Molasses in January

[montanadave]

I know the site got hacked and I was finally able to log in again this morning but the load times are dial-up modem slow (or slower). It's crazy slow.

I am alone in this or is this on ongoing issue since the site crashed? It makes using the site damn near impossible.

[sewvacman]

I would say I have had success about 30% of the time trying to get on the forums. Usually it says "timed out" and I get a blank white page. Been going on for at least a couple of weeks if not longer.

[Army Chief]

Gentlemen,

We really don't want to end up with a half-dozen threads on what is/is not going on with the forum, so let me issue a bit of clarification in the hopes that we can collectively get the word out, and subsequently put an end to these kinds of threads -- at least, for the near term.

As you know, M4C has been attacked. I've no special insight into who is doing it, or why, and consider the whole thing to be a rather sad division in the camp at a time when what we really need is solidarity; that said, it is what it is. Someone with injurious intentions has made it his mission to cause service interruptions and to compromise our ability to provide consistent access.

Here's what you don't know: since it began, this particular DDoS campaign has been continuous and unrelenting, and we are still under attack. What you're seeing of the site right now is the result of a careful, coordinated effort to combat the attacks and restore basic services to our membership, and inasmuch as you are reading this, we are winning more and more of these battles every day. Still, as long as the attacks persist, using the site is likely to be involve some minor inconveniences. You may see the occasional white screen, you may have to load/reload pages more often and you may have to wait a bit longer for things to load.

Given the amount of time and effort required to sustain an effective DDoS attack, it seems unlikely that the assault will continue indefinitely, and in a perfect world, I would like to think that whoever has chosen to become our adversary would come to the realization that we aren't the enemy, and that this is not an effective path toward resolution of whatever affront (real or perceived) brought us to this point. Whatever the case, we are prepared to do whatever is necessary to keep the ship afloat and would covet your patience as we weather this latest storm. This too shall pass.

AC

[montanadave]

I appreciate the explanation and apologize if I have created another "nuisance" thread to further burden the already taxing demands on the mods.

My curiosity arose from seeing members actively posting to some threads, finding my ability to access the site in a timely matter compromised, and wondering if others were experiencing similar difficulties.

I appreciate the efforts of the site administrative staff to resolve the issue and will now butt out.

[Army Chief]

It's by no means a nuisance, brother, but we just don't want to encourage the attacker by providing him with ample evidence that his disruptions are being noticed. That's the only reason we're trying to cut down on this kind of chatter, and if anything, this thread should help clear things up for other members with these very same questions.

AC

[shua713]

I too appreciate the explaination of the problem, is there anything that we can do to help out with the problem?

[Army Chief]

Unfortunately no, but this episode is probably a poignant reminder that we all need to renew our collective emphasis upon civility, so we don't end up with these kinds of misunderstandings in the first place.

AC

[PA PATRIOT]

How can we combat the mass junk mail attacks that many members are receiving? I receive over 100 junk e-mails every 12 hours as other members have also stated they are also receiving.

I really enjoy this forum and hopefully these issues can be resolved so mega spam attacks wont happen again.

[ucrt]

.

Two things:

#1
Does M4C have a sister Forum (one that we are "friends" with) that would host a dedicated Info Thread so our members could access the status of M4C in the times when we cannot get access to M4C? We should also reciprocate offering the "Friendly Hosting Forum" a dedicated Thread for their membership in case their Forum comes under attack.

#2
Is it possible to have a stickied Thread that the Mods can update to keep the membership informed as to what is going on? I would think this would prevent multiple Threads from being created.

Juts wondering...

.

[Army Chief]

#1 Does M4C have a sister Forum (one that we are "friends" with) that would host a dedicated Info Thread so our members could access the status of M4C in the times when we cannot get access to M4C? We should also reciprocate offering the "Friendly Hosting Forum" a dedicated Thread for their membership in case their Forum comes under attack.

While it's not an official solution, I usually update the m4carbine.net info thread (http://www.weaponevolution.com/forum/showthread.php?3326-m4carbine.net&highlight=m4carbine) on WeVo when M4C is down and we have information or updates to share.


#2 Is it possible to have a stickied Thread that the Mods can update to keep the membership informed as to what is going on? I would think this would prevent multiple Threads from being created.

I'll discuss it with management, but (a) this is probably that thread for now, and (b) for the reasons outlined above, we're really not looking to showcase the attacker's accomplishments with a big up-front announcement thread. If anything, we would like to see the chatter just sort of trail off as our defensive efforts become more effective and/or the attacks come to an end. It's something of a Catch-22, as we realize that folks would like to know what is going on, but at the same time, our main priority (other that combating the attacks) is really de-escalation.

AC

[Norinco]

The site isnt working on my iPhone 3GS. Clear cache doest work.
Anyone else?

[Army Chief]

Yes, pretty much everyone else ... at least intermittently. Give it some time.

AC

[Cagemonkey]

I can login and enter the home page at normal speed. Two clicks after is when the wall hits and things get ridiculously slow. Its been this way for almost two weeks. Since then I've been unable to use the site. Any guess on when things will return to normal?

[Mr. Clean]

I can login and enter the home page at normal speed. Two clicks after is when the wall hits and things get ridiculously slow.

It is the same for me. I know the site has had issues, but it is beyond frustrating.

I have some things I'd love to put up for sale / trade on the EE, but with the slow performance and trouble getting on, I don't want to place an ad and not have the ability to respond to people quickly.

Anything new on site performance?