What is the main purpose of a DDoS attack?

The main purpose of a DDoS (Distributed Denial of Service) attack is to overwhelm a target system, network, or service by flooding it with a massive amount of traffic coming from multiple compromised systems. This coordinated effort effectively disrupts the normal functioning of the targeted service, making it unavailable to legitimate users. In this context, the "distributed" aspect refers to the use of numerous machines, often part of a botnet, which work together to amplify the attack.

By leveraging compromised systems, attackers can significantly increase the volume of requests directed at the target, surpassing its capacity to process those requests. This can lead to degraded performance or even total downtime, emphasizing the goal of disrupting access rather than targeting data or individual systems directly. The other options focus on single-system compromises, information gathering, or malware propagation, which are not aligned with the specific intent of a DDoS attack.