Status Report: Overcoming the “DoS Attacks” and Restoring TheFinalSprint.com
Posted November 28th, 2008 at 1:00 PM by Adam Jacobs
Section: Announcements
As a result of the criminal actions of a still largely unidentified party that used “Denial-of-Service Attacks” to try and shut us down, TheFinalSprint.com’s content had been unavailable since about 8pm on Wednesday, November 26, 2008. Below you will find the letter that was posted on the site during that time period and which includes a more detailed explanation of what transpired.
We have gone to great lengths to overcome these attacks and to ensure that such illegal efforts will be unsuccessful in the future. Over the next few hours our server and hosting provider will be conducting a series of tests to confirm that we have rectified the situation and that the threats have been completely neutralized. Once these tests are successfully completed, Part IV of VII in TheFinalSprint.com’s “Dysfunction Run Amuck” series will be immediately published and we will resume all of our standard programming and content offerings.
Thanks again for bearing with us. We truly appreciate your patience, support and loyalty!
Dear Readers,
I sincerely apologize that TheFinalSprint.com (TFS) is currently unavailable and has been down for the last few hours. This temporary site shut down is the result of the deliberate, targeted and illegal efforts of a thus far unknown individual or group in the form of “Denial-of-Service” Attacks .
Our team is working hard to overcome these attacks and hope to have the site restored at some point during tomorrow’s Thanksgiving holiday. TFS is making, and will continue to make, every effort to determine who is responsible. If these perpetrators can be identified, we will work with law enforcement to see that they are brought to justice and prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
We can only assume –based on their timing– that those responsible for the attacks are trying to prevent TFS from publishing the remaining installments in our seven-part, investigative series: “Dysfunction Run Amuck: USA Track & Field and the Need for Change”. These segments (Parts IV-VII) focus on the specific examples of dysfunction uncovered by our investigation into the USATF Board of Directors. This includes evidence of financial mismanagement, infighting, power struggles, racial tensions, lack of oversight, and conflicts of interest.
Rest assured that we will not allow the perpetrators of today’s attacks to realize their ultimate goals. TheFinalSprint.com and I remain steadfast in our belief that sunlight is the best disinfectant and our “Dysfunction Run Amuck” series will continue. As soon as the site is back up and running, Part IV –the installment that should have been released today– will be published immediately. The final three portions (Parts V-VII) will be subsequently released as per the original schedule; all before next week’s USATF Annual Meeting, presidential election and restructuring vote.
Once again, I apologize for the inconvenience and appreciate your patience as we work to rectify this situation.
Sincerely,
Adam S. Jacobs
Editor-in Chief
TheFinalSprint.com
“A denial-of-service attack (DoS attack) … is an attempt to make a computer resource unavailable to its intended users. Although the means to carry out, motives for, and targets of a DoS attack may vary, it generally consists of the concerted, malevolent efforts of a person or persons to prevent an Internet site or service from functioning efficiently or at all, temporarily or indefinitely …
One common method of attack involves saturating the target (victim) machine with external communications requests, such that it cannot respond to legitimate traffic, or responds so slowly as to be rendered effectively unavailable. In general terms, DoS attacks are implemented by either forcing the targeted computer(s) to reset, or consume its resources so that it can no longer provide its intended service or obstructing the communication media between the intended users and the victim so that they can no longer communicate adequately …
Denial-of-service attacks … commonly constitute violations of the laws of individual nations.”
(Source: Wikipedia)
Tags: announcements, denial of service attacks, dos attacks, dysfunction run amuck, service interruption, site maintenance, TheFinalSprint.com
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