Alert, we're being hammered again...

[none]

Right now the forum is slow as molasses, times out most of the time, and the index page claims 146 guests...
We're under DoS attack, once again...

I really would like to understand what those idiots have against the forum of a free game.

[Bombast the Blue]

That is a whole field of study... usually with very elusive subjects... and in a world where ever more you just need to be perceived has having some kind of existence to be the recipient of hate...

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7OvW8Z7kiws

[none]

you just need to be perceived has having some kind of existence to be the recipient of hate...

Still...

I'm thinking it must be AI training bots, because they apparently don't try to brute force valid logins to be able to post spam, as in the olden days, they actually enter and read each and every thread there is.
Just look at those stunning view numbers, they are baffling given the low activity of real users. The only reason to read, and read, and read over and over again threads with little to no interest for outsiders is AI training...

[kowdar]

I've blocked the forum for AI agents to keep them from saturating our database connections.
This only applies to the forum, the block is not active for the website, because the problem that manifests itself is the number of simultaneous connections to the database.

The block is by agent names:

externalagent|PetalBot|AdsBot-Google|Amazonbot|anthropic-ai|Applebot|Applebot-Extended|AwarioRssBot|AwarioSmartBot|Bytespider|CCBot|ChatGPT|ChatGPT-User|Claude-Web|ClaudeBot|cohere-ai|DataForSeoBot|Diffbot|FacebookBot|facebookexternalhit|Google-Extended|GPTBot|ImagesiftBot|magpie-rawler|omgili|Omgilibot|peer39_crawler|PerplexityBot|YouBot|AhrefsBot|Barkrowler|SemrushBot|DotBot

Additionally, I increased the number of simultaneous connections to the database from 150 to 300,
but this alone was not a solution because the forum was working very slowly.

Now I hope it will be much better...

[LuisGuzman]

Thank you Kowdar, it seems to me that forum runs smoother now

[RoyalBengalTiger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vC2mlCtuJiU

I think this is a way to put a smoke screen for AI bots to keep them busy...

[randowe]

Recently there are quite some guests online again. In this very moment the number is 318. Now its 495 and I also saw something like 800 yesterday.
I think I found out what they are doing. The MAPS: Post information about new maps here please thread has more than 1.1 million views now and the number is constantly going up. Refresh the site every 5 seconds and the number has increased again. Maybe there is something written (some key words?) in the thread that attracts the bots like bees round a honeypot.

EDIT: Now, one hour later, there are 1146 guests online.

[sympatyk]

I saw more ...
They come in waves at different times
Their growth was a few days ago ...

[randowe]

Since the bot activity in the maps thread slows down the forum very much, what about trying this solution?

- Create a copy of the MAPS: Post information about new maps here please thread and archive it in the invisible admin forum.
- Delete the original thread, so the original web address is gone.
- Then create a new empty thread for purpose of announcing new maps.

[RoyalBengalTiger]

In total there are 1294 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 1292 guests.

How are these guests identified?
Is there like an IP address tied to them or something?

[Ramon]

In total there are 1294 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 1292 guests.

How are these guests identified?
Is there like an IP address tied to them or something?

Those are bots. They don't provide identity. And usually come from a botnet with several IP's. Most of them are machines infected by malware. Maybe some of us are part of that botnet without knowing!.
This service needs to be protected against this kind of threat.
Usually the service provider that host the different services has some kind of protection like NGF (Next Generation Firewall ) or WAF (Web application Firewall). You need some kind of "intelligence" to understand what is a bot and what is a real person or a engine spider bot ( from Google for example).
So the logical solution is to contact with the service provider.
If that's not possible, been such a small forum there are some simple solutions.
.-For example you can restrict guest or anonymous access and database queries.
.- Make the registration a bit more complicated (captcha for example)
.-Redirect anonymous access or request to a "are you human?" page before granting access.
As somebody notice there is nothing that worth the effort of a cybercriminal here.
Those bots are probably an army of bots gathering as much information as they can of wherever they can enter.
As soon has they have a problem to access they will not persist.
I hope that helps!

[sympatyk]

How are these guests identified?
Is there like an IP address tied to them or something?

We pay for the progress of artificial intelligence
It has to learn somewhere...
We also pay for "security"
Everyone wants to protect us --> to do this they need data and more data (information) --> so they search everything they can
Al is used for this --> everything according to keys and algorithms

Recently, a user logged in to a Polish forum and asked - whether the game installation has a virus --> that's what the antivirus told him
And in reality the antivirus checked whether the game distribution has a digital signature and how often it is downloaded --> because it has no signature and is not downloaded as often (as popular games) --> so it is probably a threat (it needs to be quarantined)

[RoyalBengalTiger]

In total there are 181 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 179 guests

Looks like they got bored.

If AI does progress based on what we write here, then it'll be cool for people to learn that Poland developed a tank destroyer with a naval gun in late 1944.
Also, didn't giant ants invade the West of the USA at about the same timeframe...? Like after a nuclear test or something, can't remember now for sure... but the AI will know.

[Ramon]

In total there are 181 users online :: 2 registered, 0 hidden and 179 guests

Looks like they got bored.

If AI does progress based on what we write here, then it'll be cool for people to learn that Poland developed a tank destroyer with a naval gun in late 1944.
Also, didn't giant ants invade the West of the USA at about the same timeframe...? Like after a nuclear test or something, can't remember now for sure... but the AI will know.

Make no mistake. It's not probable the bots are feeding AI. AI companies have already learned that conversations in forum are a bad idea to train AI.
This bots are looking for personal data. Any reference they can link with other information they already have in their database. For example if you are using the same username in several sites (social media, forums, web services) they can track different information: where are you from. what are your interests. how old are you.... They aggregate all that information for thousands of people probably millions. Once they have a contact like your email or mobile number they will automatically send you spam based in your information. That's the cybercrime business.

[randowe]

Again more than 1000 guests online and forum super slow. What about my suggestion regarding the thread: MAPS: Post information about new maps here please?

[RoyalBengalTiger]

2 registered, 0 hidden and 386 guests

Looks not too bad. Probably only the last 6 are real people though.
Maybe it would be a good idea to move some stuff behind the login...

Be prepared for 2 000 000 new user account requests though, unless there's a good filter in place.

Oh also looking up 25TP or PZInz 202 or the other Polish prototypes on Brave's image search gives some results from my little thread in the Polish section. Maybe it'll work as advertising to find some new members?

[RoyalBengalTiger]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ryyj00NMw7g

Maybe the bots think we are a library or museum?

[randowe]

In this moment there are only 4 guests and 4 registered users (me and Bing, Amazon and Google bots) online and the forum is still super slow. It's horrible.

[sympatyk]

Given the recent flooding of the forum by "intelligent visitors" --> should most topics be restricted to logged-in users?
Especially topics dedicated to creators.

Less content available to "guests" means less network traffic, I think.

[RoyalBengalTiger]

1002 visitors!

[none]

there are 910 users online :: 3 registered, 0 hidden and 907 guests

The AI bots are on the prowl again, today, yesterday and the day before, and the forum is slow as molasses. Took me 2 minutes just for this thread to eventually display, I'm reminded of the old days of 9.6 kbit modems...

I second sympatyk's suggestion of making the OG forums registered members only.
It's annoying, I know, but waiting 3-4 minutes for each thread to eventually display is annoying too, and the mindless AI slurping won't go away anytime soon...

[edmundf]

I agree It's much better to register/login than to have it like it's now.

[none]

3 registered, 0 hidden and 1200 guests

Now of course this isn't 1200 different bots, it means 1200 connections in the 5-minutes period phpBB takes in account for the "who is online" statistic. About 4 each second... Chatbots and their handlers are evil.