Which could indicate a DoS attack on a company server?

Which could indicate a DoS attack on a company server?

• A. Website loads normally but slowly
• B. Customers cannot view the website on their device because the page will not load.
• C. Multiple login attempts fail but site is reachable
• D. Emails spike to IT staff

Answer: (B)

A denial-of-service attack makes a service unavailable by overwhelming the server so legitimate users can’t access the site. The strongest indicator is when customers cannot view the website because the page won’t load at all—the service isn’t responding to requests. That complete unavailability is the hallmark of a DoS. In contrast, a website that loads slowly points to performance or congestion issues rather than a total outage. If login attempts fail but the site remains reachable, the problem is more likely authentication or access controls rather than a flood preventing any connection. A spike in emails to IT doesn’t directly indicate a DoS on the server; it could reflect user confusion, phishing, or other incidents, not that the site itself is down.

A denial-of-service attack makes a service unavailable by overwhelming the server so legitimate users can’t access the site. The strongest indicator is when customers cannot view the website because the page won’t load at all—the service isn’t responding to requests. That complete unavailability is the hallmark of a DoS.

In contrast, a website that loads slowly points to performance or congestion issues rather than a total outage. If login attempts fail but the site remains reachable, the problem is more likely authentication or access controls rather than a flood preventing any connection. A spike in emails to IT doesn’t directly indicate a DoS on the server; it could reflect user confusion, phishing, or other incidents, not that the site itself is down.