Since Friday, 26 October, MoneySavingExpert.com’s been subject to a DDOS attack; a malicious web attack to try and close the site by simulating billions of users. We’re fighting back, but service is patchy. Please bear with us.
What is a DDOS problem?
It is a 'distributed denial of service attack'; in other words someone is maliciously attacking the site to stop it being able to function (see Wikipedia's DDOS attacks explanation). Frankly it's devastating and the fact it happened with the publicity surrounding the launch of the PPI reclaiming campaign is probably not a coincidence.
In practical terms it means they've simulated as if billions of people are trying to use the site at any moment, so of course the servers can't cope. And remember MoneySavingExpert.com is a huge site, with millions of users, yet our massive servers were still swamped. Sadly it's much easier to destroy something than it is to create it.
What's the prognosis?
It’s good, we’re still under attack right now, but are using some cutting edge techniques. And the main site is now mostly stable; we’re currently attempting to get the Forums working, though as that involves a database and user interaction it's more problematic. Sadly I can’t explain what we’re doing to fix it, both because it's far too technical for me, and more importantly because we know the people doing this are monitoring.
The timing wasn't coincidentalFriday was the launch of the PPI reclaiming campaign; a massive new campaign to help people get money back on missold insurance on loans, credit cards, store cards and mortgages. With more money at stake than the bank charges campaign (which it’s estimated cost the banks up to £500m via this site alone) it seems unlikely it’s a coincidence.
When people came to the site on Friday, they just got an error message, it took us hours to put up a holding page. This means many newcomers simply will never come back.
I should note, I don’t mean that the banks are responsible. More that whoever did this was aware of the importance of the weekend for the site and to cause maximum damage they timed it correctly and as a by-product probably saved the UK banking sector tens of millions.
What can you do to help?
Thanks to all the MoneySavers who’ve offered help and support, both by e-mail, other sites' forums and facebook. It’s appreciated. I would ask two things of you.
- Get on the weekly e-mail list if you aren’t already. This way we can get in touch if there are problems; and if they force the site down again, we can still tell you ways to save money. As you know the email is free and sent once a week full of MoneySaving tips
- Tell friends and family about the site and the PPI campaign. 10,000s missed out on the free template letters that could pay them back thousands. Please spread the word at work, home and elsewhere about PPI reclaiming otherwise the hideous individuals who did this will have beaten us.
And finally, a word to those who are attacking the site. Millions use this site, many rely on it for crucial info to make their lives better; some are desperate for help with their debts, and others want support through a myriad of issues. What you're doing is hurting many people, please stop.
Martin
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