WebStripper

[blantonl]

Notice the server getting hammered today? Notice too many connections error messages?

Someone decided that they'd run WebStripper against the ENTIRE FREAKING WEB SITE - effectively bringing the database and the sitte to it's knees.

Think about it, someone with a 2MB DSL connection saying they want the entire web site, I mean entire thing, all forums postings, every FCC license, county, state, map, everything.... RIGHT NOW...

Who ever you are, you don't have a user account, but your IP address has been banned. I hope you enjoy the 2GB+ of 403/Access Denied Messages in your WebStripper database... you farker...

Folks, don't do this type of stuff...

 

[Kirk]

With hard drives getting cheap, I was figuring on carrying around a locally cached copy of the entire internet. I guess I should rethink my plans.

Hopefully it was just someone who didn't think what kind of havoc running something like that against a site this large would create.

Or maybe (cue black helicopters) someone from the government? :O

 

[Towpro]

Maybe the dude's scanner batteries died & he was bored.....?

Your right though.......... wut-a-farker

 

[JESSERABBIT]

Maybe the dude is someone who has been in the "news" a lot lately?
If so, then maybe has already received just "reward", just recently.
I hope so!!.

 

[MacombMonitor]

AT&T? :evil:

 

[AZScanner]

Umm Lindsay?

While I wholeheartedly agree with your post I can't help but chuckle considering the person that it's aimed at will never be able to read it - you banned his IP, remember?

Guess you just needed to vent.... I totally understand.

-AZ

 

[xevious]

Why even bother to do that? The data on this site is constantly changing. I guess he has WAY too much time on his hands!!!

 

[datainmotion]

With the subject line, I thought maybe we were going to start a new section at this site...:lol:

 

[Randall]

Umm Lindsay?

While I wholeheartedly agree with your post I can't help but chuckle considering the person that it's aimed at will never be able to read it - you banned his IP, remember?

Guess you just needed to vent.... I totally understand.

-AZ

if a person is banned cant he just create a new name and account and continue here?

 

[TheUrge]

if a person is banned cant he just create a new name and account and continue here?

Not if his ip is blocked.

 

[funcritter]

if a person is banned cant he just create a new name and account and continue here?

It depends on if he/she is smart enough to know how to get past the IP banning.

 

[blantonl]

I'll unban the IP addresses after his application, which was continuing to try to pull down the site is shutdown.

This is also more of a warning for others.

 

[N_Jay]

I am not sure if your hosting company has this available, but the one I use (1and1.com) shut off access to my site from my own IP due to some maintenance I was doing that "looked" like an attack (to many connected from one IP).
They explained it to me as an automatic hacking prevention feature they have.

It did not even return a 404, it was like my site was not there at all. (but only from that IP.

 

[hoser147]

Good Job Lindsey!!!!!! Why people try to do things like this is beyond me. Its a great site,affordable with great information. Very proud to have the privalage to be a member and be able to access the info. KEEP UP THE GOOD WORK............hoser147

 

[cj5]

AT&T? :evil:

My sentiments exactly

 

[blantonl]

I am not sure if your hosting company has this available, but the one I use (1and1.com) shut off access to my site from my own IP due to some maintenance I was doing that "looked" like an attack (to many connected from one IP).
They explained it to me as an automatic hacking prevention feature they have.

It did not even return a 404, it was like my site was not there at all. (but only from that IP.

That's at the firewall, or packet filter level on the box.

There are a number of ways to do this - I just quickly tackled it using this way.

 

[scanfan03]

It depends on if he/she is smart enough to know how to get past the IP banning.

Can't you just change the IP address on your computer?

 

[b52hbuff]

Think about it, someone with a 2MB DSL connection saying they want the entire web site, I mean entire thing, all forums postings, every FCC license, county, state, map, everything.... RIGHT NOW...

Folks, don't do this type of stuff...

Ok, it wasn't me...

But with some of the issues surrounding military information getting removed from the site. And the wonderful convenience of have the entire TRS db in some local format when I'm away from the net...

I was wondering, why ot offer up the database in a DVD format? I know I'd be interested in purchasing a copy.

 

[safetyobc]

Ok, it wasn't me...

But with some of the issues surrounding military information getting removed from the site. And the wonderful convenience of have the entire TRS db in some local format when I'm away from the net...

I was wondering, why ot offer up the database in a DVD format? I know I'd be interested in purchasing a copy.

Yep, me too. Even though it would be frozen in time and not updateable...... or could it be?

 

[AZScanner]

I don't think you'd need a DVD - it's probably not THAT big... CD's hold up to 750MB and if you replicate enough copies, you can do it very cheaply per disc. We used to fit the entire Police call database and assorted goodies on CD in about 450MB of space.

Sounds like a great idea, I've got experience doing just this sort of thing if Lindsay is interested. You could probably retail such a product for $20 which would bring in plenty of money for the site - if even just 5 percent the userbase bought one we're talking well into 6 figures per year of revenue. And Lindsay could still say the data on the site is free,the CD archival and the ability to "take it with you" is what you'd pay the $20 for.

Replication costs on such a thing are around $2 or less per disc in quantity (like 10000 at a whack), and that includes a basic jewel case and silk screening on the disks. Of course if I were the guy creating the disc and writing the database retrieval for it (you can't run PHP/MySQL webpages from a CD unless you want to put Apache on your computer) I'd want a few bucks, but not a whole bunch. Most of the expense would be in replication.

Lindsay, I'm game if you're interested. PM me and we'll talk.