Eoffg, is your dyscalculia forum still "operational?"

[healthy11]

I tried to refer someone to www.dyscalculiaforum.com, but got a message that "the site has been temporarily disabled."
Instead, I gave them www.dyscalculia.org but I wanted to verify the status of your site, regardless.

[eoffg]

Hi Healthy,
Unfortunately its been out of operation for quite while, after a DOS (denial of service) attack.
What I think happened, was that a 'robot' tried to sign up about 30,000 new members in one day.
Where it automatically fills in the subscription details.

The Server that hosts the Forum, simply closed down access to our forum, and sent a brief email. Stating that they would only restore it, when we had fixed the problem.
Though this was difficult, as I didn't know what I had to actually fix? Also not being able open the forum, made it more difficult?

But I think that I might have worked out the problem, and how to fix it?
Where I found out that all Servers have a strict limit on the numbers of emails, that a person or website can send each day.
Which is basically there, to try and prevent Spam.
Most Servers have a limit between 75 and 125 per day.
When this is exceeded, they automatically shut down the website, or block one's internet connection.

Though I think what caused the problem, was that when one applies to be a member of our forum?
They are automatically sent an email, which has a link that they need to click on. To become a member.
This is something commonly used by forums, to try and prevent robots signing up.
Which normally works fine.
But when this robot tried to sign up about 30,000 memberships in just a few hours? It meant that our forum tried to automatically send 30,000 emails out.
So that the Server automatically shut down our Forum.

I can't open our Forum, to change the settings. So that the rest of the 30,000 emails wont start being sent again?
But what I worked out should solve the problem?
Is that I could go to where our Forum is stored on our Server.
Where I could either cancel or disable the Forums email account, so that no more emails can be sent.
Our Server might then activate our Forum again, and I can then change this email verification.

So I'm hoping that this is the problem and the solution?

[healthy11]

Unfortunately, I don't know much about computer servers. I wonder if someone may have legitimately tried to sign up for your forum, but their computer had been infected with a virus, and that caused the "attack" on your site? Perhaps you can send a message to Bros, and ask him, because he's the most knowledgeable person I know when it comes to computer issues!!

[bros]

A webhost doing something like that is frankly ridiculous - most understand DOS attacks, because they are a fact of life when you host stuff. Wouldn't be a virus - people send robots onto hundreds of sites at th same times, they google things like "Forum powered by [type of forum]" to find sites they can get. The host could empty the outgoing mail folder. Might also help to add a verification question to registration like "What is one plus one?"

[healthy11]

Thank you, bros.

Eoffg, I'm sure you had a lot of good information on your site, so I hope it's not "lost." If you can recover it, would it make sense to try and set up another forum through www.Proboards.com instead of whoever hosted it before? (I realize your web address wouldn't be the same, but at least your knowledge and resources would still be available.)
Either that, or have you ever contacted the people in charge of www.dyscalculia.org about getting involved with their site?