<div class="header">## Seneschal Report

March 4, 2009

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<div class="divider">### News </div>

Site Has Returned!

As most of you know - since the site was down - we were hit again. Sorry for that. We're back up. Hopefully permanently. I found a gaping hole in how the data scrubber handled data that should plug up some holes. When I attempted to attack the DJB site in the same way the most recent bots have been attacking us, the scrubber successfully stopped the attack.

Are we 100% safe? There's no such thing. Confidence is much higher.

To put things in perspective, the database was actually successfully brought up a few days ago and as Karel worked to configure it while I was at work, we were attacked again. So these attacks are coming fairly frequently. The fact that the databse has been restored tonight and has been functional without a hitch for a few hours shows signs that the vulnerabilities have been lessened.

In addition to tightening up the scrubber, I archived a bunch of old code that was littered all over the server and placed it in a password protected directory where it can be retrieved if absolutely necessary...otherwise, it is good to have that stuff out of harms way. Our old things are the most vulnerable.

<div class="divider">### Ye Olde SCL To Do List </div>

This todo list has changed drastically due to the site issues.

<span class="ul">GJW Site</span> <span class="status">(Status: 99.72%)</span>

The site is done. I just need to prepare the trivia and puzzle competitions for the 8th. Jac has rocked the house and has created the ladder system for this GJW (he finished during the middle of last week). We're good to go.

<span class="ul">PHP Recode</span> <span class="status">(Status: 0.1-5%)</span>

Karel and I have been working on the DJB site recode for a while now. Because of our recent issues, I'm going to be changing gears on this project. As expected, this is my top priority now so while all of you are happily GJWing away, I'll be hard at work recoding the site in PHP.

It is a project that has failed a number of times in the past and I hope to avoid that again. We have to get off ASP. I've got a good SCL crew that I'm going to rely on heavily to aid in the recode. I have high hopes and I'm no where near burnt out on DJB stuff.

This will be a topic I'll be reporting on often as it directly affects all of you and is extremely important for the continual functioning of the site.

<div class="divider">### Real Life </div>

Real life has been pretty busy for me lately. I have, however, finished a consulting engagement with a company recently so that'll give me a bit more dedicated time to the DJB. My non-consulting work has been a killer lately...That'll clear up in the next few weeks.

Speaking of which...I'll be gone to a conference from March 21st-26th. Email checking will be somewhat sporadic and I most likely won't find my way onto IRC.

<div class="divider">### Closing Remarks </div>

Thank you. That is all. Bork, bork, bork!