What are potential impacts of a DDoS attack?

In the context of DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attacks, the implications can be quite severe for an organization. The correct choice highlights several critical impacts that such an attack can have.

Service unavailability is a direct consequence of a DDoS attack, where overwhelming traffic can lead to legitimate users being unable to access services. This results in significant disruption, which can have immediate effects on operations, especially for online services, e-commerce, and other internet-dependent platforms.

Financial loss often occurs due to the downtime caused by these attacks. Organizations can miss out on revenue from sales, face penalties from service level agreements, and incur costs related to mitigating the attack and restoring services.

Moreover, an attack can severely damage an organization's reputation. Customers and clients have expectations for reliability, and prolonged unavailability can erode trust. This is particularly damaging in highly competitive industries where customer loyalty is paramount.

In contrast, options that suggest increased capacity, reduced costs, or enhanced performance are contrary to the very nature of a DDoS attack. Such attacks fundamentally aim to degrade service availability and performance, which is why they pose a significant risk to organizations that rely on stable and secure network services.