DDoS Question

Ikeda

I've got questions.

I've been thinking about it more and more but the recent "announcements" of DDoS attacks from the likes of FFXIV or WoW.

Let's just be cynical for just a second....

What if every new MMO that comes out and has issues blames it on a DDoS?  What if all the PS4 "Drive Club" connectivity issues are now a DDoS?

For that matter, a DDoS is a multiple pronged attack.. from multiple parties.  A simple script on a computer or two shouldn't/wouldn't shut a server down.

Anyways, the cynic in me just screams, I want proof. 

Is there any easily accessible proof?  Should companies provide proof?  Or is it simply enough that they just say/admit they're under a DDoS?

I get that companies really aren't under any "obligation" to tell you anything, but it just seems like an easy out.  Now, are DDoS' more common?  Yea, they are.  But really, why bother?  They aren't achieving anything and the amount of grief is generally comparatively minimal when they could be annoying other places. 

What do you guys think?  Any way for the public to get proof of DDoS?

aesperus

Yes, yes there is public proof. And you can find it via even the most basic google search. In about a second and a half I was able to find this, which is one of several dynamic maps of DDoS attacks currently going on.

DDos Map

There's better links, one of which was posted on this site about a month ago, but you can find them if you're interested enough to look.

The thing about DDoS attacks is that they are a fact of life, in a day where technology is as prevalent as ours. It's not any less common than hacking / fishing, or other tech security issues. Can it be used as an excuse? Certainly, but so can anything. That doesn't make it any less of a problem, and it doesn't make sense to tin-foil up everytime a situation happens. Just so you can assume that the big bad video game company is trying to fool ya.

One of the things about DDoS attacks is they are one of the easier things to pull off (though companies have gotten better at defending against them), but they also tend to target server clusters / farms. Most studios do not host their own servers, but rather outsource that to a server HUB, of which there are a few notable ones in various parts of the world that tend to host the vast majority of the workload. For example, most of the servers for video games in America tend to come from either Houston or Canada, usually Ontorio.

As a result, DDoS attacks rarely ever affect just one game. While the infamous DDoS attacks were going on against Blizzard, they were also affect a number of other games as well. SMITE, LoL were also hurt by that as well as a bunch of others.

Servers go down all the time. if you really suspect a DDoS, there are ways to check if you do the search for it. Is it really worth assuming someone is lying about such things? Do they even have anything to gain by doing so? They still have to pay to keep the servers up (they usually don't get a discount if they go down for an hour or two), and they don't really lose much / any money from gamers either.

WontoonRoo

While there isn't proof that you won't see on your end aside from connectivity issues, there really isn't much way you can "prove" a DDoS attack from your end. Generally only the person with server access can, with tools, see if such a thing is happening. But in general:

If it was a hardware problem, in most cases the part would be swapped out as quick as possible.

If it was software, those are a different animal altogether. However in most cases, the dev team would isolate and try to fix the problem as soon as possible.

That's not to say that a company can't just mask an error in code or a hardware failure as a DDoS attack. But the one key thing to look for in the case of a DDoS attack is simply if everything was working smoothly before, and knowing what the symptoms are. In FFXIV's case, everyone lost connection but the game servers were up (FFXIV uses a lobby server as a gateway server before you connect to the actual game server). During that period, the servers were up but the lobby server was also having issues due to a "high load (SE's words)" on the day of the first mass disconnect. The second day it happens again, and SE confirmed it to be a DDoS. It makes sense as the servers were running smooth until all server connections died.

As for WoW's case? Can't say, but wouldn't be surprised if someone did DDoS WoW just for kicks or to make things worse; it is the launch of Warlords of Draenor, after all.

Edit: Or as aesperus pointed out, there's a DDoS map for that thing too.

waynejr2

Originally posted by Ikeda

I've got questions.I've been thinking about it more and more but the recent "announcements" of DDoS attacks from the likes of FFXIV or WoW.Let's just be cynical for just a second....What if every new MMO that comes out and has issues blames it on a DDoS?  What if all the PS4 "Drive Club" connectivity issues are now a DDoS?For that matter, a DDoS is a multiple pronged attack.. from multiple parties.  A simple script on a computer or two shouldn't/wouldn't shut a server down.Anyways, the cynic in me just screams, I want proof. Is there any easily accessible proof?  Should companies provide proof?  Or is it simply enough that they just say/admit they're under a DDoS?I get that companies really aren't under any "obligation" to tell you anything, but it just seems like an easy out.  Now, are DDoS' more common?  Yea, they are.  But really, why bother?  They aren't achieving anything and the amount of grief is generally comparatively minimal when they could be annoying other places. What do you guys think?  Any way for the public to get proof of DDoS?

 

We don't need draconian legislation for something like this. Believe if you want or don't believe it. It wouldn't change the facts. It sounds like you are just looking to create a problem where one doesn't exist or at least create drama.