Server Status, Connection Issues, Denial of Service Attacks

Its that time again as a server owner has decided that their server is not appealing enough on its own merits that they have been reduced to sending Distributed Denial of Service(DDOS) attacks against UO:Renaissance. This is not the first time some petty person has tried this, nor will it be the last.

What they do not realize is that Renaissance is a business, and as such we use business class hosting. And when someone attempts to target this host every source node used in the DDOS is logged and reported to their local ISP. The source of the DDOS is eventually traced and at some point in the future a scared 19 year old boy will be sharing a jail cell with "Bubba". (This happened to the last kid who though selling DDOS services to a UO server operator was a good idea.)

Every time an attack is directed at our server we work very closely with our host to report everything we can to the authorities. DDOS's targeted at websites and gaming hosting companies are common and rarely reported. This is why UO:Renaissance uses a business hosting service. The same type of place Microsoft and Sony use. They consider attacks of this type serious and take the necessary steps to provide information to the relevant authorities.

Thanks to our players generous support of the server over the years UO:Renaissance has a fantastic host with active mitigation services for DDOS attacks.

Update Note
As the attacks continue daily the server our mitigation is active pretty much 24/7 to catch and deal with the sources of the DDOS attack. If you have trouble connecting I have found that this trick works well. Open Razor twice. Try to log in with the first. If it hangs. Quickly log in with the second razor. This helps the mitigation system see your traffic as normal and gets you reconnected quickly. The first attempt will most likely fail and can be end tasked. If you continue to have trouble feel free to contact a staff member.

What to expect, Planning Accordingly
- As they attempt to take us down expect the website, IRC and game servers to experience abnormal traffic.
- Plan for safer activities for the immediate future.
- Make sure to be careful when putting non bonded pets in dangerous situations that a disconnection could impact. (Pet training, dungeon farming, etc)

What this means if you experience a disconnection while playing.
- The server will experience a brief interuption in connectivity as the protections kick in.
- Good chance you will be disconnected.
- Just try to reconnect slowly and let it fail once or twice.
- If you hang on connecting, cancel the client and try again quickly.
- Once the DDOS scrubbers see your traffic as valid and normalized you will be able to log back in.
- Depending on your location and proximity to the DDOS traffic it might take a bit more time.
- It looks like they are sending roughly two attacks a day so plan your ingame activities accordingly for the time being.

Staff Assistance
- The Renaissance staff will be available to help with pet rescues, lost pets, and any other DDOS related issue when possible.
- Should you die during a DDOS remember that your corpse will not decay for 1 hour (14 minutes once opened).
- If you wish to avoid stat loss on a bonded pet, feel free to contact the staff for a assistance (if the death was due to the DDOS).
Note: The staff cannot replace non bonded lost pets, keep that in mind.
- Make sure to check this thread or IRC for additional updates.

We apologize for the inconvenience this causes your gameplay here and we will do everything we can to help. In the end all these attacks accomplish is galvanizing support for the server and convincing players to support the server financially.

And a final word. While some of our players might think that retaliation is the solution to this problem. It is not. The staff here will never encourage or recommend anyone commit a crime or purchase DDOS services targeted at another game server. You are welcome to spread the word about the server doing this, and make their reputation as engaging in this behavior well known. But we will not stoop to their level. Renaissance is a great server that stands on its own merits. People play here because they choose to.

If you have not taken the the time to look into supporting the server this is a good time to do it. Remember telling your friends about the server, advertising, new player assistance and guide writing are all just as important as donating.
http://www.uorenaissance.com/support

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Note: We are aware of who is behind this, and why they are doing it. And will intentionally not be naming them here. I would recommend our players do the same. Giving them free advertising is what they want and they do not deserve the satisfaction.

https://www.engadget.com/2017/12/22/lizard-squad-hacker-founder-guilty/
http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/...-zachary-buchta-sentenced-20180327-story.html

'Lizard Squad' hacker-for-hire cries in court as he's sentenced to three months in prison

This is one of the groups that was used to provide DDOS services for a fee to nefarious types. I believe they all did/are doing time in jail.