MzE has been hacked! Also subsequently cleared.

#1 Xae

Server Administrator

Group: Administrators
Posts: 90
Joined: 12-March 13

Posted 20 March 2013 - 05:39 AM

In case you haven't run into me yet, I'm Xae, or Dan (also known as "that sarcastic prick"), the new system administrator for MzE. I own and manage the server that MzE is now hosted on.

Some of you may have noticed the occasional 500 server error whilst browsing the forums. After investigating, I found out that it was caused by malicious code added by a successful hack (yes, you read that right). I've since removed it and over a dozen malicious files from MzE's IP.Board directory. All traces of the multiple successful hacking attempts have been removed. The 500 server error should be completely gone, and any funny business that may have been happening should also cease.

The server you're now hosted on doesn't take kindly to undesirables at all (it responds to intrusion attempts with increasingly fierce kicks to the groin). It's locked down tight as a drum so you won't have to worry about getting hacked again.

All the best,
Xae

#2 Silencer

Manipulating Special Data

Group: Administrators
Posts: 5,674
Joined: 07-July 07
Location:New Zealand
Interests:Malazan Book of the Fallen series.
Computer Game Design.
Programming.

Posted 20 March 2013 - 05:43 AM

And this ^ is why Xae is awesome.

Well, no, there are a ton of other reasons, but this one helps muchly.

***

Shinrei said:

<Vote Silencer> For not garnering any heat or any love for that matter. And I'm being serious here, it's like a mental block that is there, and you just keep forgetting it.

#3 AndalayBay

Recruit

Group: Malaz Regular
Posts: 15
Joined: 19-March 13
Location:Ontario, Canada

Posted 20 March 2013 - 05:54 AM

Silencer, on 20 March 2013 - 05:43 AM, said:

And this ^ is why Xae is awesome.

Well, no, there are a ton of other reasons, but this one helps muchly.

Hush! His head is big enough as it is.

Do not waste your thoughts upon other people, nor pry into the talk, fancies and projects of another, nor guess at what he is about, or why he is doing it.
Think upon nothing but what you could willingly tell about, so that if your soul were laid open there would appear nothing but what was sincere, good-natured and public-spirited.
-- Marcus Aurelius

#4 Hinter

First Sword

Group: High House Mafia
Posts: 504
Joined: 02-October 08

Posted 20 March 2013 - 08:14 AM

I feel sorry for the hackers, bad-bots, spam-sarnies, phish-wormz, mal-doofers or whatever. Poor little sods probably hacked the sight, ran into a bunch of freakin nutters and buggered off sharpish. And that was before they met Vengy.

And yes, I have no idea what Xae is taliking about, but as long as he's watching my back I will e-sleep soundly.

#5 Mrs Savagely Wishy Washy

unaligned and irremediable

Group: Malaz Regular
Posts: 192
Joined: 05-March 10
Location:the city of dreaming spires
Interests:vested.
Ugly is the new pretty.

Posted 20 March 2013 - 11:14 AM

I suggest we unleash Abyss and let him deal with the hackers....

I already feel a little bit sorry for them but hey- you don't go f**** about with the Malazan Empire. Rule number 1. History teaches us that it always ends in tears.

I thinks it's quite funny how all your pals Silencer crawl out of dark places into the light that is the forum! Welcome! I have a feeling it will be a most fruitful union!

but are they worth preserving?
'that judgement does not belong to you.'

#6 Abyss

abyssus abyssum invocat

Group: Administrators
Posts: 21,845
Joined: 22-May 03
Location:The call is coming from inside the house!!!!
Interests:Interesting.

Posted 20 March 2013 - 12:50 PM

Frikkin Ludovician infestation, i swear....

Tnx Xae. Beer is owed.

THIS IS YOUR REMINDER THAT THERE IS A
'VIEW NEW CONTENT' BUTTON THAT
ALLOWS YOU TO VIEW NEW CONTENT

#7 Gust Hubb

Necromancer Extraordinaire

Group: High House Mafia
Posts: 1,487
Joined: 19-May 11
Location:Northern Hemisphere
Interests:Glass slides with entrapped bits of colored tissue
Around, just quiet....er

Posted 20 March 2013 - 12:53 PM

Just out of curiosity, what kind of hacks were these? Bandwidth sucking? Virus planting? etc? I just remember the Chinese hacks we were being assaulted with a while back.

"You don't clean u other peoples messes.... You roll in them like a dog on leftover smoked whitefish torn out f the trash by raccoons after Sunday brunch on a hot day."
~Abyss

#8 Gnaw

Recovering eating disordered addict of HHM

Group: High House Mafia
Posts: 5,966
Joined: 16-June 12

Posted 20 March 2013 - 03:24 PM

Xae, on 20 March 2013 - 05:39 AM, said:

In case you haven't run into me yet, I'm Xae, or Dan (also known as "that sarcastic prick"), the new system administrator for MzE.

The server you're now hosted on doesn't take kindly to undesirables at all

All the best,
Xae

Any undesirables or subcategory cracking undesirables?
Cause there are many of us in the former but not the latter. Enough to cut your bandwidth in half probably.

"Between stimulus and response there is a space. In that space is our power to choose our response. In our response lies our growth and our freedom." - Viktor Frankl

#9 Xae

Server Administrator

Group: Administrators
Posts: 90
Joined: 12-March 13

Posted 20 March 2013 - 03:52 PM

corv, on 20 March 2013 - 12:53 PM, said:

Just out of curiosity, what kind of hacks were these? Bandwidth sucking? Virus planting? etc? I just remember the Chinese hacks we were being assaulted with a while back.

Looks like they were trying to gain access to your server by having your IP.Board execute arbitrary code. Either they didn't fully manage or they did but couldn't find anything worth stealing. The server bans several hacking attempts from China a day and they aren't the most inventive of hackers.

Gnaw, on 20 March 2013 - 03:24 PM, said:

Xae, on 20 March 2013 - 05:39 AM, said:

Any undesirables or subcategory cracking undesirables?
Cause there are many of us in the former but not the latter. Enough to cut your bandwidth in half probably.

Existing undesirables are grandfathered in. Future ones — beware.