Status Report on DDoS attacks

Good to see they're acknowleding it.

I'd also bring special attention to this part of the thread:


I'd be willing to let this forum thread be the go-to place for all information players have on attacks.

I myself haven't (ever) experienced a DDoS attack, so I'm just the messenger here.

Comments

  • Brokenbones
    Brokenbones Member Posts: 5,167

    I'm pretty sure this is the same security issue, it wasn't too long ago all the streamers were talking about having to use VPNs and stuff like that

    I think it was just forgotten about and people weren't getting knocked offline until this weekend. Or maybe they were but they weren't streamers so we have no idea. Idk

    I'm like 80% sure this is the same "IP leak issue" from all those months ago

  • Mooks
    Mooks Member Posts: 14,709

    But, wasn’t the cause known for that issue?

    i really don’t know. But at least they are acknowledging it now and looking into it, being transparent. I actually thought they did smth about it before but could be completely wrong here.

  • Brokenbones
    Brokenbones Member Posts: 5,167

    Hopefully I'm wrong

    The 'security issue' just seems to be the exact same, description wise

    (Steam only, IP based). Like that's exactly what it was last time too

  • Phasmamain
    Phasmamain Member Posts: 11,531

    Thankfully I haven’t been DDOSed before but if I keep playing merchant I fear I will be

  • Beatricks
    Beatricks Member Posts: 857

    This has been an ongoing issue since at least the Artist PTB, BHVR never patched the vulnerability, despite them saying almost the same exact thing back then. But I guess content creators will just get an even more unique preferential matchmaking and they can pretend the issue went away.

    Pretty

    Good.

    Job.

  • Tsulan
    Tsulan Member Posts: 15,095

    Every single big streamer i know about has been complaining about getting DDoSed for years. Most have been using VPNs for that very reason. Did they all stop using VPNs or what happend?

  • Tsulan
    Tsulan Member Posts: 15,095
  • hiken
    hiken Member Posts: 1,188
    edited March 2023

    its hilarious because they didnt do nothing the first time it happened, it just stopped happening, since then every big streamer started using a big VPN to protect themselves because BHVR was doing nothing about it they just closed their mouths and never spoke about it again,. meanwhile u heard your fav streamer complaining about it in time to time and having to always use a VPN to be able to play the game, for that reason i find that twitter comment very funny. but a company being a company.

  • MrPeanutbutter
    MrPeanutbutter Member Posts: 1,586

    Yes BHVR acknowledged it but are they going to do anything about it? The way they handled it last time was they just ignored the problem until the DDOSers got bored and stopped doing it for a while.

  • bm33
    bm33 Member Posts: 8,159

    So the hackers have increased their attacks on DBD streamers just before BHVR plans to start a DBD x Meet Your Maker event? Should make for a wicked fun event. 😂

  • Beatricks
    Beatricks Member Posts: 857

    Okay, so it's apparently worse than many of us thought.

    This is a Steam exclusively security vulnerability that existed since 2019 and the BHVR devs were even told what it is and how it obtains the IP addresses. The company hasn't patched this in 4 years and now they are saying they don't know how it is being done. Which seems to suggest that they don't have the money or the resources to fix it. I guess DBD is now a VPN only game.

    Pretty.

    Good.

    Job.

  • ChaosWam
    ChaosWam Member Posts: 1,781

    So is this something only BHVR can fix or does it need cooperation with Steam as well? I'm not sure of the specifics of how this works or what options there are to fix this kind of breach.

  • Seraphor
    Seraphor Member Posts: 9,212

    Oh no, there was a crash that exclusively targeted streamers.

  • LordRegal
    LordRegal Member Posts: 1,549

    Really crazy crash if my Internet went down for no more than a minute for trying to play in a big name streamer's lobby, and when I rejoined the lobby it crashed my Internet again for two minutes - that's really impressive that the crash was that strong.

    ...I feel really bad for their support department, the guy I reported my incident to seemed really eager to get information and help figure things out. Feels like upper corporate is walking over their efforts pretty hard.

  • RoastedGarlic
    RoastedGarlic Member Posts: 592

    Guess they're learning from from politicians. Just keep on lying. This game needs some real competition and fast.

  • Seraphor
    Seraphor Member Posts: 9,212
    edited March 2023

    I mean, it's entirely possible that their evidence really doesn't show any indication of an IP leak or DDoS, which would be a failing in the way they gather their evidence, or the DDoSers are successfully hiding their tracks.

    As someone is the scientific field, you get a lot of negative data that simply doesn't give you any conclusions. Which can either be because there isn't a conclusion to be had, or because your data is of terrible quality.

    That said, pattern recognition would suggest that targeted 'crashes' like this simply aren't that likely. But if they're not present to collect the information to determine that pattern, i.e. they don't see the streamers getting DDoSed when it happens and just rely on a handful of second hand accounts, the evidence of that pattern may not present itself.

  • ImprobableCarny
    ImprobableCarny Member Posts: 45

    I don't know why I haven't really seen anyone other than CoconutRTS and Smoe up there pointing out Steam Networking. Most people I've talked to don't even realize this is a setting, let alone one that, by default, will share your IP address if "it appears necessary to avoid excessive ping times." A couple notes on this:

    1. I'm not saying the issue is solely the fault of Steam, but considering Steam users were disproportionately affected, it seems to be at least related and if you're worried, you can easily turn it off in your settings.
    2. There were issues with crashing when the patch went live. I crashed several times, when the game is normally stable for me. I think a lot of people experienced similar crashes and immediately blamed it on DDOS attacks, and THOSE cases are what BHVR's tweet is referencing.
    3. That doesn't mean that people weren't getting DDOS'd, particularly the streamers for which the impacts were obvious, and that IS a problem that needs to be resolved. But it is entirely possible that a ton of average joes just freaked themselves out over normal game crashes and made it seem like the attacks were more far-reaching than they actually were.
  • Emeal
    Emeal Member Posts: 4,952

    I feel really bad for their support department, the guy I reported my incident to seemed really eager to get information and help figure things out. Feels like upper corporate is walking over their efforts pretty hard.

    Their Support team isn't the ones investigating that, the Support Team have probably been asked to send all reports to the Data Security department. But if my investigation is as fruitful as bHVR's its pretty dud. You dont even need a corrupt stockholders to get a dud, they happen all the time themselves.

    If the IP leak happens through DbD then that would be easy to find once you have a lead, but there isn't a lead to be gained. I have biggest doubts about "the DDoSers are successfully hiding their tracks." I have run about twitter, the forum and discord. Asking how people know their IP was leaked through dbd, they don't. All they say they know is their IP was leaked and they received a DDOS attacks to that IP address.

    The Streamer's Service providers should be able to determine if it was a DDoS.

    I find this weird cause I have known for years you can get someone's IP from a Steam Voice Call and Discord has also had some leaks. Even Minecraft. And that is ALL you need, they you just go on and buy some bots to start a DDoS on someone as far as I know.

    Even if the problem IS in DbD once bHVR's Data Security Department has a lead they can patch it, but if they dont get that...

    How do you know its a lie? What evidence do you have that the leak of IP happens through dbd?

  • Beatricks
    Beatricks Member Posts: 857

    I think legally speaking they can claim you are using a third party software if they want to ban you for something, but considering the fact that streamers openly use and advocate for VPN, I highly doubt anyone actually would get banned for it. I don't use custom perk icons because that's technically modifying the game files, but even that hasn't resulted in a single confirmed ban.

    I've personally been playing with a VPN exclusively since the Artist PTB, admitted it on the forums multiple times and haven't even received a warning.

  • TheWheelOfCheese
    TheWheelOfCheese Member Posts: 666

    I think legally speaking they can claim you are using a third party software if they want to ban you for something

    I don't think they would even need to do that. Generally speaking, companies can terminate service to you for no reason at all. (Though doing so haphazardly would probably eventually result in a class action lawsuit about the purchase price of the game.)

    The EULA says:

    Both you and BHVR (or its licensors) may terminate this EULA at any time for any reason or for no reason.

    It's also very unlikely that they would ban you for using a VPN. VPNs just reroute your Internet traffic to another network. Any time a network packet would leave your network, it is encrypted and sent to the VPN's endpoint instead, where it's decrypted and then processed, usually by performing SNAT and routing it to the original destination.

    VPNs are used all the time by businesses for private access to company-internal networks, so just having a VPN turned on isn't evidence of anything even related to playing DBD.