The Atheist Foundation of Australia and the Global Atheist Convention sites are the apparent target of a sustained and expensive DDOS attack. At last report the attack had been going for 12 hours. [read more]
What’s a DDOS attack?
A DDoS is when multiple computers all request information from one computer, flooding it with information and thus denying access to the machine.
Usually this is achieved by a botnet (a network of compromised computers). Botnets are usually run by organised crime and can be rented by unscrupulous sorts to attack a target for as long as you have the money to pay for it.
Who’s behind the attack?
At this stage its uncertain and indeed we may never know. Usually this sort of attack is followed or preceded by an extortion attempt. Though they have also been used by those wanting to make a point or protest – this was recently achieved by a group of Anonymous in targeting Australian Government web servers.
The attack is sustained though(currently at 12 hours) and therefore expensive. It leads me to think that this is not the work of some bored teenagers. It’s looking more like a deliberate attack on a non profit organisation and an attempt to derail what looks to be a very successful convention.
It’s someone with reasonable resources, no scruples and a motive for wanting to cripple Atheist organisation in Australia…
perhaps its the Russians – Russian Orthodox that is 
Stay tuned
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Have the authorities been notified? If the attack costs you money, and in this case you could prove it does because you are being prevented from making ticket sales, then it is an illegal act which someone could be prosecuted for.
I know only what I have read at atheist Nexus. The attack is ongoing and AFA staff are being run off their feet as far as I can tell. But from what I have heard its a big attack
I wonder if the AFA is collateral damage – if this is a cyber-blackmail attempt on a for-profit business, and it’s just the data center that’s being flooded out. Noone on the Atheist Nexus discussion was able to answer when I signed off last night.
It’s relatively* common for online businesses to be threatened with DDoS in the hopes of extorting money, hence the profitability of botnets
* figures are sketchy, since a lot of businesses don’t report
Apparently, the problem is if the authorities get involved, the server will be confiscated for evidence which won't help in getting the AFA back online.
What the idiots who are doing this don't realize is this is absolute gold as far as attracting media exposure for the Convention. Of course, having the website down is a major inconvenience, but you couldn't pay for the kind of publicity this will generate for the Convention.
Exactly Kristy! I only got to this blog because of a news article about the DDoS attack on The Age online.
Am going to buy tickets to the convention now!
So don’t despair, yes the DDoS attack will cost money in terms of the websites being down, but if it brings more people like me to the convention then it is actually a good thing!
Hi Stevo,
Good to hear that the age is covering the story. I will be there at the convention myself hopefully doing some live blogging for the event.
First the domain was attacked, then when the domain was pointed with DNS at 127.0.0.1, they attacked the IP. When that was sort of brought under control, the atheistconvention.org.au domain has come under attack, different server, different IP
So it would seem that that its most certainly an attack on the AFA no?
@Jason – It appears not to be collateral damage as two AFA websites on different IP addresses have been attacked. It appears to be targeted at the AFA and the Global Atheist Convention. This is still not confirmed beyond doubt, though.
I wonder if the attackers are local? I am trying to find the cost of financing one of these attacks. I would say that the mainstream religious would stay away from this sort of thing. But I wouldn't put it past some whackjob organsisation from the US.
Or from the middle east .. I have blocked hacking attempts from there in the past for the AFA site
Interesting. Hopefully we will get some idea of who is doing it.
Apparently the cost per day for this type of attack could be as low as $100 US /day. Which I must say is well within the means of most christian nutjobs, so this could just be one lunatic in his basement.
Well, I knew nothing about the March convention till I read about the web attack. And since my wife and I are moving to live in Victoria at the end of the year, all I can say is — thank you web attackers for drawing my attention to this. I'll be at the Convention for sure now, fighting the good fight on the side of science and rationality!
Anthony and Robyn
Hi Anthony and Robin,
I was on the phone to the AFA this morning. The have been working hard since monday dealing with this attack on top of a really successful convention. Good to hear that you will be going.
Shit here I was about to buy tickets and then this happens….How do you reckon I should go about getting them sean. I'm not to keen to attempt anything over the net if they are being barraged. I've already had my debit card compromised this month. I hate that people can do this, is there any way to track it or reverse it so that it feedback to their server?
YOU ARE FORTUNATE THAT PEOPLE ARE TAKING NOTICE OF OUR CONVENTION. But the whole ball game is oopening up anew. The Contiguous Dimensional Worlds concept is a new and valid view of our worlds.
With the existence of ‘Techie Worlds’ (available at amazon.com) believers in Christianity can hold their views utilizing sound logic, clear thinking and a mechanistic view of worlds. Applying Flatland’s concept of contiguous dimensional worlds, Trinity, Resurrection, Judgment and soul are sensible and mechanically viable beliefs. ‘Techie Worlds’ follows that rule of science by which individual details are tested for their conformity to the overarching hypothesis. Admittedly, agnostics may choose not to follow such obvious and sensible logic, but no longer can they denigrate believers for fuzzy thinking. Moslems and pagans who read and understand the sound logic of the Flatland concept must adopt the reasonable Trinitarian view. ‘Techie Worlds’ will make them abandon the ways of terror an adopt the way of love. Techie Worlds is not standard preacher-prattle. Only by reading it can you open your mind to its valid way of understanding Christianity.
GeorgeRic
I don't get the argument it isn't an individual. Contacting organized crime to buy something like this is probably far harder and riskier than just doing it yourself. Most of the cases I've seen taken to conclusion were run by the archetypal bored 12 year old kid. Sure the big, well organized botnets are run by professional crooks, but there is pretty good evidence that there aren't that many people involved in that, and I doubt they would want to get involved for small sums of cash.
It could have been a bored teenager, some cool christian/muslim/ what ever religion teenager. When I did a little bit of research on the costs associated with botnet attacks I was surprised to find that the market is flooded and attacks of varying quality can be purchased for as little as 100 US a day.