[cfp-interest 3371] DDOS attack

[David Hough CFP]

My server - the one hosting the cfp-interest mailing list among other duties -
has been subject to a DDOS attack, possibly a SYN flood -

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/SYN_flood

When the attack is on in full force, the server is overwhelmed and can't
respond to new requests.

I've been working on keeping the bad guys out and letting the good guys in,
but this is harder than I expected.    The attacks are coming from sites in
China and Brazil among others

What this means is that sometimes the server won't respond when you try to
post or to review the archive.    When I notice that, I kill all the 
instances of the httpd web server and the mailman site, and restart them
when things calm down after a few minutes.

As I'm identifying the criminal IP's, I'm adding them to the block list of
my ipfilter firewall.    If the attacker is a state enterprise rather than
a random private individual, it might have access to attack hosts in many
sites around the world, and I've no idea how long it will take to exhaust
its patience.

David Hough