Editing Denial-of-service attack (section)

====Method of attack====
The simplest DoS attack relies primarily on brute force, flooding the target with an overwhelming flux of packets, oversaturating its connection bandwidth or depleting the target's system resources. Bandwidth-saturating floods rely on the attacker's ability to generate the overwhelming flux of packets. A common way of achieving this today is via distributed denial-of-service, employing a [[botnet]]. An application layer DDoS attack is done mainly for specific targeted purposes, including disrupting transactions and access to databases. It requires fewer resources than network layer attacks but often accompanies them.<ref>{{cite news |last=Higgins |first=Kelly Jackson |title=DDoS Attack Used 'Headless' Browser In 150-Hour Siege |newspaper=Dark Reading |publisher=InformationWeek |date=17 October 2013 |url=http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/ddos-attack-used-headless-browsers-in-15/240162777 |access-date=28 January 2014 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140122165039/http://www.darkreading.com/attacks-breaches/ddos-attack-used-headless-browsers-in-15/240162777 |archive-date=January 22, 2014 }}</ref> An attack may be disguised to look like legitimate traffic, except it targets specific application packets or functions. The attack on the application layer can disrupt services such as the retrieval of information or search functions on a website.<ref name="AbABankinJournal" />