Active Attack

What Does Active Attack Mean?

An active attack, in computing security, is an attack characterized by the attacker attempting to break into the system. During an active attack, the intruder may introduce data into the system as well as potentially change data within the system.

Techopedia Explains Active Attack

An active attack is what is commonly thought of when referring to "hacking." In an active attack, the attacker attempts to alter or control data and/or the hardware it resides on. This is in contrast to a passive attack, in which the intruder may listen in on communications or monitor other aspects of the network or its devices.

Types of active attacks include:

• Denial of service (DoS)
• Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS)
• Session replay
• Masquerade
• Message modification
• Trojans