Tech: Welcome back, Mudcat

Subject: Welcome back
From: Richard Bridge
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 01:57 AM

Welcome back Mudcat

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Rasener
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 01:59 AM

And there was me thinking that something was wrong with my laptop. Glad its back.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: GUEST,Proudly Canadian
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 02:35 AM

Where the rest of it, there, eh?

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Dave Hanson
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 03:41 AM

Jasus what a relief.

eric

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: ThreeSheds
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 03:45 AM

What happened? I wasnt even seeing a notice that the server couldnt be reached, absolutely nothing happened

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: GUEST,Obie
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 04:57 AM

I hope the ghost of the old server hasn't taken over. Seems like old times.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: nutty
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 05:17 AM

THANX MAX ...... it's 5am Mudcat time. I hope you manage to get some sleep or is the new arrival putting you onto GMT?

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: The Barden of England
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 05:17 AM

It was probably to get rid of the SPAM that was appearing. I did miss it too, but it's been pretty good of late. Well done Max.
John Barden

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: bobad
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:37 AM

Do these spammers really think that the people here would buy their products after being subjected to these attacks - I'd think it would have the opposite effect. I just don't get it.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Nancy King
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:47 AM

Whew! Glad it wasn't just me...

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Mooh
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:51 AM

Blasphemy alert.

Actually, it was kinda nice. Played more, spent time with Rosie and Cosmo, did some chores...real life is much more exhilerating than cyberlife.

Like, later.

Peace, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: bobad
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:57 AM

Welcome back to The Wasteland, Mooh.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: number 6
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 10:59 AM

Frightening ... regardless Mooh .... this place has become a daily habit on par with my morning cigarette and coffee out in the back garden.

biLL

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: bobad
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 11:01 AM

You could have worse habits, biLL.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Scrump
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 11:21 AM

You could have worse habits, biLL

How d'ya know he hasn't? ;-)

(No offence biLL, just joking!)

I do miss it when it's offline though - maybe I should get a life too :-)

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Deckman
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 12:43 PM

I thought it was something I said! Bob

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Max
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 01:57 PM

We're having a problem that I have yet to determine the cause or the cure.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: The Fooles Troupe
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 07:44 PM

Hang in there Max, and don't get discouraged! We support you, as best we can!

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Peace
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 07:46 PM

Max, if it was simple, you'd a fixed it already. Don't let it get you down.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: McGrath of Harlow
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 08:12 PM

We're having a problem that I have yet to determine the cause or the cure.

That'd be great written on a T-shirt...
...............................
Someone asked up, there "Where the rest of it, there, eh?"

The answer is, go to Refresh box up the top of the threads on the Forum, and, without typing anything in, just change the option from "Age: 1 Day" to "3 days", and voila, all the missing threads are back in sight. Including the ones that mightn't be missed.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Azizi
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 08:32 PM

As for that 'don't let Mudcat get you down' statement, that statement goes for Max and also for all of us who have been fortunate enough to have found this wonderful informative, sometimes quirky international forum.

but it does [get us down] doesn't it when we can't access its pages since we've become accustomed to communicating with the world and learning from others' communications via this forum.

I'm wondering aren't there some Mudcat members and consistent guests who are "well versed" in technical Internet thingamabobs? Can't they help figure out what is the cause and the cure?

Obviously, I'm not one of that group of folks who might lend a brain to helping Max since I don't even know what to call the things that make 'the Internets' work and therefore wouldn't have a clue how to fix those things when they're not working.

But at least I know they're not tubes...

;o)

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: GUEST,Art Thieme
Date: 16 Nov 06 - 08:59 PM

Feels good to have it here again. -- Art

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Little Robyn
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 02:06 AM

I see the problem - some unknown guest revives a dormant thread and adds rubbish

Sort of hijacks the forum.
Why?
Robyn



[Rubbish deleted by a clone]

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Scrump
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 09:27 AM

Is it just me, or have others been experiencing problems accessing Mudcat today (17 Nov)? (Obviously not now, or I wouldn't be here, but earlier today!)

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: fat B****rd
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 09:31 AM

Did this morning, don't now. Keep it up, Max.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Little Robyn
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 03:30 PM

It's still having problems (or I am).
Robyn

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: GUEST,some whacky broad
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 03:43 PM

when it's gone, I miss the 'Cat. When it's here I'm happy.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Effsee
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 03:50 PM

"Up and doon like a hoor's draars!"

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Max
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 04:03 PM

OK, I figred out the cause, and am now working on the cure. Turns out it is a malicious attack. We blocked the spammers last week from posting, so now those same people are hammering the site until the web server crashes, over and over again.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: MMario
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 04:08 PM

seems to be pandemic - we are having major problems keeping our web based mail up here at work - the pop3 and the direct links are fine.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Amos
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 04:15 PM

Anyone we know? We could organize a hunting party.


A

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Max
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 04:52 PM

Yeah, all we have to do is take out Russia.

I can't even begin to tell you how frustrating it is to have this site, that I care so much about, destroyed by such meaningless crap that I cannot do anything about.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Peace
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 05:19 PM

Why not organize a counter-attack on the spammers? Make it one that is coordinated and involves millions of hits within a few minutes. Any chance we could fry their computers that way?

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: katlaughing
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 05:30 PM

Wonder if that is why Avast found a virus this week? I've never, ever had a virus before.

Glad you have found it, Max. Thanks a bunch!

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: growler
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 05:42 PM

I didn't know how much I would miss it 'till it wasn't there. Well done Max

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Tig
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 05:47 PM

Much as we love our Mudcat don't go round spending all your time fixing it and miss out on spending your time with your new family! Thanks for all the hours you do working to keep us happy.

Lots of love and hugs
Tig
xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 07:38 PM

Those who don't really have a clue what's going on are assigned the following reading:

DDoS attack on Gibson Research

Note: I don't have a clue either, but I suspect something similar to what Steve Gibson describes. This is an almost ancient case, but it's pretty fully documented. Check it out the next time the 'cat is down and you have nothing better to do. There's a downloadable .pdf that you can save now to read off line later if you like.

Currently circulating malware is much more sophisticated than what was available in that case, and is much more often used for outright criminal activities. One particularly common and damaging piece is possibly a spin-off from the "FunWeb" crap 'catters have been warned about for a couple of years. It currently is called "CoolWeb" (with variants) by the antimalware people, is professionally written, and is "managed" so effectively that Spybot S&D has had to release more than 105 signature updates (that I counted) for this one "product" alone in less than a year.

There is a trend 'mongst the people who care, to drop the term "spyware" in favor of "crimeware." Studies repeatedly show a minimum of 28 to 30+ percent of all machines "infected" with serious and dangerous malware such as bots and loggers, with around 70 percent seriously infected with "annoyances" that bog down the computer, make it unstable, and otherwise compromise the user's pleasure.

A very high percentage of the malware (the general term) now is coming from Russia (and a couple of other former "iron curtain" countries) and is most likely the product of organized criminal groups who mostly want your money.

Unfortunately, the tools they use are widely available to anyone who really wants to search the web for it, and any kid with inadequate supervision can pick it up and command a literal army of "slave machines" that can be ordered on the attack. ...As can anyone with a grudge against someone.

Anyone who gets on the web without adequate and current antivirus and other malware protection potentially makes his/her machine available for these people to use against even those who try to protect themselves.

Of course, we all know that; but apparently a whole lot of people don't.

John

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Leadfingers
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 07:43 PM

Max - IF a 'Timed' post to a dodgy site would do any good , I think a lot of us would be only to happy to join in !!

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Peace
Date: 17 Nov 06 - 08:55 PM

John: is there any way to attack the attackers?

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Max
Date: 18 Nov 06 - 03:19 AM

I wish with all my heart, but... Sadly no, the alias their address. No use.

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Little Robyn
Date: 18 Nov 06 - 06:43 PM

We were under attack here (in New Zealand) a month or two back, with the sort of e-mail that tells you the mailman or postmaster has some wrongly addressed mail and whatever you sent didn't go. Yes, we sometimes have that problem, especially with old addresses, but this usually only happens once or twice. We started getting 3 or 4 a day, then 10 the next day, then 20, then 50 until finally we were getting 3,000 in one day! This was actually happening in the middle of the night, NZ time, while we were asleep and our computers were turned off!
The next thing that happened was the email wouldn't work - we couldn't get on the net - xtra was not recognising us - it was as if someone had hijacked our account and changed the password.
We contacted Telecom and, after an argument with the 'expert' on the other end, he changed our password to something we could use and we were back online. But we missed some regular mail that should have arrived.
That was OK for about a week, when it happened again!
Same procedure, different 'expert', changed our password again, back online again. But it was obvious that someone had been using our account as a front for sending out their spam in our name.
In desperation we arranged a new e-mail address through another company and advised all our friends and contacts.
It took 5 or 6 calls to Telecom and insisting on speaking to a supervisor before it was stopped.
It's still a bother, we're still getting the usual medical product and begging for money type scam but the Postmaster stuff has stopped, for now.
We think the server had a problem - someone had infiltrated the system and was trying to harvest the world from our address.
Hopefully they've gone somewhere else now - but I hope they're not using mudcat.
Robyn

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: JohnInKansas
Date: 18 Nov 06 - 09:35 PM

John: is there any way to attack the attackers?

A problem is that an attack doesn't come from the one responsible. The "controller" gets bots planted on many machines, and then sends out the order for all of them to start sending. Tracking down the individual machines just shows where all the idiots victims are who've allowed their machines to be used.

Anyone who hasn't recently scanned with good current antivirus and antimalware programs, and/or who is prone to open "mysterious messages" just to see what's in them, could be one of the "innocent participants."

Take a look at the Steve Gibson report at 17 Nov 06 - 07:38 PM to see what it was like a couple of years ago. It's far worse now.

Antivirus of your choice. Most of them from known publishers are good.

Ad-Aware and Spybot S&D remain consistently good, and both are free. (For even better protection there are paid versions of both.)

WinXP users can go to Microsoft for free runs of their Malware Remover, which is good but only addresses "currently common threats."

Spread the word that everybody needs to stay clean or everybody gets shit.

John

Subject: RE: Welcome back
From: Peace
Date: 18 Nov 06 - 09:41 PM

Thank you, John. Very much.