OffG DoS attack update

It’s looking as if the server issues we have been experiencing since May 23 is some form of denial of service (DoS) attack.

May 23-25 the server was experiencing loads up to eighty times expected maximum, causing it to crash intermittently and making it difficult or impossible to access or administer the site. At this time many of you will have been getting ‘database error’ messages or experiencing freezes or 30-60 sec loading times.

By May 26 the attack had subsided and we had taken some steps to further secure the site. Things were restored to a normal level of function.

We’ve experienced repeat minor load surges since then, and are still experiencing them, but so far nothing the server can’t handle.

We’re hoping this disruption won’t be repeated, but if we go dark again for a while you can assume it’s for the same reason.

In that event the best way to keep in the loop and stay in touch with us will be via Twitter (@offguardian0) and Facebook (https://Facebook.com/OffGuardian). We’ll post updates there during any downtime, so we suggest you bookmark these pages right now for future reference.

Thanks to you all for your patience and support while this was going down. Thanks also for the helpful suggestions we’ve received.

We’re glad to report the downtime has had no appreciable effect on our visitor numbers or on our Alexa ranking, which remains healthy and quite a bit higher than we would ever have anticipated when this site was launched.

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