This article in the Rootsweb Review may explain why we have had a problem with a few undesirable messages getting through to the lists lately. Norma Jennings Listowner ROOTSWEB REVIEW: Genealogical Data Cooperative News Vol. 1, No. 20, 28 October 1998; Circulation: 224,200+ Copyright (c) 1998 RootsWeb Genealogical Data Cooperative Editors: Julia M. Case and Myra Vanderpool Gormley, CG * * * * * CONTENTS: News and Notes from RootsWeb; Connecting through RootsWeb; Mailing Lists; Letters to the Editors; Web Sites; GenConnect; Ultimate Family Tree and Your Family Reunion; Humor (Computer Terms); Reprint Policy; Unsubscribe Instructions * * * * * NEWS AND NOTES FROM ROOTSWEB SPAM ATTACK. On 10/26/98, Dr. Brian Leverich wrote: Tim Pierce and a Spammer and I Attack the Web Server. Just a bit ago I checked out the main Web server and found it operating at load factor 26, which is way high for peak hours and extremely weird for this time of the evening. Turns out that Tim Pierce and a spammer and I were cooperating to attack the server. Here's what happened. The spammer flashflooded our 4,000 mailing lists with massively cross-posted garbage. Because it was massively cross-posted and because Tim's filters prevented it from going out to the lists, the posts all made it onto the listservers without the load climbing on the listservers enough to slow the flow. Because Tim CCs all the "Spam Detective" catches to himself on the Web server (that's where he reads his mail), the listservers cheerfully tried to force 4,000 pieces of spam onto the Web server simultaneously with 4,000 SMTP connections. Ordinarily this wouldn't be a problem, because the sendmail on the Web server would have started choking off incoming as the load factor skyrocketed. But I had the load choke-off set *very* high because, before I upgraded the server in June, I'd had to do that so rootsweb-help would keep working. So the Web server just sat there and got pounded. I've rationalized the sendmail settings now so the Spam Detective can no longer dangerously mailbomb the Web server. RootsWeb continues to improve our facilities for surviving spam attacks and preventing spam from reaching our mailing lists. On Monday of this week, RootsWeb brought a new mailhub server online. The new mailhub server, which is one of RootsWeb's fastest and most expensive servers to date, has the speed and capacity to support the more sophisticated spam filters that we will be implementing in the future. * * * SPAM ATTACK UPDATE: On 10/28/98, a RootsWeb listmember wrote to Tim Pierce, RootsWeb's senior system administrator: "I got over 27 (blocked spam from your list) messages today, WOW! I hope someone crams a high voltage lead up this guy's computer. Good job for the Spam Detective!" Tim responded, in part: This morning, we received more than 5,000 spams (and counting) from these turkeys in a little more than an hour and a half [by mid-afternoon, the count had risen to 9,000]. I think that sets some new kind of record for us. The load on our systems is skyrocketing just trying to keep the junk off the lists, and our network pipes are clogged with the extra traffic.