What is the purpose of a Denial of Service attack?

The purpose of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack is to disable a machine or system by overwhelming it with traffic or requests that it cannot handle. This type of attack aims to make a network service unavailable to its intended users. By flooding a server, system, or network with excessive data or requests, the legitimate requests from users cannot be processed, effectively taking the service offline. This disruption can impact businesses, organizations, and users who rely on that service for essential functions.

In contrast, options related to data theft or recovery, as well as enhancing system security, do not align with the fundamental objectives of a DoS attack. Instead of targeting data for unauthorized access or recovery, the goal is purely about causing service interruptions and affecting availability.