What is meant by denial of service attack is it active attack or passive attack?

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This article is going to be very interesting and important for readers that are interested in cyber security. In this article, we are going to discuss two major types of security attacks that are Active attack and Passive attack.

Hope this article will be informative to you, and give you the sufficient information about Active attack, Passive attack, and their comparison. So, without any delay, let's start our topic.

What is a Security attack?

Security attacks jeopardize the system's security. These are the unauthorized or illegal actions that are taken against the government, corporate, or private IT assets in order to destroy, modify, or steal the sensitive data. They are further classified into active and passive attacks, in which the attacker gets unlawful access to the system's resources.

Active attacks

In active attacks, the attacker intercepts the connection and efforts to modify the message's content. It is dangerous for integrity and availability of the message. Active attacks involve Masquerade, Modification of message, Repudiation, Replay, and Denial of service. The system resources can be changed due to active attacks. So, the damage done with active attacks can be harmful to the system and its resources.

In the below image, we can see the process of active attacks.

What is meant by denial of service attack is it active attack or passive attack?

In active attacks, the victim gets notified about the attack. The implication of an active attack is typically difficult and requires more effort. Active attacks can be prevented by using some techniques. We can try the below-listed measures to prevent these attacks -

  • Use of one-time password help in the authentication of the transactions between two parties.
  • There could be a generation of the random session key that will be valid for a single transaction. It should prevent the malicious user from retransmitting the actual information once the session ends.

Passive attacks

In passive attacks, the attacker observes the messages, then copy and save them and can use it for malicious purposes. The attacker does not try to change the information or content he/she gathered. Although passive attacks do not harm the system, they can be a danger for the confidentiality of the message.

In the below image, we can see the process of passive attacks.

What is meant by denial of service attack is it active attack or passive attack?

Unlike active attacks, in passive attacks, victims do not get informed about the attack. It is difficult to detect as there is no alteration in the message. Passive attacks can be prevented by using some encryption techniques. We can try the below-listed measures to prevent these attacks -

  • We should avoid posting sensitive information or personal information online. Attackers can use this information to hack your network.
  • We should use the encryption method for the messages and make the messages unreadable for any unintended intruder.

Active attack v/s Passive attack

What is meant by denial of service attack is it active attack or passive attack?

Now, let's see the comparison chart between Active attack and Passive attack. We are comparing both security attacks on the basis of some characteristics.

On the basis ofActive attackPassive attack
Definition In active attacks, the attacker intercepts the connection and efforts to modify the message's content. In passive attacks, the attacker observes the messages, then copy and save them and can use it for malicious purposes.
Modification In an active attack, the attacker modifies the actual information. In passive attacks, information remains unchanged.
Victim In active attacks, the victim gets notified about the attack. Unlike active attacks, in passive attacks, victims do not get informed about the attack.
System's impact The damage done with active attacks can be harmful to the system and its resources. The passive attacks do not harm the system.
System resources In active attacks, the system resources can be changed. In passive attacks, the system resources remain unchanged.
Dangerous for They are dangerous for the integrity and availability of the message. They can be dangerous for confidentiality of the message.
Emphasis on In active attacks, attention is on detection. In active attacks, attention is on prevention.
Types Active attacks involve Masquerade, Modification of message, Repudiation, Replay, and Denial of service. It involves traffic analysis, the release of a message.
Prevention Active attacks are tough to restrict from entering systems or networks. Unlike active attacks, passive attacks are easy to prohibit.

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Is denial of service an active attack?

A Denial-of-Service (DoS) attack is an attack meant to shut down a machine or network, making it inaccessible to its intended users. DoS attacks accomplish this by flooding the target with traffic, or sending it information that triggers a crash.

What is meant by a denial of service attack?

"Denial of service" or "DoS" describes the ultimate goal of a class of cyber attacks designed to render a service inaccessible. The DoS attacks that most people have heard about are those launched against high profile websites, since these are frequently reported by the media.

What are the active and passive attacks?

In an active attack, System resources can be changed. While in passive attack, System resources are not changing. Active attack influences the services of the system. While in passive attack, information and messages in the system or network are acquired.

Which attack is passive attack?

A passive attack is a network attack in which a system is monitored and sometimes scanned for open ports and vulnerabilities. The purpose of a passive attack is to gain information about the system being targeted; it does not involve any direct action on the target.