Phil Mac Giolla Bhain

www.philmacgiollabhain.ie subject of DOS attack.

 www.philmacgiollabhain.ie subject of DOS attack.  Posted by at 8:18 pm  Uncategorized  10 Responses »
Oct 102011
 

 

It would appear that someone wants to prevent me from having an online presence.

I do not know if the two events are connected, but on Friday 2nd September my web hosting company suspended my account after a compliant stating that my journalism on the site was damaging Rangers FC as a trading entity.

The same day as my site went down HMRC staff was in Ibrox, it wasn’t a social call.

Now as I write this on TCN my site is down again. This time it is more serious.

It is a DOS attack.

The Denial Of Service attack is a criminal offence in many countries including the UK.

http://news.cnet.com/U.K.-outlaws-denial-of-service-attacks/2100-7348_3-6134472.html

My web hosting company considers this attack on my site to be professional (i.e. someone paid for it) and probably originates in Russia.

Russian gangs are known to specialise in this type of cyber crime.

I will almost certainly have to upgrade my server and take other precautions.

This will be costly, but the only other option is to give up and that is not really feasible for me.

Once more I’m grateful for the facility that TCN affords me in getting the news out to the Celtic Family.

This is a setback and an obstacle, but it will not stop me.

That’s a promise.

A failed attempt to silence a journalist.

 A failed attempt to silence a journalist.  Posted by at 6:46 pm  Uncategorized  29 Responses »
Sep 012011
 

 

It’s been an interesting day.

I awoke to find out that my site was suspended by my web hosting company.

They had received after an email from a dignified chap claiming to be part of “a stakeholders group” that was, apparently, concerned about the Rangers FC related content of my site (www.philmacgiollabhain.com).

Their concern centred on the possibility that my journalism would scare away potential investors because I was giving the impression that all was not well, financially, at Rangers.

It is rather unfortunate timing, to say the least, that on the day that my site was accused of spreading malicious rumours about the health of Rangers  as a business  that the moderator of the Follow Follow website started a thread about HMRC freezing the club’s bank account.

I have had no formal communication from Rangers FC or from anyone representing that football club about the content of my site.

Needless to say I am sourcing another hosting company and I hope to be online again soon.

In the meantime I stand by everything that I have written about the state of Rangers’ finances and their unresolved issues with HMRC.

My journalism on these subjects has been well sourced, evidence based and non-actionable.

I have been heartened  by the support shown to me today many in the Celtic Family and by my colleagues in the NUJ.

I will continue.

Oh, one other thing.

HMRC staff were at Ibrox today.

It wasn’t a social call.

 

Phil Mac Giolla Bhain

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