Avsim gone?!

[+allenjb42]

Just saw this today when I couldn't get onto the site to check what I've missed over the last few days.

 

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/8049780.stm

 

Shocked and saddened are the first things that come to mind. As well as all the MSFS stuff, they had a nice little archive of Thirdwire mods, some of which never made it over here.

 

Hopefully thay can get the site back up in time, but why would anyone want to do this? What could they possibly gain from such a senseless and malicious act.

 

And if everything on the site is lost, probably a lot of it hasn't been uploaded to other sites, so in addition to the work put in by the site owners/admins, think of all the man hours by the modders that have been lost for no good reason whatsoever.

 

Next question: could such an attack be successfully carried out on CA?

[+Dave]

Erik has taken steps to make sure that doesn't happen. Even if they did, we got back ups for back ups, for back up in a few locations. We haved learned since the attack from the Chinese a few years ago. Remember that?

 

I used to write for Avsim, many many years ago. I know Tom very well and this is just a terrible terrible thing. Sensless is an understatement. They have been around for 13 years and I see no reason for anyone to have done this.

[the test pilot]

I guess that anyone of us should help to avoid the risk.

 

For the downloads, i think the best idea could be keeping a copy of them on as much users' HDDs as possible.

 

And the site owners should make a double check on the security, but i think this has been already done during the site upgrade.

 

 

 

On the reason of the attack on AVSIM, my personal opinion is that the hacker could have done this for personal reasons.

 

I saw this happen on a forum i used to moderate, and the guilty was a banned user.

 

It is just a suspect, but could easily be right.

Edited May 18, 2009 by the test pilot

[+KnightWolf45]

if needed i have some stuff form avsim in my back ups just need to see what but not all of the files that were there most A/C and Campaings no skins sorry

 

i can help pm me

[+hgbn]

On the reason of the attack on AVSIM, my personal opinion is that the hacker could have done this for personal reasons.

 

I saw this happen on a forum i used to moderate, and the guilty was a banned user.

 

It is just a suspect, but could easily be right.

 

 

Hmmmmmm a banned user suspect. Maybe S..... was there, finally getting enough of unreallistic models. And decided that it was better destroyed than people getting fanboyed.

[+Erik]

As with the rest of the community I wish AVSIM a speedy and if possible full recovery.

 

As Dave mentioned and I'll just add to. Anything connected to the internet is vulnerable to attack.

 

The contingency that most people aren't prepared for is total connected loss which is considered loss of data across an infrastructure. It is the same as having four hard drives in your local machine, a diligent daily backup to solid state or removable media, and then the volcano 20 miles away that you never knew existed erupts and buries it all in molten lava. Backups made to local hardware are only for convenience or single point hardware failure they can never be considered backups just copies.

 

There's more work to do here after the two moves back to back, but we're about 90% there.

[Erwin_Hans]

Erik has taken steps to make sure that doesn't happen. Even if they did, we got back ups for back ups, for back up in a few locations. We haved learned since the attack from the Chinese a few years ago. Remember that?

 

I used to write for Avsim, many many years ago. I know Tom very well and this is just a terrible terrible thing. Sensless is an understatement. They have been around for 13 years and I see no reason for anyone to have done this.

 

The attack from the Chinese a few years ago.

 

What happend? Some detail???

[+Typhoid]

My often stated Final Solution for The Hacker Problem is to;

 

1. infiltrate one of the hacker conventions

 

2. take them all into custody

 

3. line them up and shoot every third one

 

4. chain the rest to computers and networks with orders to fix everything they've ever screwed up

 

5. every three days repeat steps 3 and 4.

 

 

 

 

I have no tolerance for these kind of malicious scum. 90% of all destructive hacking does not involve any financial benefit to the hacker - its just destructive, malicious vandalism. The other 10% involves theft of some sort.

 

They are all scum of the earth with no redeeming social value

[+FastCargo]

My often stated Final Solution for The Hacker Problem is to;

 

1. infiltrate one of the hacker conventions

 

2. take them all into custody

 

3. line them up and shoot every third one

 

4. chain the rest to computers and networks with orders to fix everything they've ever screwed up

 

5. every three days repeat steps 3 and 4.

 

 

 

 

I have no tolerance for these kind of malicious scum. 90% of all destructive hacking does not involve any financial benefit to the hacker - its just destructive, malicious vandalism. The other 10% involves theft of some sort.

 

They are all scum of the earth with no redeeming social value

 

I like the way you think!

 

FC

[cgold]

I checked Avsim everyday. I can't believe that something as innocent as Avsim would ever be attacked. This is flight simulation's 9/11. And I totally agree with Typhoid thinks. I wish there was an easy way to find these idiots and lay waste to their lives; Feed them a bit of their own medicine.

[firehawkordy]

I was going to post this last week but I figured that the news was well and truly out. my bust.

 

Here is the link to the Temporary AVSIM Forums.....

 

http://linux.myalbemarle.org/forums/index.php

 

And I concur with Typhoid, hackers should be decimated, survivors forced to repair what they f'ed up and their ranks decimated again.

[+Dave]

The attack from the Chinese a few years ago.

 

What happend? Some detail???

 

Sorry no details to give.

[+331Killerbee]

Just sad and awful. Some of My early work gone.......Shame. Agree, People like that ought to be delt with harshly.

[+SidDogg]

.......

 

..oh my goodnessWHO THE HELL, DUUDE???!!!!!

[deep]

I agree 100% that what happened to AVSIM was a totally destructive event, and I feel personally angry about what happened, but I think we might step back and look at a bigger picture here.

 

Malicious attacks, like viruses are a part of cyber life, and like human viruses we develop a system of resisting them so that we are not overcome. If this never happened, we would be wiped out by the first virus to come our way, so in a bigger picture, viruses are healthy as long as we have a system to cope with them. As Dave has pointed out many times, we have to BACKUP so WHEN this happens, we can reconstruct and move on. When the attacker realizes that we are more resilient and less perturbed by his attack, he will move elsewhere.

[The_Nephilim]

Hi Guys Probally coming from China?? There is a big Article in either Popular Science or Popular mechanic about the Chinese Hackers and how they see it as there right to attack US Sites and abroad. they are just being Patriotic to there country and attacking ours. /

 

This is Cyber warefare and the 1st Major attack happened in May of 2001..They even said a third of the Grade school kids think becoming a hacker is a Cool thing.. These are every day people that feel it is there right and patriotic to attack US Sites..

[New Guy]

From what I heard the suspect was a cracker...

[Jimbib]

.....how they see it as there right to attack US Sites and abroad. they are just being Patriotic to there country and attacking ours.

 

People like that need to be cracked in the face with a wok.

 

Unfortunately they seem not to realise the difference between being patriotic and outright attacking part of another country.

[Emp_Palpatine]

That's disguting... How can one be so wicked to destroy fan-made site and a community just for the "fun" of it?

[Slartibartfast]

I work in IT so see this on a regular basis... On the otherside though AVSIM was the first ever site I downloaded a file from for MSFS 98 so this comes as a shock

 

As to the Hackers who did this easy answer Lots of Electricity to certain parts until they are just about done and then an injection of Adrenaline just to do it all over again... and repeat...

 

Unfortunately though we arent allowed to do this... but...

[cgold]

Talking about Avsim, is the other major MSFS File Library Flightsim.com protected? We can't afford to lose another major library...

[+Typhoid]

there was a question above about whether there is a war over the internet going on.

 

there is.

 

big

 

lots and lots of players

 

all I can say about that....................

 

(keep your virus protection updated and practice safe computing)

 

Edited May 19, 2009 by Typhoid

[+JediMaster]

I always wear a condom before I touch the keyboard. There's another one on my CAT5 cable.

[firehawkordy]

Some good news, according to the AVSIM Forums the site MAY be back up this weekend. Check link I posted earlier for updates.

 

One thing that is disturbing, in the first 48hrs the community was tripping on their dicks trying to donate, now some guys are trying to claim Tom is scamming. While I haven't hit the donate button, tight paychecks, I believe that AVSIM is on the up and up. Like the way these idiots kick someone while they're down.

Edited May 22, 2009 by firehawkordy

[topcat II]

Thank You for the update I like Avsim hope they are back this weekend I will be looking..