Network Overload

In short: Network overload occurs when more data arrives than a line or device can process.

In more detail: Consequences are high latency, packet loss and dropped connections. Causes can be harmless (many users) or an attack.

In Depth

Attack

In DDoS, many systems flood the target with requests. Worms can additionally clog networks through mass spreading.

Countermeasures

Quality of service (QoS), rate limiting, load balancing, filters at the provider, more bandwidth (bandwidth) and content delivery networks.

See also: DDoS, Bandwidth, Latency, Load Balancing