What event occurs when a denial of service blocks authorized connections to network resources?

When a denial of service (DoS) attack occurs, it prevents authorized users from accessing network resources, effectively disrupting services. This is characterized as resource exhaustion. In this context, resource exhaustion happens when an attack overwhelms a server, network or application with excessive requests, consuming its available resources such as CPU, memory, or bandwidth. This overload prevents legitimate users from connecting, leading to a denial of service.

The focus here is specifically on the phenomenon where the resources needed to handle valid requests are depleted due to malicious activity. This is distinct from other types of incidents; for example, a malware attack involves malicious software compromising systems rather than merely blocking access. Similarly, a data breach pertains to unauthorized access to sensitive information, rather than interrupting service availability, while service disruption is a broader term that may not clearly indicate the nature of the attack or the cause (e.g., it could be due to accidental issues or maintenance rather than malicious intent). Hence, resource exhaustion most accurately describes the event that occurs in the case of a DoS attack impacting authorized connections to network resources.