Author Topic: So what happened this time?  (Read 16761 times)

Kitsune413

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #30 on: 12 July 2017, 21:38:25 »
Pretty sure that the battletech forums are hosted by go-daddy.

4chan and anon have apparently been running some kind of op against go-daddy. Seems like the battletech forums just keep drawing the wrong crossfire cards.
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Moonsword

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #31 on: 12 July 2017, 21:54:11 »
Pretty sure that the battletech forums are hosted by go-daddy.

No, they're not.  Move on from the topic of Anonymous, 4chan, and ISPs.

worktroll

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #32 on: 12 July 2017, 22:39:51 »
Exactly.
* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
* The Housebook series is from the 80's and is the foundation of Btech, the 80's heart wrapped in heavy metal that beats to this day - Sigma
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garhkal

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #33 on: 12 July 2017, 23:22:04 »
Had a nice long response to the whole 'social media issue'.. BUT instead will just say
YAY we are back..

Though one question i have had..
Like with darn near every other 'forum site' i have an account at, you are required to use an email address that links are sent to, to create the account (and verify it when its finalized)..
Why can't catalyzt, take all those email addresses of all the accounts, store them off the CGL main site (so if hacked/shutdown again), they can send out a mass email burst?

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worktroll

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #34 on: 12 July 2017, 23:44:03 »
"store them off the main site" being the issue.

Not aware of any simple way to get that list without being a web monkey. Volunteers lack the ability or access to do that sort of thing. Until recently, volunteers were it.

W.
* No, FASA wasn't big on errata - ColBosch
* The Housebook series is from the 80's and is the foundation of Btech, the 80's heart wrapped in heavy metal that beats to this day - Sigma
* To sum it up: FASAnomics: By Cthulhu, for Cthulhu - Moonsword
* Because Battletech is a conspiracy by Habsburg & Bourbon pretenders - MadCapellan
* The Hellbringer is cool, either way. It's not cool because it's bad, it's cool because it's bad with balls - Nightsky
* It was a glorious time for people who felt that we didn't have enough Marauder variants - HABeas2, re "Empires Aflame"

Liam's Ghost

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #35 on: 13 July 2017, 00:16:41 »
Out of curiosity are the professional web monkeys also going to be involved in cleaning up the Store?
« Last Edit: 13 July 2017, 00:50:13 by Liam's Ghost »
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trboturtle

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #36 on: 13 July 2017, 00:36:12 »
If anyone's reading this and still getting the Session ended message that won't let you post or log out, try clearing out your cookies and restarting the computer.  Worked for me.

Didn't work for me.... it stood there like Gandolf, shouting "You Shall Not Pass!" I had to get WT to beat on the server until it allowed me in.......

Craig
Author of 32 Battletech short stories including "The Lance Killer," "Hikagemono," "Negotiation," "The Clawing," "Salvage," "The Promise," "Reap What You Sow," "Family Ties," "The Blood of Man," "End of Message," "Heroes' Bridge," "Kurodenkou," "Thirteen," "My Father's Sword," "Evacuation," "Operation Red Lion," "A Matter of Honor," "State of Grace," "Operation Blue Tiger," "A Warrior's Fear," "Shadow Angels," "Murphy's Method," "End of the Road," (IAMTW 2019 Scribe Award nominee!), "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance," "Laws Are Silent," "No Tears," "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Shadows of the Past," and "Three White Roses."
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BirdofPrey

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #37 on: 13 July 2017, 00:58:44 »
Also looks like we lost about a week and a half of posts.
That's it?  What sort of black magic is at work here?  The forums have never lost that little time.

Domi1981

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #38 on: 13 July 2017, 01:54:46 »
If you purposely keep yourself away from communications channels, then you will not receive communication.

Facebook is not a communication channel. It´s a data kraken and platform for showmanship. Than has been proven since many years now. People like him and myself don´t want to sell our privacy to such companies. Therefore I think he is totally right on demanding proper communication via the companie´s homepage. But with the new team on CGL we all can hope for the best.

Ghost0402

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #39 on: 13 July 2017, 05:48:07 »
If you purposely keep yourself away from communications channels, then you will not receive communication.
I have enough cancerous crap in my life without adding more social media cancer to it.
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Feenix74

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #40 on: 13 July 2017, 07:31:02 »
It was just a cunning plan by our new BT Line Developer God to show us what Grey Monday was really like for citizens of the Inner Sphere . . .
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Kidd

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #41 on: 13 July 2017, 07:41:21 »
...and it nearly worked. I had just finished bolting the machine-gun on my lawnmower and was about to overthrow the local HOA when Great Blessed Blake restored site functionality.

My blueprints, BTW:

Kit deSummersville

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #42 on: 13 July 2017, 08:10:05 »
No, they're not.  Move on from the topic of Anonymous, 4chan, and ISPs.

We can talk abut the ISF, though, right?
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Peter Smith

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #43 on: 13 July 2017, 08:47:03 »
Facebook is not a communication channel.

The volume of communication I have run through FB shows this to be an incorrect statement.
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Feenix74

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #44 on: 13 July 2017, 09:06:00 »
...and it nearly worked. I had just finished bolting the machine-gun on my lawnmower and was about to overthrow the local HOA when Great Blessed Blake restored site functionality.

My blueprints, BTW:


It is great to see as a responsible Daddy you are setting a good example by wearing a safety helmet while operating your ride-on lawnmower and that you have your son Billy wearing hearing-protection  ^-^
Incoming fire has the right of way.

The only thing more accurate than incoming enemy fire is incoming friendly fire.

Always remember that your weapon was built by the lowest bidder.


                                   - excepts from Murphy's Laws of Combat

monbvol

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #45 on: 13 July 2017, 09:10:06 »
Sheesh guys we get it but I guess I need to re-phrase a sentiment I have in a hopefully more polite and fair way.

You don't need to have a Facebook account or to use Facebook for anything else than keeping yourself informed on what is happening with CGL/Battletech.  Same for Twitter.

Yes it is not unreasonable to expect that a company's official site to also be a source of current information, or the official forums for that matter, but as recent events have shown there may be times where that is not possible.

Now enough bashing.

Vition2

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #46 on: 13 July 2017, 09:13:59 »
Unsung heroes - Moonsword and Knightmare - have been our astropaths guiding the Professionales Mechanicus towards the radiant beacon of Randall's Golden Writing Throne ...

Proof BattleTech is actually Warhammer 40K!  :-X

Also, FYI, you don't have to have a Facebook account to visit the Battletech Facebook page, just do a search and follow the link.  I'm not disparaging those of you who choose not to have an account, but there are easy work-arounds to find what you may be looking for.

Kit deSummersville

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #47 on: 13 July 2017, 09:16:07 »
Now enough bashing.

The only approved bashing on this site is kit-bashing. And possibly Kit-bashing.
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Vition2

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #48 on: 13 July 2017, 09:26:28 »
Well there's something new, when I posted both Feenix74's and monbvol's posts didn't provoke a warning to me that new posts had posted while I was typing a reply.

monbvol

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #49 on: 13 July 2017, 09:42:57 »
At this point the thing I find most concerning is the two different stories we've gotten about why the sites and forums went down.

Facebook and twitter doesn't mention any hacking but here we have Worktroll saying there was a hack.

It raises some frankly uncomfortable questions in my mind about the competency and credibility of the actual leadership at CGL in a way that no other issue we've faced ever has.

Xotl

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #50 on: 13 July 2017, 09:51:57 »
There was a hack.  If you came to the website at a certain time, you were greeted with a "lol hacked" page.  Plenty of people had to have seen it besides me.
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Vition2

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #51 on: 13 July 2017, 10:22:34 »
At this point the thing I find most concerning is the two different stories we've gotten about why the sites and forums went down.

Facebook and twitter doesn't mention any hacking but here we have Worktroll saying there was a hack.

It raises some frankly uncomfortable questions in my mind about the competency and credibility of the actual leadership at CGL in a way that no other issue we've faced ever has.

Technically speaking the stories aren't different, you are just missing the prologue from the official sites.

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #52 on: 13 July 2017, 10:29:57 »
The only approved bashing on this site is kit-bashing. And possibly Kit-bashing.

What about when you take your mace-equipped mech and go hunting for Protomechs?
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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #53 on: 13 July 2017, 10:43:47 »
That's only kitbashing if they're Sea Fox protos.
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monbvol

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #54 on: 13 July 2017, 10:49:31 »
Technically speaking the stories aren't different, you are just missing the prologue from the official sites.

Directly from the Battletech Facebook:

WEBSITE UPDATE: The recent unavailability of bg.battletech.com is the result of maintenance on the host server which was not adequately communicated to Catalyst Game Labs.
To restore access, and to ensure its future security and functionality, the site is in the process of being moved to a new server. We look forward to restoring access to the site and the BattleTech forums as soon as possible, and maintaining that access going forward.
Thank you for your patience and understanding while we resolve this unforeseen issue.

Nothing about hacking.  The previous post is from June 24.  So at absolute best we're not getting the full story from CGL(credibility).  The other scenarios that might explain why they didn't make a mention of there being a hack are frankly worse for CGL.

The main CGL Facebook has nothing about the recent outage at all.

Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #55 on: 13 July 2017, 12:06:20 »
I have to agree with some of the sentiments about social media I've seen upthread.  Doesn't matter if one was following facebook/twitter/etc because CGL didn't say anything via those media.

Enough information was out there about the site being hacked and even who claimed credit for it that my antivirus suite warned me of the former before I even noticed myself and I easily looked up the latter in a google search.  I saw enough information to even suspect how it was hacked, but of course have no way to know for sure.

Unfortunately, the only open source information that was available for a restoral timeline was this:



So, watching facebook/twitter/etc wouldn't have told someone anything anyway.  Not that I saw.  And as pointed out upthread it's not a case of CGL being so small they don't have a person for social media communication... Dragonfire promotions made it out.  I don't want to be a chicken little, but I can't help but worry about resources being diverted into outside/professional IT help being yet another straw upon the camel's back.  I do sincerely hope we're far from the proverbial Last one, but at the very least we're one closer.  Letting well meaning volunteers like the mods and ombudsman be the spokespeople about this incident isn't inspiring confidence.

EDIT: Upon rereading, my post is really full of nothing but negativity.  On the chance any PTBs are actually reading it, I do want to at least express my appreciation over the efforts to restore the forums and congratulate them on getting them back so that we can resume indulging in talking about the hobby we all love once again. 
« Last Edit: 13 July 2017, 12:11:32 by Tai Dai Cultist »

trboturtle

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #56 on: 13 July 2017, 12:52:17 »

So, watching facebook/twitter/etc wouldn't have told someone anything anyway.  Not that I saw.  And as pointed out upthread it's not a case of CGL being so small they don't have a person for social media communication... Dragonfire promotions made it out.  I don't want to be a chicken little, but I can't help but worry about resources being diverted into outside/professional IT help being yet another straw upon the camel's back.  I do sincerely hope we're far from the proverbial Last one, but at the very least we're one closer.  Letting well meaning volunteers like the mods and ombudsman be the spokespeople about this incident isn't inspiring confidence.

EDIT: Upon rereading, my post is really full of nothing but negativity.  On the chance any PTBs are actually reading it, I do want to at least express my appreciation over the efforts to restore the forums and congratulate them on getting them back so that we can resume indulging in talking about the hobby we all love once again.

Well, the DF posts made it out because Randall has been living, eating, breathing, sleeping (when he does sleep) and talking Dragonfire for the last six months. If you may have noticed that with the exception of Dragonfire Posts, Randall has .been harder to find than Bigfoot on Social Media (The rumor that there have been Randall sightings by Bigfoots have not been confirmed.) It's the main reason Brent had stepped in to take the LD chair from Randall.

And the number of full-time Catalyst employees is small, no more than ten full-time people. Most of the rest working for Catalyst are freelancers like myself, who stay in contact via the internet. Randall, among his many, many other duties, does most of Catalyst's social media, which is what it's been sparse for the last several months on anything but Dragonfire. The website problems didn't help, coming at exactly the wrong time.

Now, everyone's under the gun to get products ready for Gencon. All the editing, proofing, layout has to be done before sending the products to be printed is a massive task, and everyone is working a mile a minute. Dragonfire is still the big thing this year, so a lot of effort is being devoted to that, but other products are being worked on across the game lines.

I know it sounds like an excuse, but that's the truth.

Craig
Author of 32 Battletech short stories including "The Lance Killer," "Hikagemono," "Negotiation," "The Clawing," "Salvage," "The Promise," "Reap What You Sow," "Family Ties," "The Blood of Man," "End of Message," "Heroes' Bridge," "Kurodenkou," "Thirteen," "My Father's Sword," "Evacuation," "Operation Red Lion," "A Matter of Honor," "State of Grace," "Operation Blue Tiger," "A Warrior's Fear," "Shadow Angels," "Murphy's Method," "End of the Road," (IAMTW 2019 Scribe Award nominee!), "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Blind Arrogance," "Laws Are Silent," "No Tears," "Tales of the Cracked Canopy: Shadows of the Past," and "Three White Roses."
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Tai Dai Cultist

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #57 on: 13 July 2017, 13:01:51 »
There's never a good time to get hacked, but leading into the con season has to be in the running for the worst times to get hacked.

Here's to CGL deciding it was worth their limited resources to restore the forums (and presumably, to do it right).  Whether we use the forums to complain or not, at least we have them :)

MoneyLovinOgre4Hire

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #58 on: 13 July 2017, 13:19:49 »
There's never a good time to get hacked, but leading into the con season has to be in the running for the worst times to get hacked.

Here's to CGL deciding it was worth their limited resources to restore the forums (and presumably, to do it right).  Whether we use the forums to complain or not, at least we have them :)

Seconded!
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monbvol

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Re: So what happened this time?
« Reply #59 on: 13 July 2017, 13:32:13 »
And in a way I find it at least partially re-assuring that CGL felt they could afford the money to have professionals help with restoring their sites.  It does indicate at least something of a healthy revenue stream.

And that Brent has been named LD for Battletech is also re-assuring in a way.  Even before Dragon Fire Randal was obviously trying to wear too many hats.

Still though this incident has eroded the credibility of CGL and underscores just how understaffed they are versus everything they are trying to do.  It has always been a big concern for me that CGL all but shuts down for Con season and this major of an outage combined with them eroding their already strained credibility further is worrying.

 

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