Distributed Denial of Service attacks
- What is a Distributed Denial of Service attack
- Make the right choice
- Consequences of committing a Distributed Denial of Service attack
- What the law says
- Reporting cybercrime
- Related links
What is a Distributed Denial of Service attack
A Distributed Denial-of-Service Attack is a crime in which the perpetrator floods an online server with internet traffic to prevent users from accessing connected services and sites.
Distributed Denial of Service attacks:
- are illegal
- have real consequences for victims and attackers
- are not as anonymous as you think
It is not illegal to enter the term "DDoS" or other related terms into a web browser or search engine.
The RCMP and Canadian police services work with national and international partners to find and apprehend offenders, and to protect Canadians from cybercrime.
Make the right choice
There are many positive and lawful ways to use cyber skills: cyber security technicians and experts are in high demand in many fields, such as policing, security, science, mathematics, computing and engineering, as well as business administration, social sciences and others.
For more information on cyber careers, visit:
- Communications Security Establishment's current opportunities
- Public Safety's Cyber Careers within the Government of Canada
- Cyber Centre's Cyber Security Career Guide
Consequences of committing a Distributed Denial of Service attack
If you participate in a Distributed Denial of Service attack, you could face the following consequences:
- having your computers seized and your Internet access restricted or monitored
- paying a penalty or fine
- going to prison
- requirement to fulfil other criminal justice requirements
- having a criminal record, which can have lifelong implications for travel, work and other opportunities
What the law says
The Criminal Code of Canada lists the following offences related to cybercrime and Distributed Denial of Service attacks:
- fraudulently obtaining, using, controlling, accessing or intercepting computer systems or functions (Criminal Code R.S.C., 1985, c. C-46)
- obstructing, interrupting or interfering with the lawful use of computer data or to deny access to computer data to a person who is entitled to access it (Section 430(1.1))
- fraudulently obtaining any computer services, intercepting any function of a computer system – directly or indirectly – or using a computer system or computer password with the intent to do either of the offences above (Section 342.1)
Reporting cybercrime
If you have been the victim of fraud or cybercrime, please report it to local police and the Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre.
Related links
- Canadian Anti-Fraud Centre
- National Cybercrime Coordination Centre
- GetCyberSafe.ca
- Canadian Centre for Cyber Security: Protecting your organization against Distributed Denial of Service attacks
- Date modified: