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Maplantis Hacked, Restored & now Back Online
Source http://www.maplantis.org/index.php?topic=1
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Posted: February 15th, 2007 - 3:03 am By Tau
Quick important note
You will not be able to login to your accounts. You need to recover your password! Make sure it does not match your SEN password.
Where has maplantis been?
I'll be blunt, maplantis has been down due to a large DDOS attack on the site. I have put measures in to try to prevent these intentional attacks on the site. I have handed all the information I could get on to the authorities (ips and whatnot), so its out of my hands now. As for the motivation of this attack, I can only make guesses. I know its not about OSmap, because the site came up briefly enough to post the site's new neutral policy, which apparently didn't matter these individuals, they instead changed the method of attack.
Okay, so whats up and down with the site?
The backup is 2 days before the attacks started, which was also before I reset the passwords, so you'll have to do it again. There was some corruption with the topics, too much, so I had to remove them all. Everything other than that, maps and wiki entries, are saved, which are the most important things here. Map uploading is off line as I have to work on getting the server modifications for map statistical and minimap generation up. Other than that, everything should be good.
Whats the new policy I hear about?
Maplantis is about open mapping. Our objectives do not include OSmap and it has been one of the biggest issues of this site. When some people talked to me when the downtime started when they found I was Yoshi, they tried something nobody else did, they wanted to find a mutual compromise that all three sides of the protection debates could agree on (instead of signing up and spamming their opinions, or attacking us). Up to now, maplantis was a bit of open mapping and the unprotection side. Being the founding site for the movement of open mapping, we're going to focus ourselves in that area. On a personal basis, nobody has ever told me a good enough reason why people wouldn't want others editing their map, but as much as I don't like it, I can bend to accommodate their wishes, whatever they may be.
No more protection or unprotection files hosted or news posted
The rules we make for unprotection go the same protection. It's only fair. Although in some cases its unavoidable, like Starforge containing a protector.
We will be adding a "do not edit" flag for map authors who submit their maps
If you submit your map and mark yourself as the creator, you will be given the option to flag your map as "do not edit without asking the author for permission". We will actively remove maps that did not authors permission when the author specifies it. If you've already submitted your map, you will be able to edit, reupload, and specify this option. By default all maps will be open for editing, and the flag can only be activated if you mark yourself as the creator.
Much more to come in the next little bit. I plan on bringing back video tutorials and much more new features.
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What follows is Entropy's own opinion on the matter.
+ Show Spoiler +
Tau is a really stubborn and relentless guy, 3 weeks of ddos attacks, had to change servers twice but site is back up.
And prior to the dos attacks unknown person(s)had managed to steal admin passwords (cookie security hole - fixed now) to spy on everything that went on inside the private stuff, like users PMs. * The same thing happened long ago at GG.net but the guy who found the poor cookie coding warned their staff before someone could take advantage of it - chr1s! : )
IsolatedPurity, head admin at StarEdit, showed me proof of this by showing me one of my own PMs to Tau, and admited to having access to many other private messages at maplantis.org of other users. How he came to have such an access he would not share with me. He did make a point of stating that he had not part in this and that someone had showed him the material. Having said this SEN refuses to post any Maplantis.org news on god knows what misguided site loyalty.
Both sites were created by Tau, both sites cater to map makers and give them lots of nice goodies and no one is making any money out of this. I wonder why always some retards find it a necessity to show misguided loyalty to whatever site they think the are defending and in the process end up shooting their own toes. Personally I think both sites should burn and ban anyone that speaks ill against the other. It would solve all the retarded bickering.
Had I been Tau I would have told everyone to phuck off and not bothered anymore to deal with mental midgets. I applaud his tenacity. The thing I most admire about him is that not only he created StarEdit.net in the first place, and gave it to the community to manage, but that he still holds no grudges despite all he has had to endure by some in that community that constantly harass or insult his person and/or work.
I wish community had more people like him. He has created two kicked ass sites and after 9 years is still going strong. So much innovation going on at Maplantis.org too!
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