DDoS attacks are used to make websites, apps, and other online services inaccessible to their intended users. These attacks usually involve hackers fl ooding the target with an artifi cially infl ated volume of traffi c. For example, they could use bots to overwhelm a website’s servers, ensuring that it cannot display pages for genuine visitors. The cyber extortionist then off ers to call off the attack if they are paid a requested amount.