The new TAT2.0. And how it works (technical questions)

[dave g]

Here is my experience posted elsewhere (US Open SDP Picks and results)

While the site was having its problems with the effects of the bots, I had tried to log-on several times. Because of the bot, those log-on attempts failed. The website software managed to translate these failed attempts to log-on as someone attempting to use my user_name without my password and blocked my account. It took me a while to figure out what was happening, because the blocked account effects were mixed with the bot problem effects. I had gotten replies to attempts to get on the site that ranged from "Site does not exist" to "People from your country are not allowed access to this site". It took me two tries, but I was able to reset my password and log-on again.

[texasniteowl]

And I woke up to see that I could not reach the site. The message was: your resource cannot be reached from your country.
Did anybody else see that too?

Yeah. I'm in the US and got this all day...well, at least whenever I tried. Which was mainly during the Swiatek-Anisimova and Osaka-Muchova matches.

[ti-amie]

And I woke up to see that I could not reach the site. The message was: your resource cannot be reached from your country.
Did anybody else see that too?

I did. I'm reaching the site for the first time today at 2:28a Eastern US Time.

[skatingfan]

The most users online stat on the main page of the forum shows we peaked at over 13 thousand a little over 24 hours ago. That would have been extraordinary if that had all been people.

[ponchi101]

And 70,000 live sessions. That is why the forum collapsed.
Again, I would like to find the asshole that did it.
BTW. We were not alone. The phpBB forum was also attacked, but they are geniuses at this so they could fend it off. But many of us users there were reporting attacks on individual fora.

[Omess]

And I woke up to see that I could not reach the site. The message was: your resource cannot be reached from your country.
Did anybody else see that too?

yes, I saw the message

[Leaker]

How can I make a day 12 post please? These forums don’t seem to be up yet.

[ponchi101]

How can I make a day 12 post please? These forums don’t seem to be up yet.

The contest staff are in US time zones and are probably resting. I will put up topics that will be unofficial. Sorry for all this mess.

[Leaker]

That's ok these things happen, thanks so much for your response. Just worried I will miss it being in the Western Australia Time Zone.

[ti-amie]

I got in, logged out, forgot my password and then created a new one. So far so good.

[ponchi101]

This is the update on the attack.
We are still under attack. I went to sleep last night after implementing something called I'M UNDER ATTACK mode in our CDN (Content Delivery Network) settings. The CDN means that now our site is replicated in several servers around the world, so the bots have to be more distributed. When toggling ON this setting, our guests count went down to zero in a few minutes. This mode is HIGHLY intrusive; if any I.P. shows the slightest aggressive behavior, it will be stopped and will be shown some of the new capthca's that are available. These new ones are basically puzzles: pictures that are so blurry only a human can recognize them. Connecting items. Picking objects that are described vaguely.
I left the UNDER ATTACK mode on all of my night and woke up still to zero guests. I dropped it and toggled the security level at HIGH. In 30 seconds, we were up to 2300 guests again, so I had to toggle ATTACK mode on once more.

So. If you are signing in, you will have to face such a captchca. All our members are smart (yes, we are) but if you don't pass it, you will be given another. And another. And sometimes, you will post items and will get a 405 error, because the server is blocking you. I am sorry, but this attack is that severe. And it is aimed straight at us.
I wonder who did we upset. But I am sure that person is an asshole. So, if you are reading this, drop it.

Will post if anything else comes up.

[ti-amie]

Until this is resolved I will only post the MD matches in the Day of Grand Slam thread. It is time to start posting for next week so I'll start that tomorrow.

I wonder who the AH is too.

[ponchi101]

UPDATE.
Spent all day (my day, GMT+3) with a low level of attacks. That is because I enabled I AM UNDER ATTACK MODE. I dropped the security to MEDIUM, and the guests count was around 60. Then, around 7PM (Noon USA EST) the guests spiked back to 2000.
Alas, time for another attack. Time to go back to UNDER ATTACK MODE.
At that time, you may have tried to post stuff in the forum at received a single line: FORBIDDEN. The protection is so strict that it has even done it to me. So, that was "normal". It is part of the defense from this attack.
I suspect the attack is coming from Ireland. Makes a bit of sense; by my 7PM it is 4PM there, and some drunk in a bar with a laptop decides to mess with us.
Will keep enabling/disabling the protection. Right now, he probably is back home, sleeping it off. So protection is set at MEDIUM.

Requests.jpg

[texasniteowl]

Just wanted to say thanks for all the work you do. I can't imagine having to deal with these attacks too.

[ponchi101]

It has been... challenging.
I want to find the idiot that has been attacking us and go downright medieval on him.