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steve williams
Board Administrator
Username: twobyfour

Post Number: 1110
Registered: 01-2003
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 4:19 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

Hi

so we got zapped again last night. i just restored the backup i made at 9 p.m. last night so any posts between then and 4 this a.m. were lost.

it was easier this way as all the user data was zapped as well.

sorry again, sigh

s
Gary Blankenship
Moderator
Username: garydawg

Post Number: 16361
Registered: 07-2001
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 6:26 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

Every time you go to Seattle?

s/g
Kathy Paupore
Moderator
Username: kathy

Post Number: 4999
Registered: 12-2003
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 6:36 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

SIGH is right!! Could this be something that is somehow programmed to zap or is it just random?

:-) K
You're invited to:

Wild Flowers

The bricks of language. A stone, a leaf, an unfound door. Words. Worlds. Magic. Life and immortality. Power.-- Stephen King, The Stand
~M~
Board Administrator
Username: mjm

Post Number: 25166
Registered: 11-1998
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 11:03 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

We're investigating, Kathy. From what steve told me briefly by phone this morning (he's at work), this is the same spambot that hit us before. The fingerprints are the same. As for whether it is programmed to do this at scheduled intervals, my guess would be yes, since the time of day we are hit is consistent.

Anyway, steve will be investigating this further when he gets home from work. We'll update everyone as we can.

Love,
M
Fred Longworth
Advanced Member
Username: sandiegopoet

Post Number: 1296
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 2:42 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

At least, we can be sure it wasn't Amber. (I see you took down the Amber thread . . . I have to say it was entertaining.)

* * * * *

Sorry this put a bit of a dire spin on your journey.

Fred
~M~
Board Administrator
Username: mjm

Post Number: 25177
Registered: 11-1998
Posted on Sunday, April 22, 2007 - 3:15 pm:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

Dearest Fred -- we didn't take the Amber thread down (exactly). Lisa made a judgment call based on some comments she was receiving. We've tucked it away in the backroom. As it's not normally my habit to hide anything from the membership, I may decide to resurrect it at some future date when things have cooled down a bit. However, I fully support Lisa's decision to remove it from view for the time being since I believe it was perceived as more distracting/upsetting than edifying. And I can certainly relate to that. *sigh*

As to it ruining our homecoming, unfortunately, steve's getting to be a real expert at patching Wild back together again. These repeated infiltrations into the system are giving him plenty of (unwanted) practice. He can almost do it in his sleep (and often does). We'll be making some further decisions about totally revamping Wild (new platform). We were going to just upgrade this one, but even that might not entirely eliminate vulnerability.

We'll be sure to notify the membership well in advance of any disruptive renovations. Wish we could notify you all of the crashes before they happen, but that's beyond our capabilities. *another sigh* We apologize to anyone whose poems and/or comments were lost (I got hit in that regard myself).

Thanks for your patience, understanding, and support.

Love,
M
Fred Longworth
Advanced Member
Username: sandiegopoet

Post Number: 1299
Registered: 05-2006
Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 9:20 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

~M~,

I came to WPF last night at about 1:15 (super early Monday morning,) and the site was down. I tried several times. Did we get re-zapped?

Fred
~M~
Board Administrator
Username: mjm

Post Number: 25183
Registered: 11-1998
Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 9:41 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

Dearest Fred -- it's entirely possible. Sounds like the right MO, as they normally hit super early in the morning. Though steve usually says something to me when he kisses me (yep, he's sweet, isn't he?) right before he leaves for work at 4:30 a.m. And I haven't gotten a phone call yet from him this morning, so I can't confirm or deny. He probably didn't tell me, just fixed it quietly, because he knows it upsets me and he wants me to do silly things like sleep at 4:30 in the morning.

So, consider me an uninformed administrator at this point. I'll be back when I know more.

And yes, before anyone asks, we are going to do something more permanent in terms of solutions. We just have to fit it in between work, school, child care, sleeping, eating, showering and stuff. We don't want to just grab any solution until we research it thoroughly. It's going to take an enormous amount of work to switch platforms. We don't want to do that, learn later that it's got the same vulnerabilities, and be right back where we started.

Love,
M
~M~
Board Administrator
Username: mjm

Post Number: 25186
Registered: 11-1998
Posted on Monday, April 23, 2007 - 10:14 am:   Edit Post Delete Post View Post/Check IP Print Post

Dearest Fred -- UPDATE: I just spoke to steve and he told me that things were normal with Wild when he checked at 4:30 a.m. right before he left. So, we were not zapped because if we were he'd have had to fix it or I would not be typing this note to you right now. Your difficulties were most likely either related only to you or a server burp. We keep telling them not to eat salami right before they go to bed, but they never listen.

BTW -- steve told me you should not be trying to get on at 1:15 in the morning; you should be trying to get off. Whatever could he mean?? *innocent batting of eyelashes* Must be a man thing.

Love,
M