An attack on availability refers to any cyberattack that seeks to block access to systems or
disrupt services. Instead of trying to steal sensitive information, the attacker’s goal is to
flood the target with an overwhelming amount of traffic and make a website or online
account unusable to legitimate users.

One of the examples of this is a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. Cyber
attackers will flood a server with so much traffic that it becomes overwhelming and stops
responding. DDoS is usually short lived and superficial but is alsohighly visible. A recent
example occurred on October 10, 2022, when the websites of several major airports in the
U.S. were hacked by the pro-Russian group ‘KillNet’. Fortunately, the attacks did not put
flight operations at risk nor risk passenger safety. The disruption made it harder for
customers to check their flight schedules or even look up basic information. The high
visibility targets aimed to make a statement and create public confusion.

Although the result was mostly inconvenience, the broader implications of these types of
attacks can be significant. Any downtime not only costs organizations money, but it also
erodes at public trust and damages their reputation. For other organizations such as
emergency response or healthcare, the consequences are even more dire. A loss of
availability can affect safety and critical services. Availability attacks are not just about
stopping hackers from stealing data, but also keeping systems dependable and usable for
the people that rely on them.



Sources

Infosecurity Magazine.(2022, October 11).KillNet claims US airport DDoS. https://www.infosecurity-magazine.com/news/killnet-claims-us-airport-ddos/


Cybersecurity and Infrastructure Security Agency. (2023). Understanding denial-of-service attacks. https://www.cisa.gov/resources-tools/resources/understanding-denial-service-attacks