Recent Hacking and its Aftermath

Dagorlad · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 12:25 am

Hi everyone,

You may be aware that the website was hacked over the weekend and members were being redirected to a different website - an adult website that prompted you to upgrade your Flash player.

Firstly, I urge everyone who went to that site to check your computer with the latest version of your anti-virus software, as it was a malicious attack that contained a virus. As soon as I was aware of the problem, I removed the code that redirected people to this website, but the damage may have already been done. I am sorry if this has happened to you.

Secondly, you may occasionally experience a message saying that the database is unavailable and that our 'max_user_connections' has been exceeded. This is most likely due to the extraordinary amount of spammers who are attempting to gain access to the site since the hacking. I am working on fixing this at the moment, and should have it sorted within the next 24 hours, but bear with me while I get to this.

As a result of all this trouble, a number of features of the site have been turned off while I fix things again. Don't worry, they will be back again, but it's a time consuming process restoring everything - I've learnt a few lessons from this exercise though and we'll bounce back quicker next time it happens (if it happens again).

In the meantime, feel free to post here knowing that the site is safe again. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

theavenger001 · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 1:36 am

Silly annoying hackers.........Why you would even do such a thing...... :-X

Anyways, thanks so much for the quick fix. It's annoying that you had to take the time to fix this. Hopefully it won't happen again. Once again, thanks for all the hard work you put in keeping the site up.

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:50 am

Cheers Dag! These hackers are just stupid bored people with too much time on their hands.. need to get a hobby, if they tried reading the site instead of trying to destroy it it might help fill the sad void they so obviously have in their lives. Thanks again

Meneldil · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 9:52 am

Thanks for all the work and time you're putting in this website Dagorlad!

Dagorlad · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 10:24 am

That's ok guys, thanks for your appreciation. The site is pretty much back to normal now, I reckon I've got the last of the malicious code out and we're all clear to go!

GothmogtheWerewolf · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 2:28 pm

Great job with the repairs Alan

Hilbert · **Posted:** Wed Oct 12, 2011 7:10 pm

We all appreciate your work Alan...

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2011 6:28 pm

Just out of curiosity...do you do any postmortem to try to back track (for what it's worth) the attacks or do you just work on recovery? I have played a little with such forensics in the past (from a hobby/curiosity level only...not volunteering any expertise I'm afraid). I am wondering if these have been coming from a common source or if you're just lucky to come up on random hits.

Dagorlad · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2011 7:05 pm

The logs indicated that the hacking attempt originated out of Russia this time (the previous time it was from Greece), but that really doesn't mean much since IP addresses can be re-routed and I don't have the skill or resources to go much further than that.

Beowulf03809 · **Posted:** Thu Oct 13, 2011 8:05 pm

Understood and agree. I have seen examples of people in our local Linux users group do amazing jobs in digging thru and backtracking. But I've never had a good mentor to sit down with. Maybe someday...

Hamster Baggins · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:26 am

I just found this place and love it, and now these hackers want to attack it? grrr.... makes me mad

Im glad the admins do a good job of protecting our lands.
If you ever find out their address, I will personally fly to Russia, knock down their door and have my army of carniverous hamsters destroy them!

Just let me know...
:-X

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:31 am

Hamster Baggins wrote:

I just found this place and love it, and now these hackers want to attack it? grrr.... makes me mad

Im glad the admins do a good job of protecting our lands.
If you ever find out their address, I will personally fly to Russia, knock down their door and have my army of carniverous hamsters destroy them!

Just let me know...
:-X

Give me a shout I'll come with ya

GothmogtheWerewolf · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:32 am

Dead Marsh Spectre wrote:

Hamster Baggins wrote:

I just found this place and love it, and now these hackers want to attack it? grrr.... makes me mad

Im glad the admins do a good job of protecting our lands.
If you ever find out their address, I will personally fly to Russia, knock down their door and have my army of carniverous hamsters destroy them!

Just let me know...
:-X

Give me a shout I'll come with ya

+1

Hamster Baggins · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 10:53 am

Woot!!! we starting the Muster of Rohan, except its the internet forum version.
Charge forth my wittle hamsters and allies!!!!

Draugluin · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:53 pm

Dead Marsh Spectre wrote:

Cheers Dag! These hackers are just stupid bored people with too much time on their hands.. need to get a hobby, if they tried reading the site instead of trying to destroy it it might help fill the sad void they so obviously have in their lives. Thanks again

What you fail to realize is that this IS their hobby, maybe even their job.

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Fri Oct 14, 2011 7:57 pm

That maybe but its still a mighty great pain in the ****. Go hack somewhere else!

IsleStaggerholm · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2011 10:01 pm

Hamster Baggins wrote:

Woot!!! we starting the Muster of Rohan, except its the internet forum version.
Charge forth my wittle hamsters and allies!!!!

Only rather than being a war between great plains men and ferocious orcs and Uruk-Hai, it will be the battle between the miniature painters and the computer nerds. Ohh, the legends that will be made.

Draugluin · **Posted:** Sat Oct 15, 2011 11:15 pm

Well, what about the people like me, who are both?

Dead Marsh Spectre · **Posted:** Sun Oct 16, 2011 7:18 am

Draugluin wrote:

Well, what about the people like me, who are both?

State your allegiance !!! :wink:

Recent Hacking and its Aftermath

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