Yup. Spam. Not the kind that comes in a can, but the obnoxious internet sort that comes from hijacked IP addresses in other countries flooding your forum with advertising for bootleg pharmaceuticals and one get rich quick scam after another. We hate spam. Canned spam is not so bad, really, fried up with onions and accompanied by eggs and baked beans, but this stuff is just annoying. So why are we talking about spam?
As some of you our fine Interstellar Flying Circus members are aware, we just had a concerted spam barrage dumped on the Silent Death fora. After an alert issued by Callsign: Smurf, we scrubbed away the offending derp and nonsense, and in the process of doing so discovered that the spammers are also clever virtual burglars, having found or made an apparent hole as it were in the defenses that come with this particular platform. Some quick research by Dr. Greaves and myself followed the breadcrumbs back to their ostensible point of origin and also verified the IP address being used as having prior complaints on file for spam and other misbehaviors.
We reported the breach in the system to the platform host, and implemented some extra measures that we are fairly confident will dramatically reduce the probability of another such obnoxious intrusion by these kissing cousins of the Night Brood if not all but eliminate the risk entirely. We know that the struggle between spammers and IT security professionals is eternal, but for now it looks like our new defense layers will make it exponentially harder for spammongers to breach.
Not every system is perfect of course, so should our new security measures give any of you any hissy fits when you’re trying to enjoy the Silent Death forum, don’t hesitate to contact us and let us know so we can fine tune the system accordingly. We do appreciate that the new measures now in place are rather more extensive than what was previously in place, so hiccups can occur. We ask for your patience accordingly.
Oh, and if any of you have a pair of Political Reedumacayshun officers from the Luches Utopian Bureau of Political Correctness Enforcement show up at your door, we apologize in advance for any inconvenience that might ensue. But please remember, Capt. Knuckles and Sgt. Major Crunch are well meaning fellows ever so dedicated to their profession, so it ain’t nothin’ personal if you find yourself being dragged off to the next jail barge bound for the Devil’s Star system. They’re just doing their jobs of rooting out counterrevolutionaries and shipping the lawbreakers off to the uranium mines of Hell where they can rethink the errors of their ways while performing useful labor such as shoveling out the ash from the nuclear blast furnaces or polishing new fuel rods. So if you do get hooked up and summarily sentenced to 20 years on the scenic world of Hell, don’t panic! Just grab your towel on the way out, and rest assured we’ll have the paperwork processed in no time at all, and have you sprung and back home within a fortnight, you betcha!
So there you have it, space possums! Back to your ships, and watch yer sixes!
Cheers!
The Metal Express Team