Which type of attack attempts to overwhelm a network by flooding it with traffic?

The type of attack that aims to overwhelm a network by flooding it with excessive traffic is known as a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack. This attack involves multiple compromised systems, often part of a botnet, sending numerous requests to a targeted server, service, or network. The goal of a DDoS attack is to make the targeted resource unavailable to its intended users, effectively disrupting the normal functioning of the service.

In a DDoS attack, the sheer volume of incoming traffic can exhaust the network's bandwidth, cloud service capacity, or server processing power, leading to a slowdown or complete shutdown of the services. This method is particularly effective because the attack originates from various sources, making it challenging to mitigate by simply blocking a single IP address.

The other options represent different types of attacks that do not primarily focus on flooding a network with excessive traffic. For instance, a man-in-the-middle attack involves intercepting and potentially altering communications between two parties without their knowledge. Phishing attempts to deceive individuals into providing sensitive information, such as passwords or credit card details, by masquerading as a trustworthy entity. SQL injection involves inserting malicious SQL code into a database query to manipulate or access data improperly. Each of these attack types targets specific