Resource Exhaustion

Definitions

1. A condition in which CPU, memory, file handles, threads, storage, connection slots, or another limited resource is consumed until normal operations fail. Attackers deliberately cause resource exhaustion in denial-of-service attacks, but software bugs and misconfigurations can create the same effect accidentally.

   In plain English: Using up a limited system resource until the system struggles or stops working.

   Example: "The bug enabled resource exhaustion by opening thousands of expensive verification tasks that were never cleaned up."

Related Terms

• Distributed Denial of Service
• Flood Attack
• Gzip Bomb
• High Availability Security
• Hot Standby Security
• Jamming
• Keepalive Attack
• Low and Slow Attack
• Maintenance Window Security
• Operational Resilience
• Ping Flood