What term describes the act of repeatedly sending emails to overload a specific address?

The term that describes the act of repeatedly sending emails to overload a specific address is known as email bombing. This technique involves inundating an email account with a massive volume of messages, often with the intent to disrupt or incapacitate the recipient's ability to use their email service effectively. It can be seen as a form of denial of service attack, targeting the email functionality of the victim.

Other terms in the context of online communication have distinct meanings. Spam refers to unsolicited bulk messages, mainly for advertising purposes, sent to many addresses, but it does not necessarily imply the volume is targeted at a single address as email bombing does. Pharming involves redirecting users from legitimate websites to malicious ones, which is unrelated to email. Phishing refers to deceptive attempts to obtain sensitive information by masquerading as a trustworthy entity, typically through email, but it does not encompass the brute force aspect of repeatedly sending emails to overwhelm a specific address.

Understanding these definitions is crucial for recognizing different types of cyber threats and their characteristics within the scope of digital forensics.