Which of the following is most affected by denial-of-service (DOS) attacks?

The correct answer is D. Availability. Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks overwhelm a system's resources (bandwidth, CPU, memory, connections) to prevent legitimate users from accessing services. This directly targets Availability - the 'A' in the CIA triad, which ensures systems and data are accessible when needed…

Submitted by lucia.co· Apr 18, 2026Security Concepts and Practices

Question

Which of the following is most affected by denial-of-service (DOS) attacks?

Options

AConfidentiality
BIntegrity
CAccountability
DAvailability

How the community answered

(40 responses)

A
5% (2)
B
3% (1)
C
3% (1)
D
90% (36)

Explanation

Denial-of-Service (DoS) attacks overwhelm a system's resources (bandwidth, CPU, memory, connections) to prevent legitimate users from accessing services. This directly targets Availability - the 'A' in the CIA triad, which ensures systems and data are accessible when needed. DoS does not typically compromise Confidentiality (data secrecy) or Integrity (data accuracy/trustworthiness). Accountability (audit trail of user actions) is also unaffected. Availability is the sole pillar of the CIA triad that DoS attacks are designed to undermine.

Topics

#Denial of Service (DoS)#Availability#CIA Triad#Attack Impact

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