What is a Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) event?
It is different than a DDoS "attack". Some, such as Arbor Networks, have dubbed it "The Tiger Effect".
June 2008's U.S. Open Golf Championship 19-hole playoff resulted in massive traffic spikes from those seeking real-time scores and streaming video feeds.
DDoS events are a massive focus of interest that sometimes take place on the Internet. They are something that greatly exceeds normal demand, and the result is a Denial of Service effect. Web servers just can't meet demand when focus points occur and the timing is not so easily predicted.
And even though DDoS events lack malicious intent, the results can often be just as painful as an attack…
Here's a recent example from two weeks ago:
North Carolina's unemployment rate is at its highest level in 25 years, and a deluge of out-of-work people has strained the state's jobless systems to the breaking point. State [websites] have crashed twice in the past month as people apply or renew their employment benefits.