The Equity Poker Network is the latest in a string of online poker sites that has seen their tournament and cash game action disrupted due to targeted Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks.
What is going on?
Who is behind this?
When is it going to stop?
Those are the types of questions dribbling out of the mouths of online poker network executives as yet another member of the family has been targeted by hackers hell bent on causing as much pain and misery as possible.
Equity Poker Network (EPN), and their flagship poker room Full Flush Poker (FFP), are the latest online poker entities to issue statements to the press confirming they have been the victims of a prolonged assault from hackers.
An EPN spokesperson informed the press that they had been subjected to a series of Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks over the past six weeks. The net result has been intermittent disruptions in players Internet connectivity lasting between 30-60 seconds, thus causing havoc with both tournament and cash game action.
Network Operators using the EPN have been assured that everything possible is being done to mitigate these attacks, and most importantly the security of its data remains under lock and key.
“We are working behind the scenes to strengthen the Network mechanisms and structures necessary to deal with such assaults on our operations, and we hope to reach a solution shortly that will fix the outages our Network’s Operators and their players have had to endure during recent times,” said an EPN Spokesperson.
“We are pleased that the existing software and infrastructures already in place have successfully defended the data from infiltration, and that the impact on players, while frustrating, has been confined to the disconnections from the Game Server, rather than on compromising the privacy and safety of their personal data.”
“We will continue to take all necessary steps to safeguard the security of our Network, and to protect our players and the integrity of their data.”
There was also a statement released by FFP. It mirrored that released by the EPN with a specific apology set out for its player base.
“We apologize to you, our players, for these recent disconnections caused by nefarious outside sources. We ask for your patience and support, as we continue to fight with all our own resources to counteract these attacks, and to deliver a stable, and fair gaming experience with every mechanism at our disposal, ” said a Full Flush Poker Spokesperson.
“We understand how frustrating this has been for our players, but we ask that if you experience a disconnect to be patient, wait 30-60 seconds for our mitigation devices to kick in, and the service will be restored as normal.”
“We also want to reassure our players that at no time throughout these attacks has the security of their data ever been compromised. “
The press releases were distributed just days after the Winning Poker Network (WPN) had to cancel their $1m Guaranteed Sunday Tournament five and a half hours into the action. Once again DDoS attacks were to blame with the WPN’s CEO Phil Payton quite adamant that the hackers deliberately targeted the $1m guarantee. The event attracted 1,937 entrants, and was well on its way to meeting its guarantee when the tournament had to be cancelled due to repeated DDoS attacks.
