If a server is experiencing a high volume of packets from several computers in HR, what kind of attack might this indicate?

A high volume of packets being sent to a server from several computers within a specific department, such as HR, is indicative of a Denial of Service (DoS) attack. In a DoS attack, the aim is to overwhelm the server with excessive requests, causing it to slow down or become completely unresponsive to legitimate users.

In this scenario, the concentration of traffic from multiple sources suggests a coordinated effort, potentially indicating a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, where multiple compromised systems are used to flood the target server with requests. This can tie up resources and disrupt services, making it difficult for legitimate users to access the server, effectively denying service.

This context helps to differentiate it from other types of attacks. For instance, a phishing attack typically seeks to deceive individuals into revealing personal information through fraudulent communications, rather than targeting a server with excessive packet volume. Malware infection may affect systems and create abnormal behavior but does not inherently result in the high-volume traffic described. A data breach focuses on the unauthorized access and extraction of sensitive information, which is not characterized by an overload of packet traffic to a server. Thus, the high traffic volume points towards a Denial of Service situation.