Preventing a DDoS attack; brick and mortars no more

Nicholas Thompson, editor-in-chief of WIRED, discusses technology industry news today:

What is a DDoS attack and how can they be prevented?

That's a digital denial of service attack. Somebody uses malware to infect a bunch of computers or Internet of Things devices and sends lots of traffic at a server trying to knock the server offline. What can you do if you own the server? Buy more space, become part of a large operation like AWS that can offer you expanded space during the time of an attack, and build good filtering and blocking software.

Because of COVID-19 and the continued expansion of e-commerce, what brick and mortar will go away?

A lot, unfortunately. We're all learning how to buy things online. Companies are learning how to ship things online. And we're not going to want to be in contact with people even when the world starts to reopen. So, any business that was in trouble before this will be in even more trouble after this.

Which next gen console are you more excited for, the Microsoft mini fridge or the Sony Wi-Fi router?

I'm just excited to argue with my kids about whether they get a PlayStation or an X box.