The background traffic is loud.
Written By:
- Date published:
8:41 am, September 2nd, 2020 - 16 comments
Categories: Financial markets, internet, Media, The Standard -
Tags: banks, denial of service, metservice, stuff
Along with the grey weather, the weather around our local net is downright annoying at present. There are a massive increase in attempts to break into this site via backend systems and brute force front-end logins, a surge in scans from the search engine spider bots, and a lot of requests for putting up paid content. All of which have been ignored or dealt with.
Just looking through the logs, I’d say that over the last couple of months we have had at least a ten-fold increase in total traffic, and a mere doubling of human traffic heading into our moving election.
Most of which has been handled just by our usual security systems. But I suspect that this is just a side-effect of a more general run on out local net based on news reports of hacking and denial of service attacks.
For instance from Stuff “Govt spy agency has ‘no clues’ on source of cyberattacks on NZX” where amongst reporting on other attacks they detail attacks on media and other financial institutions.
Stuff spokeswoman Candice Robertson said Stuff had been targeted by a DDoS attack on Sunday which it had successfully defended itself against.
“Importantly, the Stuff site remains secure,” she said.
Radio NZ spokeswoman Charlotte McLauchlan said it had also experienced multiple DDoS attacks during the past 24 hours.
“We understand this may have been the same group that has been attacking the NZX and we are currently investigating,” she said.
“Our site remains secure and this has not impacted our audience.”
The country’s biggest banks are tightening security to protect themselves from similar attacks.
It is understood banks have been facing attempted attacks, although the Reserve Bank said it had not been advised of any significant issues over the weekend.
Little said most organisations were prepared for DDoS attacks and were able to “absorb them without disruption”.
“They fizzle out once it is clear they are not going to yield any response that the attacker might want,” he said.
Stuff “Govt spy agency has ‘no clues’ on source of cyberattacks on NZX“
The MetService web site went down, as I noticed when I reached for their rain radar before biking to work.
MetService is the latest organisation to be hit by the same cyber attack that crashed the NZX website for five days.
The weather forecaster was hit by a DDoS (distributed denial of service) attack today, but a spokesman said it was dealt with “in a timely manner”.
“As of 5pm today, there has been no notable loss of performance to any MetService digital platforms,” he said.
“MetService also operate a back-up site, this site contains all safety critical information, and includes authorised MetService severe weather watches and warnings, MetService rain radar imagery and brief forecast information.”
NZ Herald “MetService latest NZ organisation to be hit by targeted cyber attack, TSB experiences tech issues“
It seems to be ongoing, as I’m getting the same thing today as I’m reaching for my bike helmet.
As this site is purely volunteer (thank you authors and moderators), financed by unsolicited donations (thanks a lot of for the higher donations in August) and my occasional spurts of work, we’re not a high value target. So personally I mostly notice the traffic on the background net by the pitch of the hum of my system fans in our living room.
Of course not all outages are the result of malicious action. While our site had an outage on 23th and 24th of August. That eventually proved to be a failing SSD drive slowing down the RAID array that runs the database of the The Standard on my home server. I sat down over weekend and wrote a routine to low level test for drives that were actually slowing down, but which were not triggering SMART errors so it could retire drives. I also added 3 spare drives to The Standard array to add to the single spare drive still running on it.
It is a case of closing door after the fact – but I’m sure that there has been a lot of that happening elsewhere around the local network this week.
Because of the extra load on my network, I added a feature two weeks ago to be a little more paranoid. The Wordfence utility, that does the bulk of the protection at the The Standard server, has a feature that will block known malicious IP numbers based on attacks coming from those locations. I turned it back on, and the unwanted traffic at the site dropped markedly.
But like all good security features, it is a double sided weapon. It also blocked at least one reader coming from the Flip ISP – probably because they had a dynamic IP from a previous bad actor. They reached out to me and I put in an over ride for the whole of the Flip address range. It anyone else notices a blockage, then could you contact me giving me your internet service provider, and I’ll make a case-by-case exception.
Since the 90% of our human traffic comes from within the NZ network, I’d like to put a free gateway around the local NZ IPv4 and IPv6 addresses – which are accessible here. Does anyone know of a computer readable and accessible list that can be read – I’d add that to the daily tasks.
16 comments on “The background traffic is loud. ”
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- Release: Willis’ resignation call means only one thing – $2 billion more cutsMassive cuts to public service are on the cards as Nicola Willis has promised to resign if she doesn’t deliver tax cuts but is refusing to make the same commitment if she doesn’t raise enough income from her bungled foreign buyer’s tax. ...7 days ago
- Release: A faster justice system focused on victimsLabour will help more victims of crime achieve justice faster by introducing a formal class-action regime, modernising consent laws and increasing the use of technology to speed up hearings. ...7 days ago
- Release: Gaping hole confirmed in National’s tax planA whopping $2.1 billion dollar hole has been confirmed in National’s tax scheme in a new report released today. ...1 week ago
- Labour pledges biggest ever increase to training DoctorsLabour will deliver the largest ever increase to the number of doctors trained each year, adding an additional 335 doctors a year to our health workforce from 2027, Labour Leader Chris Hipkins has announced. ...1 week ago
- State of books makes clear case for wealth taxThe case for a wealth tax has never been stronger. ...1 week ago
- Release: Labour pledges free cervical screeningIf re-elected Labour will make cervical screening services free to all women and people with a cervix aged 25 – 69 years, delivering better cancer care for over 1.4 million New Zealanders. ...1 week ago
- Chris Hipkins sets out 9 key pledges to New ZealandLabour Leader Chris Hipkins has set out nine key pledges to be achieved in his first full term as Prime Minister. ...2 weeks ago
- Labour's Plan 2023Labour is running a positive, forward-looking campaign that's focused on fixing the cost of living, keeping people and communities safe and investing in education, health and housing. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Coalition of Cuts and Chaos would be NZ’s most unstable governmentStatements from David Seymour and Winston Peters have called into question whether National would be able to lead a functional government if they were in a position to do so after the election. ...2 weeks ago
- Healthy Ocean Act – Marama Davidson SpeechHe mōhio ō tātou tīpuna ki te tirotiro taiao. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens will demand Minister for Oceans and Fisheries to lead ocean rescue planThe Green Party will protect 30% of the ocean by 2030, create an independent Ocean Commission to advise the government, and put a Green Minister for Oceans and Fisheries in charge of making it happen. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: National's dodgy tax scheme couldn't be done – according to John KeyNational's shaky tax scheme has received a further blow after it’s been revealed that John Key received advice when he was Prime Minister that the scheme being proposed by National couldn’t be done, Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson says. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: No new funding, no timelines – National’s empty housing policyThe National Party’s housing policy is vacant; with no new funding and no timelines attached to its delivery says Labour Housing Spokesperson Megan Woods. ...2 weeks ago
- Bills lower, climate happier under Green Party planLabour’s announcement of an energy rebate is a step in the right direction, but the Greens’ Clean Power Payment would do much more for households. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Household rebates for energy efficient homes under LabourA re-elected Labour Government will help Kiwi households to be more energy efficient and reduce emissions from household energy use, Labour Spokesperson for Building and Construction and Energy and Resources, Megan Woods, announced today. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Labour will deliver largest Police service in historyA Labour Government will deliver a further increase of 300 additional frontline Police officers, new ways to crackdown on gangs and strengthen legal protections against stalking and harassment. ...2 weeks ago
- Greens welcome launch of Te Ohu Tāmaki and challenges other parties on housingThe Green Party is welcoming the launch of Te Ohu Tāmaki, and affirms its commitment to clear the social housing waitlist in 5 years - and challenges other parties to say they will do the same. ...2 weeks ago
- National put climate action into reverse gearThe National Party’s plan to install EV chargers while at the same time making it harder for people to buy an EV is bizarre and ridiculous. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Hipkins sets out plan to grow NZ economyLabour leader Chris Hipkins has set out his top five priorities for growing the economy which include ambition for New Zealand to be a global leader in sustainable agriculture and renewable energy. ...2 weeks ago
- Former Wellington Mayor Andy Foster To Stand For New Zealand FirstFormer Wellington Mayor Andy Foster has announced he is standing for New Zealand First in the Mana electorate for the upcoming election. “As a former Mayor of our Capital City, Andy has an exceptional resume and level of professional and governance experience that will be an asset to the team.” ...2 weeks ago
- 10 of our favourite Chris Hipkins momentsIt’s Chris Hipkins’ birthday today, and to celebrate we’re taking a look back at some of his most defining moments. During his time at Parliament, he’s led New Zealand through some difficult times, delivered change that will make a real difference to Kiwis' lives, and given us a few laughs. ...2 weeks ago
- Release: Show us your costingsRevelations on Newshub tonight that National only got an expert to review their tax plan two days after it was released adds further fuel to the call for Christopher Luxon and Nicola Willis to release all costings and advice they have received on it, Labour Finance Spokesperson Grant Robertson said. ...3 weeks ago
- National’s climate pledge a jokeToday’s pledge from the National Party to deliver net zero carbon by 2050 is a bad-faith, disingenuous, and empty promise. ...3 weeks ago
- Glenfield Policy AnnouncementNo MP pay rises until essential workers get one first. The pay freeze for parliamentarians is due to end this year, with a hefty pay rise forecasted. The fact is when this announcement was made that Members of Parliament would receive a pay rise, in the middle of an ...3 weeks ago
- Government invests further in Central Hawke’s Bay resilience
The Government has today confirmed $2.5 million to fund a replace and upgrade a stopbank to protect the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant. “As a result of Cyclone Gabrielle, the original stopbank protecting the Waipawa Drinking Water Treatment Plant was destroyed. The plant was operational within 6 weeks of the ...15 hours ago - Govt boost for Hawke’s Bay cyclone waste clean-upAnother $2.1 million to boost capacity to deal with waste left in Cyclone Gabrielle’s wake. Funds for Hastings District Council, Phoenix Contracting and Hog Fuel NZ to increase local waste-processing infrastructure. The Government is beefing up Hawke’s Bay’s Cyclone Gabrielle clean-up capacity with more support dealing with the massive amount ...17 hours ago
- Taupō Supercars revs up with Government supportThe future of Supercars events in New Zealand has been secured with new Government support. The Government is getting engines started through the Major Events Fund, a special fund to support high profile events in New Zealand that provide long-term economic, social and cultural benefits. “The Repco Supercars Championship is ...17 hours ago
- There is no recession in NZ, economy grows nearly 1 percent in June quarterThe economy has turned a corner with confirmation today New Zealand never was in recession and stronger than expected growth in the June quarter, Finance Minister Grant Robertson said. “The New Zealand economy is doing better than expected,” Grant Robertson said. “It’s continuing to grow, with the latest figures showing ...19 hours ago
- Highest legal protection for New Zealand’s largest freshwater springsThe Government has accepted the Environment Court’s recommendation to give special legal protection to New Zealand’s largest freshwater springs, Te Waikoropupū Springs (also known as Pupū Springs), Environment Minister David Parker announced today. “Te Waikoropupū Springs, near Takaka in Golden Bay, have the second clearest water in New Zealand after ...20 hours ago
- More support for victims of migrant exploitationTemporary package of funding for accommodation and essential living support for victims of migrant exploitation Exploited migrant workers able to apply for a further Migrant Exploitation Protection Visa (MEPV), giving people more time to find a job Free job search assistance to get people back into work Use of 90-day ...2 days ago
- Strong export boost as NZ economy turns cornerAn export boost is supporting New Zealand’s economy to grow, adding to signs that the economy has turned a corner and is on a stronger footing as we rebuild from Cyclone Gabrielle and lock in the benefits of multiple new trade deals, Finance Minister Grant Robertson says. “The economy is ...2 days ago
- Funding approved for flood resilience work in Te KarakaThe Government has approved $15 million to raise about 200 homes at risk of future flooding. More than half of this is expected to be spent in the Tairāwhiti settlement of Te Karaka, lifting about 100 homes there. “Te Karaka was badly hit during Cyclone Gabrielle when the Waipāoa River ...2 days ago
- Further business support for cyclone-affected regionsThe Government is helping businesses recover from Cyclone Gabrielle and attract more people back into their regions. “Cyclone Gabrielle has caused considerable damage across North Island regions with impacts continuing to be felt by businesses and communities,” Economic Development Minister Barbara Edmonds said. “Building on our earlier business support, this ...2 days ago
- New maintenance facility at Burnham Military Camp underwayDefence Minister Andrew Little has turned the first sod to start construction of a new Maintenance Support Facility (MSF) at Burnham Military Camp today. “This new state-of-art facility replaces Second World War-era buildings and will enable our Defence Force to better maintain and repair equipment,” Andrew Little said. “This Government ...2 days ago
- Foreign Minister to attend United Nations General AssemblyForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will represent New Zealand at the 78th Session of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA) in New York this week, before visiting Washington DC for further Pacific focussed meetings. Nanaia Mahuta will be in New York from Wednesday 20 September, and will participate in UNGA leaders ...3 days ago
- Midwives’ pay equity offer reachedAround 1,700 Te Whatu Ora employed midwives and maternity care assistants will soon vote on a proposed pay equity settlement agreed by Te Whatu Ora, the Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) and New Zealand Nurses Association (NZNO), Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall announced today. “Addressing historical pay ...7 days ago
- New Zealand provides support to MoroccoAotearoa New Zealand will provide humanitarian support to those affected by last week’s earthquake in Morocco, Foreign Minister Nanaia Mahuta announced today. “We are making a contribution of $1 million to the International Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies (IFRC) to help meet humanitarian needs,” Nanaia Mahuta said. ...1 week ago
- Government invests in West Coast’s roading resilienceThe Government is investing over $22 million across 18 projects to improve the resilience of roads in the West Coast that have been affected by recent extreme weather, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins confirmed today. A dedicated Transport Resilience Fund has been established for early preventative works to protect the state ...1 week ago
- Government invests in Greymouth’s futureThe Government has today confirmed a $2 million grant towards the regeneration of Greymouth’s CBD with construction of a new two-level commercial and public facility. “It will include a visitor facility centred around a new library. Additionally, it will include retail outlets on the ground floor, and both outdoor and ...1 week ago
- Nanaia Mahuta to attend PIF Foreign Ministers’ MeetingForeign Minister Nanaia Mahuta will attend the Pacific Islands Forum (PIF) Foreign Ministers’ Meeting, in Suva, Fiji alongside New Zealand’s regional counterparts. “Aotearoa New Zealand is deeply committed to working with our pacific whanau to strengthen our cooperation, and share ways to combat the challenges facing the Blue Pacific Continent,” ...1 week ago
- PREFU shows no recession, growing economy, more jobs and wages ahead of inflationEconomy to grow 2.6 percent on average over forecast period Treasury not forecasting a recession Inflation to return to the 1-3 percent target band next year Wages set to grow 4.8 percent a year over forecast period Unemployment to peak below the long-term average Fiscal Rules met - Net debt ...1 week ago
- New cancer centre opens in ChristchurchPrime Minister Chris Hipkins and Minister of Health Dr Ayesha Verrall proudly opened the Canterbury Cancer Centre in Christchurch today. The new facility is the first of its kind and was built with $6.5 million of funding from the Government’s Infrastructure Reference Group scheme for shovel-ready projects allocated in 2020. ...1 week ago
- Government invests in top of the south’s roading resilience$12 million to improve the resilience of roads in the Nelson, Marlborough and Tasman regions Hope Bypass earmarked in draft Government Policy Statement on land transport $127 million invested in the top of the south’s roads since flooding in 2021 and 2022 The Government is investing over $12 million to ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealanders continue to support the revitalisation of te reo as we celebrate Te Wiki o te Reo Mā...Ko tēnei te wiki e whakanui ana i tō tātou reo rangatira. Ko te wā tuku reo Māori, e whakanuia tahitia ai te reo ahakoa kei hea ake tēnā me tēnā o tātou, ka tū ā te Rātū te 14 o Mahuru, ā te 12 o ngā hāora i te ahiahi. ...2 weeks ago
- New Wildlife Act to better protect native speciesThe 70-year-old Wildlife Act will be replaced with modern, fit-for-purpose legislation to better protect native species and improve biodiversity, Minister of Conservation Willow-Jean Prime has announced. “New species legislation is urgently needed to address New Zealand’s biodiversity crisis,” Willow-Jean Prime said. “More than 4,000 of our native species are currently ...2 weeks ago
- Further safety initiatives for Auckland City CentreCentral and Local Government are today announcing a range of new measures to tackle low-level crime and anti-social behaviour in the Auckland CBD to complement Police scaling up their presence in the area. “Police have an important role to play in preventing and responding to crime, but there is more ...2 weeks ago
- Govt confirms additional support for Enabling Good LivesThe Government has confirmed $73.7 million over the next four years and a further $40.5m in outyears to continue to transform the disability support system, Minister for Disability Issues Priyanca Radhakrishnan has announced. “The Enabling Good Lives (EGL) approach is a framework which guides positive change for disabled people, ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand gets AAA credit rating from S&PStandard and Poor’s is the latest independent credit rating agency to endorse the Government’s economic management in the face of a deteriorating global economy. S&P affirmed New Zealand’s long term local currency rating at AAA and foreign currency rating at AA+ with a stable outlook. It follows Fitch affirming New ...2 weeks ago
- Appointment of Environment Court JudgeChristchurch barrister Kelvin Reid has been appointed as a Judge of the Environment Court and the District Court, Attorney-General David Parker announced today. Mr Reid has extensive experience in Resource Management Act issues, including water quality throughout the South Island. He was appointed to the Technical Advisory Group advising the ...2 weeks ago
- NZ’s biggest ever emissions reduction project hits milestoneNew Zealand is on track to have greener steel as soon as 2026 with New Zealand Steel’s electric arc furnace project reaching a major milestone today. The Government announced a conditional partnership with New Zealand Steel in May to deliver the country’s largest emissions reduction project to date. Half of ...2 weeks ago
- Poroporoaki: Paki Leslie Māngai NikoraPokia ana te tihi Taiarahia e Hine-Pūkohu-rangi Hotu kau ana te manawa! Horahia ana te whārua o Ruātoki e te kapua pouri Tikaro rawahia ko te whatumanawa! Rere whakamuri kau ana te awa o Hinemataroa Ki te kawe i te rongo ki te mātāpuna i nga pōngaihu Maungapōhatu, tuohu ...2 weeks ago
- 50,000 charges laid in crack down on gangsPolice Minister Ginny Andersen has today congratulated Police in their efforts to crack down on gangs, after laying 50,000 charges against gang members and their associates through the hugely successful Operation Cobalt. As at 31 August, Police have: Laid 50,396 criminal charges against gang members and their associates Issued 64,524 ...2 weeks ago
- Farmers and cyclone-affected properties supported with tax rule changesThe Government has confirmed details of the tax changes to the bright-line test for cyclone-damaged properties, with the release of the required legislative amendments. Revenue Minister Barbara Edmonds has released a Supplementary Order Paper (SOP) to be considered by the Finance and Expenditure Committee in the next Parliament, as it ...2 weeks ago
- New Zealand wins CPTPP dispute against CanadaMinister for Trade and Export Growth Damien O’Connor has welcomed the CPTPP Panel’s ruling in favour of New Zealand in our dispute against Canada, a significant win for our primary sector exporters. The Panel found that Canada’s dairy quota administration is inconsistent with its obligations under the Comprehensive and Progressive ...2 weeks ago
- New intensive turnaround programme launched to break the cycle of offendingThe next phase of the Government’s response to youth crime is underway, with an intensive programme for the country’s most prolific young offenders launched today in Auckland, Minister for Children Kelvin Davis said. The programme, announced by Prime Minister Chris Hipkins in July, will see up to 60 recidivist young ...2 weeks ago
- Government extends report date for COVID inquiryThe Government has agreed to a request from the Royal Commission of Inquiry into COVID-19 for extra three months to deliver its final report. The Royal Commission was established in 2022 to strengthen New Zealand’s preparedness for any future pandemics. It was originally due to conclude mid-2024. “The Commission has ...2 weeks ago
- Wainuiomata school property upgrade making great progressThe Wainuiomata High School redevelopment is making great progress, with two more classroom blocks set to be complete by the end of the month, Prime Minister Chris Hipkins announced today. The Prime Minister visited today to see first-hand the progress of the redevelopment which is continuing at pace and is ...2 weeks ago
- Language week focuses on sustaining Lea Faka-TongaNew Zealand’s Tongan community are coming together to promote language sustainability this week, as Uike Lea Faka-Tonga – Tongan Language Week begins. “For our Pacific communities, language is more than just a means of communication. It’s an important way to link generations and maintain connections to our ancestral roots,” Barbara ...3 weeks ago
- Mayor Brown's Auckland Deal is the real deal
Mayor is right when he says a new relationship between government and the council is required ...1 hour ago - Govt suggests barring development in climate-exposed areas
New National Policy Statement prioritises nature-based adaptation. ...1 hour ago - Daily crossword, Friday 22 September
...1 hour ago - Peters predicts being in government and a pre-Xmas mini-Budget
Winston Peters is predicting a mini-Budget before Christmas and says it will come from a government his party will help form with 'like-minded parties' after the election It was an eclectic and unexpected mix of current and former politicians who fronted the Business North Harbour finance debate on Thursday. Initially billed ...1 hour ago - Electorates to watch: Candidates fight for face time in Whanganui
Candidates are working hard to get better known ahead of the election ...1 hour ago - Return of the Ferns
Football, netball, cricket and rugby - it's all on for Kiwi women's sports teams across the globe this weekend. Merryn Anderson gives the lowdown on all the Ferns action. Did you think, with the wave of World Cups receding from our shores, women's sport was about ...1 hour ago - A bright idea for Naseby
A tiny town in Central Otago that's already on the world map – for something a little different – is set to notch up another first in a few weeks if its sky high ambitions go to plan. Not content with its world famous curling rink to draw visitors, Naseby, population ...1 hour ago - I don't want Te Pāti Māori choosing my electoral roll
The Māori party is attempting to take us back to 1975 when Māori did not have a choice ...1 hour ago - The major health crisis ignored by election campaigns
Former MP laments lack of aged care policy in the 2023 election ...1 hour ago - Newsroom daily quiz, Friday 22 September
Loading...(function(i,s,o,g,r,a,m){var ql=document.querySelectorAll('A[quiz],DIV[quiz],A[data-quiz],DIV[data-quiz]'); if(ql){if(ql.length){for(var k=0;k<ql.length;k++){ql[k].id='quiz-embed-'+k;ql[k].href="javascript:var i=document.getElementById('quiz-embed-"+k+"');try{qz.startQuiz(i)}catch(e){i.start=1;i.style.cursor='wait';i.style.opacity='0.5'};void(0);"}}};i['QP']=r;i[r]=i[r]||function(){(i[r].q=i[r].q||[]).push(arguments)},i[r].l=1*new Date();a=s.createElement(o),m=s.getElementsByTagName(o)[0];a.async=1;a.src=g;m.parentNode.insertBefore(a,m)})(window,document,'script','https://take.quiz-maker.com/3012/CDN/quiz-embed-v1.js','qp'); Got a good quiz question? Send Newsroom your questions. ...2 hours ago - Ikaroa-Rāwhiti: Labour defector Meka Whaitiri trails in latest poll
A third of voters remain undecided in the Māori electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti, a new poll is showing. ...7 hours ago - Grattan on Friday: Albanese government faces an uphill road and angry locals as it drives change to ...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Fire fear is gripping many Australians, with extremely high temperatures for September. One day this week some 20 schools on the New South Wales south coast were closed, amid rising weather risk. Sydney national parks ...8 hours ago - Cracks appear soon after show of unity from ACT, NZ First leadersAnalysis: David Seymour and Winston Peters indicated they could work together in government, but then went on to undermine each other in a lively debate. ...8 hours ago
- A Game Of Two Halves In Ikaroa-Rāwhiti
The Māori electorate of Ikaroa-Rāwhiti is anyone’s game where a third of voters are yet to choose their candidate. Ikaroa-Rāwhiti was flung open when former Labour minister, Meka Whaitiri, switched to Te Pāti Māori in May. A Whakaata Māori exclusive ...9 hours ago - Marama battles a fly, Winston gets heckled
While I’m sure the live broadcast is absolutely riveting, there’s something fun about sitting on a truly uncomfortable bench to watch the debate live. And there have already been a few moments that might not have made the telly. First up: Marama Davidson had a brief run in with a ...10 hours ago - Courts clogged by self-represented litigants, lawyers say; solutions proposedThe number of people representing themselves in civil cases has grown enormously in the past decade, prompting calls to relieve pressure on the court system. ...10 hours ago
- The Act-NZ First grand coalitionThe first section of tonight’s Newshub Nation Powerbrokers debate focused on co-governance, proving that mortal enemies David Seymour and Winston Peters may have more in common than they once thought. An early answer from Seymour prompted a quick eye roll from the Greens’ Marama Davidson, with Te Pāti Māori’s Debbie ...10 hours ago
- Coming up: The minor parties go head to headNewshub’s live Powerbrokers debate is at 7.30pm – and we couldn’t be more excited. A couple of us are in the studio as it all plays out and we’ll keep you up to date on any important moments. Because we’ve heard a lot from the Chrises on this campaign, but ...11 hours ago
- View from The Hill: Josh Frydenberg puts political ambition aside to remain in businessSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Former Treasurer Josh Frydenberg’s decision to put a business future before an attempted political revival is a blow for the Liberal Party, but a relief for the teal member for Kooyong, Monique Ryan. Opposition ...12 hours ago
- Election 2023: Sarah Pallett, Hamish Campbell and Raf Manji vye for Ilam's voteIlam's candidates are out campaigning for the public's vote, an electorate with a split voter base. ...12 hours ago
- Chris Luxon stands firm on spilling any more beans on policy trade-offs ahead of electionNational's leader won't make clear post-election negotiation trade-offs his party might make beyond what's already been indicated. ...13 hours ago
- 'Shattered': Māori health board head says National plans a huge step backThe head of Te Punanga Ora says National's policies for changes to Māori health partnership boards would 'lock in' poorer health for whānau. ...13 hours ago
- How did Taylor Swift get so popular? She never goes out of styleSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Kate Pattison, PhD Candidate, RMIT University Last week, USA Today/Gannett posted a job ad for a Taylor Swift reporter, seeking an experienced journalist and content creator to “capture the music and cultural impact of Taylor Swift”. It’s not the first time ...13 hours ago
- Excessive screen time can affect young people’s emotional developmentSource: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Rachael Sharman, Senior Lecturer in Psychology, University of the Sunshine Coast Shutterstock A recent Beyond Blue survey of more than 2,000 teachers identified mental ill-health and excessive screen time as the biggest problems facing their students. Comments from teachers ...14 hours ago
- A COVID inquiry has been announced. But is COVID still a thing? Do I need a booster?Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michael Toole, Associate Principal Research Fellow, Burnet Institute Shutterstock Today’s announcement of an independent inquiry into Australia’s COVID response will examine how we’ve handled the pandemic and how we could better prepare for the next one.But ...14 hours ago
- Politics with Michelle Grattan: ANU Vice-Chancellor Brian Schmidt on the challenges universities fac...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Michelle Grattan, Professorial Fellow, University of Canberra Australia’s higher education sector is under heavy scrutiny. Still recovering from the impact of COVID and criticised for its treatment of staff, it faces strong pressures to step up its performance. The government launched a ...14 hours ago- NZ election 2023: Dear NZ, our foundations are in ruin and there’s no political courage for tomor...
COMMENTARY: By Martyn Bradbury Aotearoa New Zealand’s opposition – and poll leader — National Party’s three biggest donors have a combined net worth of $15 billion. The bottom 50 percent of NZ has $23 billion. The top 5 percent of New Zealanders own roughly 50 percent of New Zealand’s wealth, ...14 hours ago- Australia has officially given up on eradicating the Varroa mite. Now what?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Cooper Schouten, Project Manager – Bees for Sustainable Livelihoods, Southern Cross University Varroa mites on drone pupae. Cooper Schouten/Southern Cross University, CC BY-SA The federal government body in charge of pest control has announced Australia will abandon efforts on eradicating the Varroa ...15 hours ago- Taxpayers' Union Welcomes ACTs Revised Alternative Budget
Commenting on the updates to ACT’s alternative budget, Taxpayers’ Union Policy Adviser, James Ross, said: “The only true tax cut is a spending cut, and we welcome ACT’s commitment to tackling the damage caused by 6 years of Labour’s dangerous ...15 hours ago- Moana Maniapoto challenges Winston Peters on campaign rhetoric
An interview that I missed earlier in the week that’s been doing the rounds on social media today. It’s a good watch. ...15 hours ago- Christmas Presents Head Off To Deployed New Zealand Defence Force Personnel
Thanks to the RNZRSA, a small piece of New Zealand is on its way to every member of the New Zealand Defence Force that will be deployed overseas this Christmas. <img src="https://img.scoop.co.nz/stories/images/2309/f4d24df4a1eb9d163b51.jpeg" ...15 hours ago- From ‘pebble in the shoe’ to future power broker – the rise and rise of te Pāti Māori
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Annie Te One, Lecturer in Māori Studies, Te Herenga Waka — Victoria University of Wellington In his maiden speech to parliament in 2020, te Pāti Māori co-leader Rawiri Waititi told his fellow MPs: You know what it feels like to have ...15 hours ago- Net zero by 2050? Too late. Australia must aim for 2035
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Mark Howden, Director, ANU Institute for Climate, Energy and Disaster Solutions, Australian National University Shutterstock This year’s heightened drumbeat of extreme weather shows us how little time we actually have to slash emissions. It is now clear that going ...15 hours ago- PNG’s immigration boss warns foreigners after arrest of NZ citizen
PNG Post-Courier Papua New Guinea’s chief Immigration boss Stanis Hulahau has warned all foreign nationals in the country that the office will not hesitate to detain and expel them if found engaging in criminal and illegal activities. Chief executive Hulahau issued the stern warning to all foreign nationals in the ...15 hours ago- The door knocking experience that made Hinurewa te Hau smile
In the build up to October 14, we’ve asked a smattering of MPs and candidates from across the country for their favourite door knocking story from the campaign. Today: National’s candidate for the Māori seat of Tāmaki Makaurau, Hinurewa te Hau. We are door knocking the Māori seat of Tāmaki ...15 hours ago- Newsletter: September 21 2023 – Items of interest and importance today
New Zealand Politics Daily is a collation of the most prominent issues being discussed in New Zealand. It is edited by Dr Bryce Edwards of The Democracy Project. NZ Politics Daily: 21 September 2023 COALITION ARRANGEMENTS Felix Desmarais (1News): Kiwis want to know if Luxon will work with Peters Chris Trotter: Calling the ...15 hours ago- Orange Roughy Catch Limit A Good Start, But Seamount Trawling Ban Necessary, Say Environmentalists
Environmentalists have welcomed news that the orange roughy catch will be cut by 40%, but say the need for a bottom trawling ban on seamounts is more urgent than ever. Oceans and Fisheries Minister Rachel Brooking announced a cut to the orange ...16 hours ago- WorkSafe Job Losses Another Reminder Of Risks To Public Services This Election
Working people will bear the brunt of WorkSafe’s proposal for a deep and wide restructuring that was announced today said the New Zealand Council of Trade Unions. “Reducing WorkSafe’s capacity and capability is the wrong thing to be undertaking ...16 hours ago- Curious Kids: what came first, the chicken or the egg?
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Ellen K. Mather, Adjunct Associate Lecturer in Palaeontology, Flinders University Shutterstock/Edited by The Conversation What came first, the chicken or the egg? — Grace, age 12, Melbourne Hi Grace! Thanks for this great question. It’s an age-old dilemma ...16 hours ago- Government Penalises Sustainable Forestry In The ETS
The government announced today that it will impose an annual $30 per hectare charge on forestry projects that use exotic trees in the Emissions Trading Scheme (ETS). This will be another nail in the coffin of sustainable forestry and climate action ...16 hours ago- Health And Safety Of Workers At Risk With WorkSafe Restructuring Proposal
Workplaces will be less safe following WorkSafe’s decision to significantly restructure the organisation, says the Public Service Association. WorkSafe today unveiled restructuring plans which, if implemented, would significantly impact the organisation’s workforce, ...16 hours ago- I started reading Dan Carter’s self-help book for a joke. I finished it a changed man
The Art of Winning has been on the bestseller list for over a month now. Sam Brooks, who is only vaguely familiar with the concept of Dan Carter, reviews – and is surprised by what he finds. I have never, in my life, seen a minute of Dan Carter playing ...16 hours ago- I started reading Dan Carter’s self-help book for a joke. I finished it a changed man
The Art of Winning has been on the bestseller list for over a month now. Sam Brooks, who is only vaguely familiar with the concept of Dan Carter, reviews – and is surprised by what he finds. I have never, in my life, seen a minute of Dan Carter playing ...16 hours ago- Act revises proposed tax cuts after Prefu
The Act Party has adjusted its alternative budget after last week’s pre-election fiscal update (Prefu). It’s seen the party amend its proposed tax cuts, which would now be phased in over a period between 2023 and 2027. The lowest tax rate would still be adjusted to 17.5%, applying to all ...16 hours ago- Act revises proposed tax cuts after Prefu
The Act Party has adjusted its alternative budget after last week’s pre-election fiscal update (Prefu). It’s seen the party amend its proposed tax cuts, which would now be phased in over a period between 2023 and 2027. The lowest tax rate would still be adjusted to 17.5%, applying to all ...16 hours ago- Stripping Russia’s veto power on the Security Council is all but impossible. Perhaps we should exp...
Source: The Conversation (Au and NZ) – By Tamsin Phillipa Paige, Senior Lecturer, Deakin University Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky has lambasted the UN Security Council yet again, saying in a speech this week that as long as Russia has veto power on the body, it will remain powerless to do ...16 hours ago- Watch: ACT leader David Seymour reveals alternative budget
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Page generated in The Standard by Wordpress at 2023-09-21T18:20:07+00:00
Huh. It never occurred to me the reason Wordfence was giving me the single-finger 403 salute might be because I'm with Flip. I just figured it was a side effect of other issues that seemed to be happening at the same time.
We know that there has been a permanent underclass caused by free market, neolib economic practices called the precariat. The whole society has by wholeheartedly adopting tech that has no heart and putting vast amount of our communications and transactions on-line, opened us up to interference from any malefactor or grifter in the world leaving us in a vulnerability that has made our very living precarious.
We also know this is happening just before an election and the particular targets have been chosen carefully.
collins' shadow portfolio national security and intelligence. brownlee's shadow portfolios GCSB, NZSIS, Covid 19 border response
do collins/brownlee sit in at all national security meetings?
Excuse my ignorance but is it likely these attacks are coordinated or all from the one source? Do they want anything from NZ as a whole? Are they likely to be a practice run for ahem a similar attack on another country? While everyone is busy trying to shut this down is something else being sneaked in through a back door.? Is there a possibility of a commercial imperative – drive everyone onto cloud servers so that the attacks can be repelled by more bandwidth.
Not particularly coordinated as far as I can see. Looks like a series of different criminal extortion groups trying their luck.
I suspect that their ‘normal’ targets in other countries like the US and Europe are getting harder due to past experiences. So they’re expanding out to other countries. Basically there are a pile of compromised systems out there that can be hired as botnets from the malware controllers. So they get hired and target prospects.
In the case of The Standard, every 3 years as part of the election cycle we get a significiant increase in human traffic. This attracts bots and people who’d like to compromise a higher traffic site or who’d like us to put up posts linking to or extolling their services. A third of my visible email comes from them. Since I throw them to the heuristic anti-spam systems for dispersion to the wider email world. I eventually don’t see them any more. My spam folder is rife with them until their score gets high enough and they just get rejected before the email arrives.
This year, there appear to be a lot robotic emails and systems more than usual even in the election season. Probably because of the longer election period. Possibly because there are more botnets available. The worst I have seen so far is about 104 individual systems attempting brute force logins in a 5 minute period. They get three tries and then they are ignored for an hour. If they persist then they’re tagged as a threat and blocked for days or months. Same for systems trying various wordpress exploits.
Plus of course the usual spiders from google, bing, baidu, and at least a few hundred more website scrapers are busy scuttling over the site more often because there are more comments.
It is a bit noisy at present.
This year has seen a substantial increase in attacks, which seem to have rolled through a number of countries, of which NZ appears to be the latest. Some large corporations, notably Amazon, have also been targeted.
It is likely a loose group of attackers, perhaps somewhat like the Macedonian youtubers, but such groups may well be assisted or directed at some level by a state actor.
Open Visual Trace Route seems to have such a list. Probably made up of one or more of the licences included in the package such as:
The easiest way is for me to load the NZ IP ranges directly into wordfence.
I thought of MaxMind. But their country DB is USD 24 per shot or per month. And it is for the whole world.
I'll have a look at the others once I'm outside corporate firewalls.
The best one I have seen so far is https://lite.ip2location.com/database-ip-country
It is a bit annoying that wordfence has a blacklist for countries and it has a global blacklist IP list.
But it doesn't have a whitelist for countries that overrides the blacklist for IPs. So the only only real way to have the blacklist IPs, but let the whole of the NZ IP list (ie >90% of our human readers) through is to put the whole list of NZ IP ranges into the wordfence list.
grumble
I have heard from a few people now, that part of the problem the NZX has been facing, is a lack of band with. Both at the business level and nationally.
The analogy is the 'pipe' size coming into NZ is not big enough.
So… does an answer lie in bigger 'plumbing'? Or can our internet come thru the air/space/satelite?
They only hit a terabit per second 🙁
https://www.stuff.co.nz/business/122636582/gcsb-examining-extortion-email-sent-to-nzx-ahead-of-ddos-attack
It is a lot on one organisation – but not that much.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Internet_in_New_Zealand#International_connections
We’re getting on about 80Tb/sec for the whole country international links potential capacity.
Ransom might just have to be considered a business related expense these days, until such time as many of the systems are "sured up" for a quick fix, completely overhauled or replaced.
The old story; IFF (Identify Friend or Foe), but in this day and age of IP address spoofs, node "air gaps" and imposters posing as legit requester's or clients, what is guaranteed, let alone considered foolproof?
GCSB (using the Centre for Critical Infrastructure Protection unit) considered these attacks and other vulnerabilities many years ago, but knowing about something and publicizing it simply affords education to those they serve, not protection.
Just the cost of an internet presence is what I see.
stop using consumer ssd's and smart will work properly.
My ISP is Flip. No problems in the last hour. (7.40pm now)
I've had no problems today or yesterday. It was a few days back that Wordfence was doing the "computer says no" thing.
Sorry to hear, Lynn. They won't get by you. Other Left blogs, not so much.