Final answer:
A DoS attack is characterized by an overwhelming amount of traffic directed at a device or network, causing slowdown or service outages.
Step-by-step explanation:
The characteristic that describes a DoS attack is an attack that slows or crashes a device or network service. A DoS, or Distributed Denial of Service attack, overwhelms the targeted server, service, or network with a flood of Internet traffic, which can deplete the resources and bandwidth, ultimately leading to denial of service for legitimate users. The goal of such an attack is to render the website or service inoperable.
A DoS (Denial of Service) attack is an attack that slows or crashes a device or network. It overwhelms the targeted system's resources, such as its bandwidth, memory, or processing power, making it unavailable to legitimate users. By flooding the system with a high volume of requests or exploiting its vulnerabilities, the attacker disrupts the normal functioning of the targeted network or device.