Server migration

[98G]

Noticeably lagging.

Edit - I measured the amount ot time for this two word post to load - 38 seconds.

 

[patracy]

Yes, trying to make a few changes.

 

[patracy]

Actually it looks like we're under a syn flood attack. Working to implement cloudfare to negate this.

 

[patracy]

Cloudfare is now slowly taking over. Another thing to note, you might (well very likely) will see a cloudfare "are you a human" screen pop up at times.

 

[Guyfang]

I suppose there is no way to figure out where this comes from, and send some leg breakers there.

 

[patracy]

Not really. These sorts of attacks don't come from a specific location, but rather a group of various connections. Often malware/virus' main objective is to gain control of another system to use in a coordinated attack elsewhere. Basically this was a large group of devices that connected to the server and kept making requests, but not closing them. This is a distributed attack that the goal is to bring the target system to it's knees from trying to respond to requests.

 

[patracy]

Cloudfare is now slowly taking over. Another thing to note, you might (well very likely) will see a cloudfare "are you a human" screen pop up at times.

I realize this prompt is likely going to cause some angst. But overnight this has drastically put a stop to some of the overloading from nefarious individuals.

 

[98G]

I realize this prompt is likely going to cause some angst. But overnight this has drastically put a stop to some of the overloading from nefarious individuals.

The prompt doesn't even register as an annoyance honestly.

Tell me, how does it verify that I'm actually human?

 

[M813rc]

I didn't mind dealing with the "verifying you're a human" thing if it cuts out the attack.

Once again, thank you Patracy for doing what you do to keep us going.

Cheers

 

[patracy]

The prompt doesn't even register as an annoyance honestly.

Tell me, how does it verify that I'm actually human?

I can't disclose all of the ways it works as that gets into opsec. But I can say this, there's a inbetween on the website now (cloudfare) that actively tracks the IPs that make requests against it's own database. If you're a known or trending IP that is malicious, it shuts you down via DNS before you even reach our server. If you're unknown or just anything else, it prompts you to verify before you connect to our server. That "are you a human" screen has several aspects going for it. The actual checkbox means very little. But the time it takes you to respond to it, if you don't click on it and try a refresh, if you fill out a value on the hidden form, if you check the hidden box. There's lots of "pitfalls" meant to stifle scripts/automated attacks.

 

[Maestro]

Just to add my two cents, hope this helps

I was unable to access at all yesterday kept timing out, did not get "are you a human" from cloudfare. First time having this problem since joining in August. To make sure it was not just me I use one of those website to verify if the site was active, it was reporting there were issues, not down but slow and no response. It started around 11AM EST. As it turns out, I was at work when this was happening and they route our traffic to the outside world through some sort service similar to a VPN that our external IP shows up in different locations in the US, some times websites think I am Maryland, or Virginia or New York. When I got home I got the "are you a human" and was able to get access. I also notice the same problem on my phone when I am connect using Apple's Private Relay connection which hides your location I was getting similar issue.

It looks like Cloudfare was being very aggressive on blocking requests it could not verify, if anyone is using a VPN they may run into similar issues.

 

[patracy]

Yup, honestly I've been manually rejecting any VPN based request and emailing them to email me back to verify they're a person. Even prior to implementing cloudfare.

I have no issue with someone wanting to use a VPN, but it's a double edged sword. The same privacy it affords you, it also affords the same bad players.

 

[Maestro]

Totally understand, bad actors ruin it all for all the good people.

It looks like the same problem is happen as yesterday. It could be the bad actors hitting Cloudfare and slowing it down for everyone. I am at home now not on a VPN and from he same IP I register with and I am now getting the "are you a human' every time I access the website, did not get that earlier where the graph showing green

 

[patracy]

It loads frequently for me as well, but once past the screen it doesn't present itself for a while. How frequently are you seeing the screen as it should only load once every so often, not every page load.

Another thing that I will note is, on a typical day, I had to wade through 50+ totally bogus registrations from known bad IP addresses. I have had ZERO of these since Cloudfare.

 

[Mullaney]

It loads frequently for me as well, but once past the screen it doesn't present itself for a while. How frequently are you seeing the screen as it should only load once every so often, not every page load.

Another thing that I will note is, on a typical day, I had to wade through 50+ totally bogus registrations from known bad IP addresses. I have had ZERO of these since Cloudfare.

.
I see the cloudfare verification only after my machine sits for about five fifteen minutes. Regular navigation - no problem at all. Good deal on eliminating the bogus registrations!

 

[Guyfang]

Tim Wrote,
"I see the cloudfare verification only after my machine sits for about five fifteen minutes. Regular navigation - no problem at all."

Maybe this might have been why I could not upload more than a few PDF's at a time. I took too long.

 

[98G]

It loads frequently for me as well, but once past the screen it doesn't present itself for a while. How frequently are you seeing the screen as it should only load once every so often, not every page load.

Another thing that I will note is, on a typical day, I had to wade through 50+ totally bogus registrations from known bad IP addresses. I have had ZERO of these since Cloudfare.

I toggle between multiple browsers and different sites. I get the "are you human" page every time I come back to Steel Soldiers.

That page requires no input from me. It just shows for a couple of seconds and then SS loads. (That's why I was curious as to mechanism of verification.)

 

[Mullaney]

I toggle between multiple browsers and different sites. I get the "are you human" page every time I come back to Steel Soldiers.

That page requires no input from me. It just shows for a couple of seconds and then SS loads. (That's why I was curious as to mechanism of verification.)

.
I have to click on a small box in the top left quadrant of my screen.
Clicking nothing might not work for me (maybe).

 

[patracy]

I toggle between multiple browsers and different sites. I get the "are you human" page every time I come back to Steel Soldiers.

That page requires no input from me. It just shows for a couple of seconds and then SS loads. (That's why I was curious as to mechanism of verification.)

That's more of a determination that CF makes along with your browser retaining a cookie for it. It's based on your IP location, browser, other sites that have CF enabled that you've visited. Mine as well has logged me automatically (at least at my shop).

 

[patracy]

I've made a few tweaks, we're no longer in the attack defense mode, so it shouldn't be prompting.