Blog Bloke Gets Hammered with DOS Attacks!

By BLOGBloke August 9th, 2009 | 134 Comments

Blog Bloke Gets Hammered with DOS Attacks!

The Russians are Coming! The Russians are Coming! Unless you live in a vacuum you must have heard of the recent DOS attacks from (apparently) Russian hackers against social media sites. If you are a subscriber to this blog you might have also noticed that we were offline for the better part of two days.

Well I’m happy to report that we were down but not out, as this blog was also under attack!

You might be familiar with the movie farce called “The Russians are Coming!” (see pic above) starring Alan Arkin and Carl Reiner about a Russian submarine that foundered on U.S. soil during the cold war.

While all this was happening I couldn’t help but ponder it would be a smart strategy to take out our computers with a DOS attack before mounting an all-out boots-on-the-ground campaign … but there I go being paranoid again.

Fortunately that hasn’t happened (knock on wood) but I can’t help but reflect on why this blog was singled out. The attacks were aimed primarily at the large social networking sites like Facebook and Twitter, but blogs like mine and Gawker Media were also taken out.

Why Blog Bloke? I never thought I was really that important in the grand scheme of things but apparently someone out there thinks so.

I don’t know whether to be offended or flattered! At least I’m in good company.

What do you think? Have you been affected by the DOS attacks? Why not share your thoughts with the rest of us.

P.s.: Kudos to my blog host team for toughing it out. The fact that I’m online is a testament to their tenacity and skills. Thanks fellas!


Filed under: Blog News, Featured Articles, Security, Site News, Social Media , ,

Keep it Real with Blog Bloke Keep it Real with BLOGBloke, the Original Blog Tips and Social Media Guide. New readers can read more about me here. Feel free to contact me with any questions you may have and if you enjoyed this article please subscribe below, share with friends or leave a comment. CHEERS!

Share the Knowledge: Share this article with friends..

 
These icons link to social bookmarking sites where readers can share and discover new web pages.
  • TwitThis
  • Facebook
  • GoogleBuzz
  • StumbleUpon
  • Digg
  • del.icio.us
  • FriendFeed
  • Live
  • YahooMyWeb
  • Sphinn
  • LinkedIn
  • Technorati
  • Don't Miss another Blog Tip from BLOGBloke and Keep it Real..

    Subscribe here to the Better Tips Newsfeed!   

    Follow @BLOGBloke on Twitter for More Tips and News!

    Connect with BLOGBloke on Facebook

    What Next? Read More Tips From BLOGBloke:

            Got an Opinion? (Add Yours Now)

    Ok Blokesters it's your turn to tell me what you think, ask a question or suggest a blog tip. Don't forget the comments policy and I'm looking forward to reading what you have to say.

    There are 134 Comments so far to “Blog Bloke Gets Hammered with DOS Attacks!”

    *Skip to the comments form
    1. I couldn’t access my blog or any other blog on Blogger Friday because of the DDOS attacks. I kept getting an error from Google telling me that my computer was sending automated queries. My first instinct was to freak out because I was scared I did something wrong or that I had some kind of virus that Avast didn’t pick up. Then I finally thought to check Twitter to see if anyone else was having the same problem. They were thankfully. I was finally able to get back on it Friday night.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Aug 14th, 2009 at 3:15 am replied...

      @Staci, thanks for the update. Yes, Blogger was also attacked and any blogs hosted by them would have been affected.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on August 14th, 2009 3:15 am:

    2. It’s a real bummer when stuff like these happens. :( Blogger is very much susceptible to these attacks lately.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Aug 18th, 2009 at 10:53 am replied...

      @IMBuzz, thanks for the sentiments. Misery loves company ;-)

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on August 18th, 2009 10:53 am:

    3. Frightening stuff.
      Blogbloke, am delighted to have found your amazingly informative and punchily-written site. I’ll be joining up as soon as I’ve got the tech side sorted on my new blog… (at this rate, probably around Christmas!). Best to you and yours from France.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Aug 18th, 2009 at 10:58 am replied...

      @Minnie, and I’m delighted to hear from a new reader. Thanks so much for the comment and I hope to read more of them (hopefully before Christmas). :-)

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on August 18th, 2009 10:58 am:

    4. Yes!!! Blog now up and running - albeit on Wordpress, which I chose before reading your comments about Blogger being preferable: terrific timing, eh? Still, I’ve had some nasty commenters so Wordpress’s filtering function was the deciding factor. You’re on the blogroll chez moi, and I look forward to learning more via your site.

      [ Reply..]

    5. Is incredible how can happen this now, but is true for me was the same and I was out like 3 days but now I can understand why !

      [ Reply..]

    6. Congratulations! you survive and that’s the most important

      Kudos to the blog team, again, the Russians are defeated !

      [ Reply..]

    7. Since I’ve not been blogging much, I hadn’t noticed the Russians came and went! :-)

      And yet you’re STILL here…beat those Russkis so bad they ran home to mama! It’ll take a lot to keep you down, my friend.

      Mahalo for dropping by my blog and leaving your bon mots. It’s so nice to see yer face.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Sep 1st, 2009 at 6:06 am replied...

      @Kuanyin, I just got your message sweety and thanks from Toronto. Now off to Niagara Falls.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 1st, 2009 6:06 am:

    8. Maybe you were just lucky enough to be considered attack worthy. A back asswards compliment.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Sep 1st, 2009 at 6:04 am replied...

      @Santa Monica Laptop Repair, thanks, and back at ya ;-0

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 1st, 2009 6:04 am:

    9. 6:04 AM?!?! Why aren’t you asleep Mr Bloke?

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Sep 11th, 2009 at 5:26 pm replied...

      @AutoBlog, because I’m on autoblog mode ;-)

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 11th, 2009 5:26 pm:

    10. DDOS is just so pointless. What do the “russians” gain? I could see if they were making money. Is there any details on how they did it? Was it the use of a botnet? What was their motive?

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Sep 11th, 2009 at 6:28 pm replied...

      @Pet, the motive in attacks like this is to make our live miserable. A DOS attack involves sending constant streams of garbage data at a server to overwhelm it and take it offline.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 11th, 2009 6:28 pm:

    11. I don’t get why people are doing that, why wasting time and resources just to do damage to others? I am really scared that it might happen one day to me, I am with a good host, but still… SY

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke on Sep 11th, 2009 at 6:30 pm replied...

      @hospitalera, when your blog gets popular it will happen sooner or later. It unfortunately goes with the territory.

      [ Reply..]

      Blog Bloke (@blogbloketips) reply on September 11th, 2009 6:30 pm:

    12. Wow does that suck ; (

      [ Reply..]

    13. awesome site brotha http://bit.ly/1pXPfp

    14. awesome site brotha http://bit.ly/1jshln

    15. @Gaia Herbs, some look like downtown Las Vegas in the evening. http://bit.ly/2ub7iQ

    16. @Gaia Herbs, some look like downtown Las Vegas in the evening. http://bit.ly/2ub7iQ

    17. @CFI, @hospitalera … my head was spinning when I wrote it ;-) http://bit.ly/1CQix9

    18. RT @BLOGBloke: 10 Reasons Why I Don’t Like Your Blog http://bit.ly/2TRLSx

    19. 10 Reasons Why I Don’t Like Your Blog http://bit.ly/2TRLSx

    20. @Humayon, if you are just a blogspot user then you don't need to bother with dns settings. But I still recommend ge… http://bit.ly/1fDYre

    21. @hari saryono, I wrote an article about why we should not play into terrorists hands by linking to these horrific v… http://bit.ly/2aTKBw

    22. @InternetMarketingMentor, here's another analogy for you. Your blog is your permanent home and social networks are … http://bit.ly/4hZtE

    23. Optimize Your Blog - Making Your Blog Search Engine Friendly http://bit.ly/4A9Go5

    24. @Mike, glad you liked it. If you're serious about blogging then Wordpress is the way to go. http://bit.ly/33GQUp

    25. via @BLOGBloke: Hi There! Thanks for following. Why not ask me a question or for more blog tips visit http://tinyurl.com/5zjajb. Cheers!

    26. @Michelle, you do not need a subdomain for it to work. A subdomain is also a bad idea for SEO. You need to go over … http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    27. @Justin Gill .. thanks for saying so Justin. It always feels great to hear from another happy customer. :-)

      Cheers! http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    28. blog hating at http://www.blogbloke.com/10-reasons-why-i-dont-like-your-blog was just pinged to 91 Services!

    29. @Kay, I never thought of it that way http://bit.ly/1CQix9

    30. @humglum http://www.blogbloke.com/moving-wordpress-blogger/ basically… no. doesnt look like it'll happen.

    31. @BLOGBloke,

      I decided to get rid of the Blogger redirect as the redirect via modification to .htaccess works, t… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    32. @Michelle, redirect speeds will depend on the blog host's servers and your internet connection. You only need to pa… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    33. @drugi, you mean "you can please some of the people all of the time and all of the people some of the time, but you… http://bit.ly/4CvJh7

    34. Finding Your Blog Voice http://bit.ly/5LD5kQ

    35. @zarazek, don't get your domains through Wordpress. Use GoDaddy or something similar. http://bit.ly/1fDYre

    36. Saw an advertisement for Moving Blogger to Wordpress Service. Why not save your money and read my free guide? http://bit.ly/6rFYFE They do

    37. hmm.. informative )) http://bit.ly/6krJX6

    38. I should notify my girlfriend about your post. http://bit.ly/6iqFfC

    39. hello everybody, how are you all doing.i am liking this web sight i might start staying on it more. me i stay sick … http://bit.ly/6krJX6

    40. @Cdathy Tibbles, I host images on my wordpress.com account. Let me know it goes. I always like to hear from happy c… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    41. @BLOGBloke, Yeh, I had a domain from a different comapny but Wordpress said I still had pay them to be able to link… http://bit.ly/1fDYre

    42. @zarazek, so if I understand you correctly your blog was being hosted by Wordpress and then they insisted on chargi… http://bit.ly/1fDYre

    43. I'm very happy with the refinements I made to the blog. What do you think? http://www.blogbloke.com/

    44. How to Produce Your Own Podcast http://ff.im/-dm32o

    45. "10 Reasons Why Twitter Is So Popular" ( http://bit.ly/8CM5gX )

    46. Updated my Blokester Buttons for 2010. Grab yours now .. http://www.blogbloke.com/introducing-new-blokester-buttons/

    47. How to Make Professional Podcast Videos for Your Blog (Vlog) http://bit.ly/7EHvN8

    48. RT @projournalist: How to Make Professional Podcast Videos for Your Blog (Vlog) http://bit.ly/7EHvN8

    49. RT @journtoolbox RT @projournalist: How to Make Professional Podcast Videos for Your Blog (Vlog) http://bit.ly/7EHvN8

    50. @BLOGBloke - really ok - am trying to pull off this from your blog http://bit.ly/5Zv5kW (thank you so much for documenting this - it rocks)

    51. @BLOGBloke - do you think I could use this service to redirect or park my domain like you mentioned in http://bit.ly/5Zv5kW

    52. Great tutorial on migrating your blog from #blogger to #wordpress. http://bit.ly/Nlr2k

    53. @FijiLomalagi my email is at the bottom of my blog http://www.blogbloke.com/

    54. @Kwame, you will have to play around with the Apache code .. http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    55. @Ankit_A see if this helps.. http://bit.ly/Nlr2k

    56. @drewmillikin My technical skills are limited, but I found this post to be very helpful: http://bit.ly/7LY764. My advice: pull the trigger.

    57. @Adam Johnson .. it was my pleasure and glad it worked for you .. http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    58. @gopmommy Your domain name redirection is done on your hosting service. Check this tutorial http://is.gd/8TXkI

    59. @stepfanieb Check #6. http://bit.ly/Nlr2k

    60. RT @BLOGBlokeTips How to Make Professional Podcast Videos for Your Blog (Vlog) http://bit.ly/2JgxLd

    61. @Wade, like I mentioned earlier in the article the odd link might get changed during the import process into Wordpr… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    62. @John Daniels, not sure if I understand your question. Can you be more specific? http://bit.ly/cjF9ac

    63. RT @Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    64. Should you use a "#TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    65. Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB: Twitter_Tips: Should .. http://bit.ly/9ApqEG
      RT

    66. 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog: We should be leveraging Twitter to drive traffic over to our blogs – not the … http://bit.ly/dxYF2d

    67. RT @Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    68. RT @Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    69. 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog - We should be leveraging Twitter to drive traffic over to our blogs – not the … http://ow.ly/16Uu8y

    70. Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB: Twitter_Tips: Should you us… http://bit.ly/95gYJT

    71. RT @Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    72. Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB http://url4.eu/21u9n

    73. RT @Twitter_Tips: Should you use a "TwitterRoll" to promote your blog? http://j.mp/cO1yKB

    74. 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/bLbgz2

    75. RT @mparent77772: 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/bLbgz2

    76. 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/bLbgz2 (via @mparent77772)

    77. RT @mparent77772: 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/bLbgz2: RT @mparent77772: 8 Twitter Tips to Pr… http://bit.ly/dortmq

    78. RT @mparent77772
      8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/bLbgz2: RT @mparent77772
      8 Twitter Tips to Pr… http://bit.ly/diYc9B

    79. @Dorinda, I'm on pay & talk with auto top-up and on the phone with Telus (Philippines) as I write this. My daughter… http://bit.ly/1BH6lz

    80. RT @BLOGBlokeTips: The Top 10 Commenting Sins of All Time! http://bit.ly/ddJnzC

    81. @Kristy@MyPetSavings.com, I'm assuming you are referring to the apache code above in which case yes, if you want yo… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    82. Calling all Blokesters: I changed the blog background .. please let me know what you think http://www.blogbloke.com/

    83. @BLOGBlokeTips Looks clean, sir. I need a comparison, though~ http://bit.ly/d4jZWu

    84. 10 motivos por los que twitter es tan popular…..
      Estais de acuerdo? http://www.blogbloke.com/twitter-popular/

    85. Beware of Geeks Bearing Online Gifts http://bit.ly/5iaUha

    86. @neha, yes I recommend GoDaddy so you can use this tutorial AND they're cheaper too. http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    87. @neha .. no, I would not recommend GoDaddy for hosting your blog. I would look elsewhere. I use http://hexahost.com… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    88. @BLOGBloke, great. I just emailed Hexahost to confirm that, but did they install Wordpress for you when you purchas… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    89. @BLOGBloke, ok i have taken a look around for a web host… and found 3 options, hexahost which you told me about, … http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    90. @BlogBlokeTips My 1st comment in yr blog was back in '08 http://www.blogbloke.com/what-is-nofollow-and-why-your-blog-should-get-rid-of-it/

    91. Migrating-Moving from Blogger to Wordpress: The Good, Bad and the Ugly http://bit.ly/1wYXCq

    92. Migrating-Redirecting Blogger to Wordpress: The Complete Guide! http://bit.ly/1tGuFi

    93. Reading: "Migrating-Redirecting Blogger to Wordpress: The Complete Guide!"( http://twitthis.com/8jqauj )

    94. BLOGBloke just got a facelift. I decided to brighten things up a bit (yes I like blue). Let me know what you think http://www.blogbloke.com

    95. @Julie-Inspired to Write, hi there. Did you read this part?

      Note: If it doesn’t work, open up a wordpress.com … http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    96. 10 Reasons Why Twitter Is So Popular http://ff.im/-mBS4r

    97. @Kristina, I'm happy to hear it's working for you but I don't recommend deviating from the instructions in this pos… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    98. @p_money Check out: http://bit.ly/Nlr2k to redirect. As for the new blog there are a few things you can do easily to help with google.

    99. I Love my Pipe http://bit.ly/4mR7zo

    100. What is a Pro Blogger? Setting the Record Straight http://bit.ly/81mzqi

    101. Using the LinkWithin plugin is helping me rediscover posts I've forgotten. I wrote a lot of good stuff if I may say so http://bit.ly/9sIzm5

    102. What does Original Content and Plagiarism mean for Bloggers? http://bit.ly/3Yzmsr

    103. "Better TIPS by Blog Bloke (BLOGBloke)" - http://bit.ly/bgSL6G via @BLOGBlokeTips

    104. 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/c5MwAh

    105. The Importance of Linking: http://bit.ly/2AjVpp Link Long and Prosper!

    106. Mohammad Elsheimy, no big deal. Just go into Google Webmaster Tools and choose your “Preferred Domain”. With or… http://bit.ly/bbzsUk

    107. The Importance of Linking: Link Long and Prosper! http://www.blogbloke.com/on-importance-of-linking/

    108. @BLOGBloke, Yeah, I found it. Google Webmaster -> Site Configuration -> Settings -> Preferred Domain.

      T… http://bit.ly/bbzsUk

    109. How to Make Professional Podcast Videos for Your Blog (Vlog) http://bit.ly/c4Xz6k

    110. Make Money Blogging with Google Adsense http://bit.ly/dgzVTr

    111. @Jennifer, from what I've seen Matt Cutts of Google has done a little backtracking and sidestepping on the issue an… http://bit.ly/ciskW3

    112. RT @BLOGBlokeTips 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/cT7wyV

    113. RT @Twit_Expert @Punflaykids 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/cT7wyV:

    114. RT @Twit_Expert @Punflaykids 8 Twitter Tips to Promote Your Blog http://bit.ly/cT7wyV:: RT @Twit_Expert @Punflayki… http://bit.ly/aXs09N

    115. Keeping Social Media Real with Blog Bloke http://bit.ly/bJtpS6

    116. @jimmymycrushie, if you want a professional blog then Wordpress is the way to go. A personal blog is just fine on B… http://bit.ly/1fDYre

    117. @G.Taylor, just don't forget to give credit to the guy who started it all http://bit.ly/1BH6lz

    118. @Sanya - jimmymycrushie.blogspot.com, this also might help http://www.blogbloke.com/custom-domain-blogger-dns-seo-g… http://bit.ly/5Z3vbE

    119. Online Internet Security - How To Avoid Disaster and Recover if the Worst Should Happen http://bit.ly/c3oMoJ RT @BLOGBlokeTips

    120. Read BLOGBloke to find out why 99% of what THEY tell you is a complete waste of time. http://www.blogbloke.com/ Keep it real.

    BLOGBloke AvatarAdd A Comment .. your avatar (like mine on the right) will magically appear from your social profiles like Twitter or Gravatar. You can also add your comment to your Twitter or Facebook page by clicking on the cool buttons  Share

    Tweet This? Click Here 

    Subscribe to Better Blog Tips and the New Media Newsfeed Subscribe to comments for this post by RSS | TrackBack URL

    You can use these XHTML tags: <a href="" title=""> <abbr title=""> <acronym title=""> <b> <blockquote cite=""> <code> <em> <i> <strike> <strong>

    Subscribe to Better Blog Tips and the New Media Newsfeed Thanks for dropping by and don't forget to Subscribe to the Better TIPS Newsfeed