The acronym DDoS stands for Distributed Denial of Service, a type of network attack where multiple compromised systems target a single system, overwhelming it with traffic. This results in the target becoming unavailable to users, disrupting online services and operations. DDoS attacks can exploit vulnerabilities in network protocols or applications and can be executed using a variety of methods. Organizations must implement robust security measures such as firewalls, intrusion detection systems, and traffic analysis to mitigate the impact and protect against such attacks.