A response timeout indicates that the server did not respond to a request within the specified timeout period. This issue can degrade user experience, cause client-side application errors, and impact the reliability of services. Timeouts may result from backend performance issues, high server load, unoptimized queries, or network latency.
An attacker initiates a resource-intensive query or sends a high volume of requests to the server, aiming to overload it and cause timeouts for legitimate users. The attack exploits the system's inability to handle concurrent requests efficiently, leading to user frustration and application downtime. By optimizing server performance, implementing rate-limiting, and scaling resources, such scenarios can be mitigated.
