Which type of attack involves overwhelming a service with traffic to make it unavailable?

The type of attack characterized by overwhelming a service with traffic to render it unavailable is known as a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. This tactic floods a target system with excessive requests, consuming its resources and ultimately disrupting the functionality of the service for legitimate users. The objective of a DoS attack is to make a service inaccessible rather than to compromise data, which distinguishes it from other attack types.

In contrast, malware attacks involve malicious software that can damage, disrupt, or gain unauthorized access to systems. Phishing attacks are designed to deceive users into revealing sensitive information such as passwords or credit card numbers. Man-in-the-middle attacks occur when an attacker intercepts communication between two parties, allowing them to eavesdrop or manipulate the information exchanged. Each of these attack types focuses on different vulnerabilities and objectives, which clarifies why they do not apply to the scenario described about overwhelming a service.