[Dxspider-support] Here we are again (huge flooding)

[Michael Carper, Ph.D.]

I'm just catching up on this topic, but...

It seems to me that - rather than using "faulty client applications or
webclusters", flooding like this would require some coding that enabled
automation. Heck, you can use ChatGPT to write code for something like this
(if you want to run it in python).

I don't think just adding a password requirement is going to solve this.
Someone could easily register a fake (or unused) callsign with a password.

Probably the answer is rather complicated and exists mostly outside of the
DX Cluster code.

Think of it this way...

Modern systems (Gmail, Microsoft 365, your bank, your healthcare system,
etc) generally require "multi-factor authentication" (MFA) these days to
solve problems like this.

For the uninitiated, there are THREE factors that can be used to validate
your identity:

   - what you have (a registered phone or PC)
   - what you know (a password or PIN)
   - what you are (biometric)

Your phone or PC gets registered when you sign up... they send something to
you to validate it.

Right now, most clusters are using none of these. There's a suggestion that
we use the password ("what you know"). But the problem is this...

It's necessary to use AT LEAST TWO of these factors to validate the
identity.

That's why your bank will send you a unique one-time PIN code to your
registered phone or email address... as it forces 2-factor authentication.

My point here is... chasing after the password requirement to solve this
problem is a "fool's errand." It can't solve the problem.

Coded solution? The next question I have is this...

Is it possible to add code to the DX clusters that prevent spots for the
same DX station by the same spotter on the same frequency for a duration of
time? Spotted once... ignored for 60 minutes (if same DX call and
frequency) or something like that.

Mike, WA9PIE


On Sun, Feb 16, 2025 at 10:56 AM Mikel EA2CW via Dxspider-support <
dxspider-support at tobit.co.uk> wrote:

>
> :-/
> Here both DXspider and CC-cluster servers are still running, but cc is
> sending spots with a delay of 3-5 minutes ( I am running spider on a
> temporary server, as I managed to brake the usual one after trying of
> update debian 11 to 12, and still recovering...)
>
> Well, this is the beauty of not asking for passwords, no registering, no
> IP registering, developing faulty client applications and webclusters
> sending spots without usr/pwd need... A sum of all these has driven us
> to this more than predictable situation. I believed that it would
> explode during some major DXpedition, but I was wrong. :-/
>
> By the way, I've seen that RBN sent 3,5 million spots yesterday
> (https://sm7iun.se/rbn/analytics/) So, in fact, all this attacks have
> little or no impact on the contesters if they are using rbn spots only.
> I am not sure about how many spots were sent  by hand (human) yesterday,
> but probably much more less than these 3.5 M. So, if we don't care about
> our cluster net, big/medium contesters will leave it back.
>
> 73 de Mikel EA2CW
>
> El 16/2/25 a las 14:11, dxspider-support-request at tobit.co.uk escribió:
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> --
> 73 de Mikel Berrocal EA2CW-AE2CW
> Bilbao, Basque Country
> ea2cw at gautxori.com
> https://www.ea2cw.eus
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