smurf attack
English
editEtymology
editIn reference to the Smurf cartoon characters, suggesting a large number of small attackers overwhelming a larger opponent.
Noun
editsmurf attack (plural smurf attacks)
- (computer security) A largely obsolete form of denial-of-service attack, involving broadcasting ICMP packets with the intended victim's IP address to a large computer network, causing the victim's computer to be overwhelmed by the response packets from the network.