage an organization's reputation, and incur financial losses. In contrast, other options such as stealing sensitive data, gaining unauthorized access, or monitoring user behavior are not the primary objectives of a DoS attack. While these actions may be associated with other types of attacks (e.g., data breaches, intrusions, or phishing), they do not align with the fundamental intent of a denial of service, which is specifically focused on making resources unavailable.