Why do some attackers seek to deprive customers of the availability of an online business
Select one:
a. Availability is more important than the other goals of information security professionals
b. Availability is the least important component of security
c. To disrupt the organization’s ability to perform normal business activities
d. None of the above Suppose you are visiting your doctor’s office
The correct answer and explanation is:
The correct answer is c. To disrupt the organization’s ability to perform normal business activities.
Attackers often target the availability of online businesses to disrupt their normal operations. This is typically done through tactics like Denial of Service (DoS) or Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, where the attacker floods the business’s online infrastructure with excessive traffic or requests, overwhelming the system and making it unavailable to legitimate users.
The importance of availability in information security cannot be understated. Businesses that rely on online services need to ensure their websites, apps, and systems are available for their customers at all times. If these systems are unavailable, it can lead to severe financial losses, damage to reputation, and decreased customer trust. In the case of e-commerce sites, for instance, an attack that disrupts their online availability could prevent customers from making purchases, causing lost revenue and potentially driving customers to competitors.
For attackers, disrupting the availability of a business’s online presence can also serve as a form of protest or extortion. In some cases, attackers may demand a ransom to stop the disruption, known as a ransom DoS (RDoS) attack.
The goal of depriving a business of its availability is not just to create inconvenience, but to impact its ability to operate effectively. In today’s digital economy, where businesses are highly dependent on technology for operations, an attack targeting availability can have significant ripple effects. This is why businesses and information security professionals focus on safeguarding availability as part of their broader security measures, alongside confidentiality and integrity.