As quoted by What.cd admin "sexymod" on their homepage.
Open Your Eyes Records and What.cd are collaborating to revolutionize the industry landscape by making it clear that p2p technology and record labels can work hand-in-hand to accomplish their ultimate goals: getting artists heard and growing their fan bases.
This collaboration gives members of the What.cd community the benefit and privilege of being first to get all albums that have been and will be released by Open Your Eyes Records. In recognition of the attraction of having a head-up on the media and mainstream, Open Your Eyes Records and What.cd are catering to the p2p community by getting all new releases, artist news and updates to the file sharing community before it is accessible to the general public.
Open Your Eyes Records is a company built by musicians, for musicians. It strives to make their artists everything they should be to the public and themselves, without taking a big piece of the cake. This is contrary to the philosophy of many of the current independent labels and all of the major label juggernauts because Open Your Eyes Record has a unique vision. Open Your Eyes Records is a launch pad for the nation’s next big acts, and a starting point towards greatness. In the collaboration with What.cd, Open Your Eyes Records is recognizing the need to embrace the new possibilities of information exchange of the Internet to fulfill this mission.
Open Your Eyes Records has recently signed a new band, "I Call Fives," hailing from Southern New Jersey. The band's debut album, "First Things First" will be released to the public these days, but the What.CD community will be getting this album exclusively today.
Open Your Eyes Records first signing was Four Year Strong who released their debut CD "It's Our Time" in 2005 on a fledgling label with a single employee. Since this time, Four Year Strong has gone on to sign with Decaydance Records, home of Gym Class Hereos, Cobra Starship, and Panic! At the Disco.
Tuesday, December 30, 2008
Saturday, August 16, 2008
What.cd releases 1st CD titled "The What CD"
The user desttroy has uploaded the first What CD compilation, The What CD. This album has been made freeleech for your pleasure, enjoy!
This is the Vanity House compilation that has been a long time in the making! 19 tracks of artists that reside here on What and upload their own music to be shared. The CD encompasses many different genres and sounds, all of a very high quality, so there's something for everyone on it. If you like what you hear, most of the artists on the compilation have full albums for download on What.CD.This is the Vanity House compilation that has been a long time in the making! 19 tracks of artists that reside here on What and upload their own music to be shared.
Many different genres and sounds, all of a very high quality, so there's something for everyone on this.
If you like what you hear, most of the artists on this compilation have full albums for download on What.CD.
Tracklist:
1.Adam Linder - Sunday Crossword Challenge
2.Half Hearted Hero - It's Cool, But The Fullblast Did It Already
3.Xihilisk - The Movement Of Dogs
4.DJ Zap - Zapped ft.CJ Hood
5.Sugar Daddy - Feed Your Mind
6.Davwuh - Quarantine
7.Blueberryseason - Honeydew
8.A German Spectacle - We Heard the Tree Fall
9.Drum Solo - Yayaaaaa
10.That's Adultery - Go, Go, Second Time Virgin
11.A Day Well Spent - Tied to Dead Lines
12.The Funeral Drums - Cumshine
13.Aves - Zelda
14.Shoulder of Orion - Alone
15.Bionic Sheep - Girderland
16.Wonderful Loot - Army Brat, Wurst Party
17.COG - Destroy! The End
18.The Annual Falling - Rise And Shine
19.The i-Las's - Jimmy Carter Ruined My life
This is the Vanity House compilation that has been a long time in the making! 19 tracks of artists that reside here on What and upload their own music to be shared. The CD encompasses many different genres and sounds, all of a very high quality, so there's something for everyone on it. If you like what you hear, most of the artists on the compilation have full albums for download on What.CD.This is the Vanity House compilation that has been a long time in the making! 19 tracks of artists that reside here on What and upload their own music to be shared.
Many different genres and sounds, all of a very high quality, so there's something for everyone on this.
If you like what you hear, most of the artists on this compilation have full albums for download on What.CD.
Tracklist:
1.Adam Linder - Sunday Crossword Challenge
2.Half Hearted Hero - It's Cool, But The Fullblast Did It Already
3.Xihilisk - The Movement Of Dogs
4.DJ Zap - Zapped ft.CJ Hood
5.Sugar Daddy - Feed Your Mind
6.Davwuh - Quarantine
7.Blueberryseason - Honeydew
8.A German Spectacle - We Heard the Tree Fall
9.Drum Solo - Yayaaaaa
10.That's Adultery - Go, Go, Second Time Virgin
11.A Day Well Spent - Tied to Dead Lines
12.The Funeral Drums - Cumshine
13.Aves - Zelda
14.Shoulder of Orion - Alone
15.Bionic Sheep - Girderland
16.Wonderful Loot - Army Brat, Wurst Party
17.COG - Destroy! The End
18.The Annual Falling - Rise And Shine
19.The i-Las's - Jimmy Carter Ruined My life
Friday, April 18, 2008
What.cd Gazelle Goes Public!!!
Taken From What.cd
It has been almost 6 months since the conception of this tracker. We have had more then our fair share of ups and downs, and we're still here.
Over the course of the past month, the VIPs have discovered a number of bugs, a number which we have cut down substantially. At this point in time there still remain a few bugs and several features which are not yet finished. So here is an overview of some additional changes to expect over the course of this public beta.
1. Tracker
One of the most substantial changes on the horizon is a brand new tracker. You will notice we have launched with XBTT, but we assure you, this is not permanent.
2. Paranoia
One of the more requested features we have seen, and we have heard. We have already started adding it to the system and will be finishing it over the next few weeks.
3. Feeds
RSS. News, Torrents & Requests, coming soon.
In addition to these major upcoming additions, Gazelle boasts a number of new features already.
1. Core
One of the most notable changes to the site is the completely new core. Modular in structure, we have aimed to balance expandability and performance.
2. Flexibility & Customization
On the cosmetic side of things, Gazelle implements a completely modifiable layout. CSS based, we have chosen to allow our users to create and use their own style sheets with the site.
3. Tags, Artists, Wikis & More
The new torrents section is impossible to describe, you just need to use it.
4. Staff Tools
While this is not a feature for users, it is still worth mentioning the fact that Gazelle will give our staff the resources and tools which had never been available in the past. The aim of which is to improve overall quality and ease.
Torrent Forum Admins Comments: As a VIP member of What.cd I had a chance to test the ALPHA of Gazelle and I can say it was fast and easy to use and navigate. I was just on the public gazelle as well and it seems that all the speed and ease of use was moved over very well. Hats off to the admins/staff and coders at what.cd for a job well done!
It has been almost 6 months since the conception of this tracker. We have had more then our fair share of ups and downs, and we're still here.
Over the course of the past month, the VIPs have discovered a number of bugs, a number which we have cut down substantially. At this point in time there still remain a few bugs and several features which are not yet finished. So here is an overview of some additional changes to expect over the course of this public beta.
1. Tracker
One of the most substantial changes on the horizon is a brand new tracker. You will notice we have launched with XBTT, but we assure you, this is not permanent.
2. Paranoia
One of the more requested features we have seen, and we have heard. We have already started adding it to the system and will be finishing it over the next few weeks.
3. Feeds
RSS. News, Torrents & Requests, coming soon.
In addition to these major upcoming additions, Gazelle boasts a number of new features already.
1. Core
One of the most notable changes to the site is the completely new core. Modular in structure, we have aimed to balance expandability and performance.
2. Flexibility & Customization
On the cosmetic side of things, Gazelle implements a completely modifiable layout. CSS based, we have chosen to allow our users to create and use their own style sheets with the site.
3. Tags, Artists, Wikis & More
The new torrents section is impossible to describe, you just need to use it.
4. Staff Tools
While this is not a feature for users, it is still worth mentioning the fact that Gazelle will give our staff the resources and tools which had never been available in the past. The aim of which is to improve overall quality and ease.
Torrent Forum Admins Comments: As a VIP member of What.cd I had a chance to test the ALPHA of Gazelle and I can say it was fast and easy to use and navigate. I was just on the public gazelle as well and it seems that all the speed and ease of use was moved over very well. Hats off to the admins/staff and coders at what.cd for a job well done!
Wednesday, December 12, 2007
Canadian Music Creators Also Support Legalized P2P
Says the proposed $5 monthly tax on internet connections in exchange for allowing users to share music for free on P2P and file-sharing networks is a good idea.
Now it appears that the Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) is also endorsing the proposal.
If you recall, the proposal called for legalizing the sharing of music on P2P and file-sharing networks in exchange for a $5 tax to be imposed by ISPs on internet subscribers.
The CMCC writes:
The Canadian Music Creators Coalition (CMCC) applauded the Songwriters Association of Canada (SAC) today for its innovative, forward-thinking proposal to provide Canadians with legal and affordable access to file-sharing services.“This is the first progressive proposal we’ve seen in Canada to address file-sharing,” said Andrew Cash, CMCC spokesperson. “It’s telling that creators, the people who actually make the music being shared, are the people showing leadership and pushing for a made- in-Canada approach to file-sharing. We can only hope that the Canadian government will follow the Songwriters’ lead and begin exploring alternatives to the failed ‘locks, lawsuits and lobbying’ strategy of the major labels.”
The publication of the Songwriters’ proposal comes just days before the Government of Canada is expected to introduce copyright legislation, modeled on strict American laws. It’s anticipated that the new legislation will give rights-holders new rights over both music recordings and the digital tools, such as digital rights management (DRM), used to lock up that music.
“We don’t know if the Songwriters have all the answers,” states CMCC member Steven Page, “but we do know that this proposal moves in the right direction. The Songwriters’ proposal offers tremendous value to both consumers and rights-holders. The Songwriters have given us the framework to come together to talk about digital music. The CMCC wholeheartedly endorses the Songwriters’ efforts, and looks forward to joining all Canadian stakeholders in considering the merits of this proposal.”
The proposal is interesting in that it seems to hint that members of the music industry are starting to realize the futility of eliminating P2P and file-sharing services, that 10 years and billions of dollars in legal bills later that the landscape is still the same.
But, what remains most troubling abut the proposal is that it fails to address how other copyright concerns would be satisfied. The MPAA, the BSA and others are all going to want their own $5 tax in exchange for legalizing P2P and so it's not likely people are willing to add an extra $25 bucks a month to what are usually already costly internet subscription costs.
Originally posted by soulxtc on ZeroPaid.com
Canadian Songwriters Want to Legalize P2P
Proposes $5 monthly tax on internet connections in exchange for allowing users to share music for free on P2P and file-sharing networks.
The Songwriters Association of Canada has announced a new proposal calling for the legalization of sharing music on P2P and file-sharing networks.
In "A Proposal for the Monetization of the File-Sharing of Music," as they refer to it as, the SAC wants to make it legal to share music with others online. In return, it proposes that a $5.00 "licensing fee" be added to every internet subscription bill each month.
The songwriters argue that this revenue generated by legalizing both the uploading and downloading of music will help offset the current losses associated with illegal file-sharing and in fact lead to a significant new source of income for music creators and the record industry.
Revenue generated by the licensing fee will distributed based on a sampling of file-sharing activities at the time. The SAC would track internet and wireless file sharing activity on a census basis. Virtually all sharing on the internet and wireless devices would be tracked.
The SAC also says that existing music sites like iTunes and PureTracks would continue to be licenced directly by Creators and rights holders and would continue to develop the attractive “value added” services and security features that keep them distinct from file-sharing activities.
It also states that it is not opposed to the legal protection of Technical Protection Measures (TPM) or “digital locks”, however it believes the obvious "economic benefits" of the $5.00 per month licensing fee model make such protection measures obsolete. "Given the consumer aversion to TPM’s, we believe their use will inhibit the success of recordings in which they are embedded, and they will simply fall out of use," it notes.
"A Proposal for the Monetization of the File-Sharing of Music"
Most Canadians are aware that the Internet and mobile phone networks have become major sources of music. What they may not know is that songwriters and performers typically receive no compensation of any kind when their music is shared or illegally downloaded.
We believe the time has come to put in place a reasonable and unobtrusive system of compensation for creators of music in regard to this popular and growing use of their work.
The plan we propose would not change or interfere with the way Canadians receive their music. No one would be sued for the online sharing of songs. On the contrary, the sharing of music on Peer-to-Peer networks and similar technologies would become perfectly legal. In addition, Music Publishers and Record Labels would be fairly compensated for the crucial role they play in supporting Canadian music creators.
Canada has given the world some of the greatest music ever produced. We believe that implementing a fair way of compensating Canada’s music creators for the online sharing of their music will usher in a new Golden Age of creativity.
Aside from the claim that "Canada has given the world some of the greatest music ever produced," which I hope isn't a reference to Celine Dixon or Bryan Adams, at first glance the idea seemed pretty darn good to me. I mean only $5 bucks each month for all the music you want to cram onto your PC's HDD? But, then I read a couple of responses to the proposal and I had a change of heart.
Here's a sampling of just a few:
- It's not really making money from P2P. It's coercing internet subscribers to subsidize a business they may never utilize. Taxation without representation?
- A bunch of Information Superhighway Tollbooth Collectors. It's the Canadian way. Don't bother selling your garbage to unwilling customers; ram it down their throats instead. Weather Channel and other pay TV stations get onto "basic cable", and pick your pockets when you pay your cable/satellite bill. Artists get a tax imposed on CDs that I use for backing up my computer, and the SD cards in my camera. And now another bunch of freeloading-enterprisers wanting their pound of flesh.
- Sure - The Songwriters Association of Canada want their $5. Then the movie people will want THEIR $5. Then the gaming people will want THEIR $5. The recipe people will want their $5. ETC, ETC.
The Songwriters Association of Canada can't have their $5 **AND** have the levy on blank CDRs. One or the other, or preferably none.
Why must we prop up the music industry in the first place? Does it have a right to exist simply because it exists? Businesses fail all the time and if all four majors were to go out of business, well, I'd not care much as I but from labels outside the major 4.
I think each of these guys make a really good point about why it may not be such a good thing after all. We currently pay a hidden tax on everything capable of storing music, irregardless of whether or not it's even used for such a purpose. Buy a blank DVD-R to back up data. Tax. Memory card for your phone. Tax. Even media players were taxed for a time in Canada up until 2004.
The point is that it won't be just this tax that file-sharers will have to pay, it will be in addition to all the existing taxes on memory and blank media. Also, what's to prevent movie and software lobbying organizations from demanding their own $5 licensing fee?
Unless the $5 allows all types of content to be shared legally online then I think this proposal may be a tough sell to Canadian internet subscribers, especially those who don't even use P2P or file-sharing programs.
Thanks to soulxtc from Zeropaid.com for this article.
Monday, December 3, 2007
What.cd move to prq.se may not have gone as smoothly as first thought....
As of this posting What.cd had been down (or at least very unstable) for the better part of the day. According to what.cd staff this is because their new host (prq.se) has had servers problems and had some servers go down, including the one that what.cd is hosted on. According to what.cd admin "Sylar" The site will be back up "As soon as we sort out storage shortages, This is sad. Somehow, our site is consuming all 64GB of our hard drive."
We at the Torrent Forum hope that What.cd gets this problem sorted out ASAP.
We at the Torrent Forum hope that What.cd gets this problem sorted out ASAP.
Sunday, December 2, 2007
What.cd opens invites and offers "TEST" to get invited.
What.cd has upped their user limit to 40 000 and is appearantly sending out invites in their IRC invite channel to anyone who can pass a simple "test" as mentioned in the topic of their official irc invite channel #what.cd-invites on irc.what.cd....
Topic : INVITES ARE OPEN! ENJOY :) || Don't trade invites or PM/DCC/CTCP/Message any users without asking. Hotmail does not work with the invite system, use a decent provider. || Users with +v Have Invites || Please use an easy variation of The Test when giving out invites.
[ 11:39:31 ] · · Set by : WhereMan on Sun Dec 02 05:38:56 2007
So if you want invite go to their IRC invite channel and TAKE THE TEST! :D
Topic : INVITES ARE OPEN! ENJOY :) || Don't trade invites or PM/DCC/CTCP/Message any users without asking. Hotmail does not work with the invite system, use a decent provider. || Users with +v Have Invites || Please use an easy variation of The Test when giving out invites.
[ 11:39:31 ] · · Set by : WhereMan on Sun Dec 02 05:38:56 2007
So if you want invite go to their IRC invite channel and TAKE THE TEST! :D
Friday, November 30, 2007
What.cd move to PRQ.se servers goes smoothly...
According to What.cd Admin, "WhatMan"
Yes, you're reading that correctly. A few hours ago, we relocated the entire site to a single server hosted in the prq.se datacenter - with 12 hours left on our leaseweb deadline. The move went quite smoothly (a lot more smoothly than we anticipated), although some users are still experiencing DNS problems.
If you're having problems accessing the site or the tracker, do this:
1. Check your hosts file. If you edited it when we changed servers before, it'll still be forwarding the what.cd domain name to the old server. Just remove the what.cd lines, and all should be well.
2. If that doesn't work, flush dns. In windows, you do this by going start -> run, typing in cmd, then typing in ipconfig /flushdns.
3. If the above two methods have no effect, then your problems are most likely caused by caching in your DNS servers. They'll be sorted out automatically in the next 12 hours.
Yes, you're reading that correctly. A few hours ago, we relocated the entire site to a single server hosted in the prq.se datacenter - with 12 hours left on our leaseweb deadline. The move went quite smoothly (a lot more smoothly than we anticipated), although some users are still experiencing DNS problems.
If you're having problems accessing the site or the tracker, do this:
1. Check your hosts file. If you edited it when we changed servers before, it'll still be forwarding the what.cd domain name to the old server. Just remove the what.cd lines, and all should be well.
2. If that doesn't work, flush dns. In windows, you do this by going start -> run, typing in cmd, then typing in ipconfig /flushdns.
3. If the above two methods have no effect, then your problems are most likely caused by caching in your DNS servers. They'll be sorted out automatically in the next 12 hours.
Thursday, November 29, 2007
aXXo Temporarily Stops Releasing DVDrips
Written by Ernesto on November 28, 2007
Originally Posted On TorrentFreak.com
The popular DVD ripper aXXo is a BitTorrent cult figure, despised by some, worshiped by others. An estimated one million people download aXXo’s rips every month and his name is among the most searched keywords on all BitTorrent sites. Not surprisingly, rumors start to spread when there is no official aXXo release for a while.
The last official aXXo torrent was uploaded November 11, after that is has been awfully quiet. So what happened, did he get caught, is he tired of releasing DVDrips, did he have an accident? It turns out that aXXo is not gone for good, he just decided to take a break.
ADL 242, an administrator on Darkside RG, the official home of aXXo explains: “aXXo told us that he has decided to take a break, so you will not see new aXXo torrents anywhere for a while. Please show your support by keeping his torrents alive until he comes back, as always, he will post here first when he does.”
This is not the first time that aXXo has taken some time off. Last year aXXo temporarily stopped uploading movies because a website named axxotorrents.com was trying to profit from his name. A few weeks after that the site went down and aXXo continued releasing DVDrips.
Earlier this month aXXo caused a stir when he deleted all his torrents from The Pirate Bay website. Apparently aXXo wasn’t very happy with the way The Pirate Bay handled his complaints, and decided to not release his torrents there anymore.
Unfortunately, aXXo’s popularity has downsides too. We’ve seen that anti-piracy organizations use his name to trap people into downloading fake files, and malware peddlers use the aXXo brand to spread their infested software.
At this point is is not clear how long aXXo will be inactive, his fans can only pray, and hope the he will return soon.
Saturday, November 24, 2007
What.cd moving to Swedish host.
What.cd has decided to pack up and move their site and tracker to Sweden says What.cd Administrator "WhatMan". This decision has been made because of all the latest pressure being put on trackers based in the US and England as well as the fact that their current host LeaseWeb sent them a letter stating they must move by December 1st because of the threats LeaseWeb has recieved from BRIEN. According to "WhatMan", What.cd will be hosted by PRQ out of Sweden, which should be better for everyone involved. :)
According to What.cd admin, "dbzdeath"...
We finally have got a server at PRQ, we're moving there due to BREIN pressuring Leaseweb to shutdown trackers(see below for more info). Hopefully within the next couple of days we will be completely transferred to PRQ. When we make the move there will be some downtime due to the DNS change required, we will post the IP addresses so you can access the site whilst the DNS changes.
For more info on the BREIN/Leaseweb situation, see this page.
According to What.cd admin, "dbzdeath"...
We finally have got a server at PRQ, we're moving there due to BREIN pressuring Leaseweb to shutdown trackers(see below for more info). Hopefully within the next couple of days we will be completely transferred to PRQ. When we make the move there will be some downtime due to the DNS change required, we will post the IP addresses so you can access the site whilst the DNS changes.
For more info on the BREIN/Leaseweb situation, see this page.
What.cd problems with LeaseWeb continue.
As of this posting it appears What.cd is still having connection problems. It was 1st thought this was because of Leaseweb pulling all the trackers from their servers but upon further investigation it appears to be another issue because trackers waffles.fm and mybittorrent.com (which also hosted on Leaseweb at last check) were still up and running fine.
The following is a log from the What.cd IRC channel about this issue:
[8:51am]«@ WhatMan» The servers are working fine, the software is also running fine. Looks like it is leaseweb.
[8:51am]«@ WhatMan» I am not pleased.
[8:51am]« IceflamePhoenix » they hate you?
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» IceflamePhoenix: They're shutting us down, but they were supposed to give us until the first of december.
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» And our new server isn't ready for another 1-2 days.
[8:52am]« IceflamePhoenix » WhatMan - they're _only_ a week early :-/
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» And waffles is working fine?! What gives?
[8:53am]« IceflamePhoenix » does the person running that one have a prettier face than you?
[8:53am] * WhatMan considers making a snarky comment
[8:53am]«@ WhatMan» So it's actually working. Just slow as hell.
[8:54am]« _DOON_ » yeah, all my torrents are in red
[8:54am]«@ WhatMan» Man, mine too.
[8:56am]« IceflamePhoenix » well, maybe i'll wait for these advance teething problems to sort themselves out before i upload more :p
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» If you're talking about our site, I wouldn't call these teething problems.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» I would call them "multiple groups of people trying to wipe us off the internet".
[8:57am]« IceflamePhoenix » WhatMan - see? it's your face.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» But, by all means, wait for these issues to get sorted out.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» The upload would probably timeout anyways. :/
[9:01am] « rocktorrentz »Is there a date set for moving to PRQ?
[9:01am]«@ WhatMan» rocktorrentz: They can't legally set up our server until tomorrow.
[9:01am]«@ WhatMan» We move the second it's set up.
[9:10am] whatman did you say its just What that is down on Leaseweb?
[9:10am]«@ WhatMan» BadSeed: So it appears. Waffles is working fine.
[9:11am]«@ WhatMan» I'm pissed, naturally.
[9:11am]«@ WhatMan» pissed off, that is. Not inebriated.
The TorrentForum will keep you posted on this breaking story :)
**UPDATE** It appears the connections issues ARE indeed a result of problems with LeaseWeb. The following is from LeaseWeb's Network Status page.....
The following is a log from the What.cd IRC channel about this issue:
[8:51am]«@ WhatMan» The servers are working fine, the software is also running fine. Looks like it is leaseweb.
[8:51am]«@ WhatMan» I am not pleased.
[8:51am]« IceflamePhoenix » they hate you?
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» IceflamePhoenix: They're shutting us down, but they were supposed to give us until the first of december.
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» And our new server isn't ready for another 1-2 days.
[8:52am]« IceflamePhoenix » WhatMan - they're _only_ a week early :-/
[8:52am]«@ WhatMan» And waffles is working fine?! What gives?
[8:53am]« IceflamePhoenix » does the person running that one have a prettier face than you?
[8:53am] * WhatMan considers making a snarky comment
[8:53am]«@ WhatMan» So it's actually working. Just slow as hell.
[8:54am]« _DOON_ » yeah, all my torrents are in red
[8:54am]«@ WhatMan» Man, mine too.
[8:56am]« IceflamePhoenix » well, maybe i'll wait for these advance teething problems to sort themselves out before i upload more :p
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» If you're talking about our site, I wouldn't call these teething problems.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» I would call them "multiple groups of people trying to wipe us off the internet".
[8:57am]« IceflamePhoenix » WhatMan - see? it's your face.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» But, by all means, wait for these issues to get sorted out.
[8:57am]«@ WhatMan» The upload would probably timeout anyways. :/
[9:01am] « rocktorrentz »Is there a date set for moving to PRQ?
[9:01am]«@ WhatMan» rocktorrentz: They can't legally set up our server until tomorrow.
[9:01am]«@ WhatMan» We move the second it's set up.
[9:10am]
[9:10am]«@ WhatMan» BadSeed: So it appears. Waffles is working fine.
[9:11am]«@ WhatMan» I'm pissed, naturally.
[9:11am]«@ WhatMan» pissed off, that is. Not inebriated.
The TorrentForum will keep you posted on this breaking story :)
**UPDATE** It appears the connections issues ARE indeed a result of problems with LeaseWeb. The following is from LeaseWeb's Network Status page.....
| Network problems | |
| Time: | Sat 24 Nov 2007 00:15 |
| Expected Downtime: Unknown Location: TeleCity Reason: Under investigation ******************************* Dear Customer, At the moment we experience some troubles in (part of) our network. We are doing our utmost to solve this issue a.s.a.p. As soon as we have more information available, we will publish it here. Please be patient while we are working on this problem. Regards, LeaseWeb BV [update] One of the Telecity routers had high CPU load. This cause BGP sessions to be dropped. CPU utiliztion seems stable now. The issue is under further investigation. **UPDATE** What.cd site appears to be up and running normally again. | |
Forced Exodus of BitTorrent Sites Is Imminent.
Written by Ernesto on November 23, 2007
Originally Posted on TorrentFreak.com
Originally Posted on TorrentFreak.com
The Dutch ISP LeaseWeb can’t take the pressure from BREIN anymore. As a preliminary measure they have now ordered dozens of BitTorrent sites - including some big-shots - to pack their stuff before December 1st, leave LeaseWeb and find a new home.
Last week we reported that LeaseWeb forced SumoTorrent to move to another ISP due to pressure from BREIN. In that article we published a list of other potential BRIEN targets hosted by LeaseWeb (we left out dozens of other sites) including mybittorrent.com, btmon.com, btjunkie.org, seedpeer.com, what.cd and waffles.fm.
Over the past few days several admins of the sites in this list confirmed to TorrentFreak that they indeed got a letter from LeaseWeb in which they were asked to move their websites before the end of the month. At this point it is not sure whether the dozens of other, mostly smaller private BitTorrent communities, received a similar letter. A questionable request since BitTorrent sites are not considered to be illegal according to Dutch law.
However, it seems that LeaseWeb has succumbed to BREIN’s pressure as it orders its clients to take all BitTorrent related material from their servers before December 1st. LeaseWeb takes this proactive measure to protect their clients they say, but it’s not needed since the court order that BREIN has applies ONLY to everlasting.nl and not to all other BitTorrent sites
One of the biggest mistakes they made in the process is to hand over the personal details of the SumoTorrent administrator. Somehow LeaseWeb was under the impression that they had to give this information to BREIN, thereby violating the privacy of one of their clients. This mistake also contradicts a statement LeaseWeb gave earlier this week to ISPam.nl, where they said that they are not allowed to give customer information to a third party without a funded request.
One of the big questions right now is where on earth all the BitTorrent sites will go now that LeaseWeb is a no-go. There are still some other options in The Netherlands and countries like Canada and Sweden, but they are slowly running out of alternatives.
LeaseWeb announced that it will appeal the decision in the everlasting.nl case, “LeaseWeb has filed an appeal and will keep fighting for its client’s privacy and right of freedom of expression up to the highest court.” We wish them well.
Monday, November 12, 2007
Official Word From What.cd Founder On Recent Site Troubles PART 2.
The Following is from the founder of What.cd - "WhatMan"
So, there's been a lot of speculation about who was behind the attacks on us. Waffles? RIAA? We've already come out and told you that it isn't the first. The waffles guys are cool, really. And the RIAA? Well, they don't redirect people to shock sites, as far as I know. So, who else would want to hack us? We've done our detective work, and located the two people. If you want to know who they are, skip to the end of the post. If you want to know who they are and why they hate us so much, read on in the ordinary up-down fashion.
When we first opened our public beta, we were temporarily hosted on the bitient.org server, which was owned by one of our admins (Noah). Noah also lent out hosting space to a few other people, and gave them shell access. When Noah granted us access to his server and IRC network, one of the owners to a site hosted on the server saw us as intruders, and felt a great deal of animosity towards us. This user's nick was 'P3T3R'. We left him alone, because it's never good to make enemies when you're running a site like this, but he seemed very intent on intimidating us. The following is from my IRC logs:
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:23:38] (P3T3R) btw, be prepared
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:23:42] (P3T3R) i'd watch it if I were you
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:02] (P3T3R) make the most of what you have while you have it
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:14] (P3T3R) cos you just might have it taken away from you...
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:37] (WhatMan) What the hell are you on about, P3T3R?
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:43] (P3T3R) i'm not quite sure
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:48] (P3T3R) or am I?
We suspect he was working with his brother 'biscuit', who has a reputation of being quite knowledgeable about linux, and 'hacking' in general.
Things were pretty normal for the next few days, but then we started seeing disturbing things appear in our database. Most of you guys know what these disturbing things were - redirects to shock sites, fake RIAA notices, etc. We initially thought that this was because of SQS injections - after all, TBSource comes with a load of exploits by default. So we went through the site, and patched up all the injection points (there were a lot of them). When we put the site back up, we immediately got hit by another attack. So we took it down again, and found and patched a couple more exploits. Then we put the site back up, and got hit by another attack.
After checking our database logs, it became painfully clear what had happened. The site and the database are hosted on separate servers. The attacker was connecting to the database server from the web server, but it didn't look at all like an SQL injection - none of our ordinary database calls accompanied the malicious queries. So, we decided that the attackers must have access to the web server, and since it was time to move from that temporary server anyways, we packed our bags and left.
This is when the SQL attacks stopped.
As we've already stated, the attackers then turned to brute force. The DDoS attack was well done, which made us think that the attackers were more than bored kids - but then, they sent out a shitload of fake RIAA emails, which looked like the work of a 14 year old. It was these emails that allowed us to track down the attackers.
The emails were well spoofed - the "originating IP" belonged to Dutch offices owned by the RIAA. However, they made a serious fuckup - a load of them were sent from riaa@bitient.org. This is not the case of a hacked mail script, as we never had a mail script - this was the case of someone trying poorly to hide their identity. A couple hours after these emails were sent out, every user in #what.cd received a CTCP-Version request from a user called 'biscuit'.
This is where it gets cool.
Sending version requests to everyone in a channel is the sort of thing script kiddies looking for someone to hack would do. As a good sysadmin, I tracked down biscuit's IP address:
[22:17] [Whois] biscuit is biscuit@b.i.s.c.u.i.t.1.3.3.7.h.a.x.0.r.r.o.o.t.NET (Biscuit)
[22:17] [379] biscuit is using modes +wrxt
[22:17] [378] biscuit is connecting from *@5acf5b58.bb.sky.com 90.207.91.88
And searched for it on the site - I came up with this account: http://what.cd/userdetails.php?id=1106
So, p3t3r and biscuit are on the same IP address. They both hate us, and p3t3r has openly threatened to take our site down. P3T3R has an account on the site, that logs into frequently, but never uses to upload or download. They both have shell access to our original server, so they could get into the database. Biscuit, the "1227 hax0r", sends a version request to everyone on IRC, a couple hours after scam emails have been sent out from a server they have access to. A little more research shows that P3T3R is 14 years old, and biscuit is his brother. It all sounds pretty conclusive to me. I go on to the bitient.org IRC channel to see what I can find. What do I find?
[22:37] (Noah) BISCUIT!
[22:37] (Noah) You'd better not have been the one sending those fake RIAA emails!
[22:37] (P3T3R) :O
[22:37] (Noah) And you most certainly have better not have been the one behind the hack
[22:37] (Noah) the emails CAME FOMR MY IP!
[22:37] (P3T3R) hack?
[22:37] (Noah) FROM THIS FUCKING SERVER
This pretty much convinced me that these two (especially P3T3R) were the ones behind the attacks. So, I'm sure you're all curious as to who these people are. We only went so far as to find out info on P3T3R. His name is Peter Cole, and he lives in Yorkshire, in the UK. His email addreses are *****@p3t3r.co.uk and *****@gmail.com (the second one is also his MSN). His AIM is *****, and his Yahoo messenger username is *****. He has a personal web site (hosted on the bitient.org server) at p3t3r.co.uk - sadly, his home address and phone number are hidden from the whois. There's a shitload of information on him, easily accessible via google.
Neither I nor the rest of the staff is going to do anything to him - we just thought you'd like to know who the dickhead with your email address is. You can do with this information what you please.
EDIT: I had a nice chat with Noah earlier - apparently, P3T3R isn't the asshole, his brother is. His brother's name is Richard Cole, uses the email address b@iscuit.co.uk and owns the domain iheist.com - and the whois information for that isn't kept a secret. This is their address and phone number:
Administrative Contact:
Cole, Richard@googlemail.com
### ****
Halifax, Other ### ###
UK
+.######### Fax: +.########
We also got a load more proof from Noah - he read their history file. It is available online here: http://pastebin.ca/770838 The cool shit starts at command 491 (a DOS attack). You can also see biscuit hacking our database, etc.
I've removed his email from the news post for the day, at Noah's request - he wants to flame him without his email getting lost in piles of spam. I'll re-post it when Noah's done.
So, there's been a lot of speculation about who was behind the attacks on us. Waffles? RIAA? We've already come out and told you that it isn't the first. The waffles guys are cool, really. And the RIAA? Well, they don't redirect people to shock sites, as far as I know. So, who else would want to hack us? We've done our detective work, and located the two people. If you want to know who they are, skip to the end of the post. If you want to know who they are and why they hate us so much, read on in the ordinary up-down fashion.
When we first opened our public beta, we were temporarily hosted on the bitient.org server, which was owned by one of our admins (Noah). Noah also lent out hosting space to a few other people, and gave them shell access. When Noah granted us access to his server and IRC network, one of the owners to a site hosted on the server saw us as intruders, and felt a great deal of animosity towards us. This user's nick was 'P3T3R'. We left him alone, because it's never good to make enemies when you're running a site like this, but he seemed very intent on intimidating us. The following is from my IRC logs:
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:23:38] (P3T3R) btw, be prepared
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:23:42] (P3T3R) i'd watch it if I were you
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:02] (P3T3R) make the most of what you have while you have it
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:14] (P3T3R) cos you just might have it taken away from you...
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:37] (WhatMan) What the hell are you on about, P3T3R?
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:43] (P3T3R) i'm not quite sure
[Sat Nov 3 2007] [23:24:48] (P3T3R) or am I?
We suspect he was working with his brother 'biscuit', who has a reputation of being quite knowledgeable about linux, and 'hacking' in general.
Things were pretty normal for the next few days, but then we started seeing disturbing things appear in our database. Most of you guys know what these disturbing things were - redirects to shock sites, fake RIAA notices, etc. We initially thought that this was because of SQS injections - after all, TBSource comes with a load of exploits by default. So we went through the site, and patched up all the injection points (there were a lot of them). When we put the site back up, we immediately got hit by another attack. So we took it down again, and found and patched a couple more exploits. Then we put the site back up, and got hit by another attack.
After checking our database logs, it became painfully clear what had happened. The site and the database are hosted on separate servers. The attacker was connecting to the database server from the web server, but it didn't look at all like an SQL injection - none of our ordinary database calls accompanied the malicious queries. So, we decided that the attackers must have access to the web server, and since it was time to move from that temporary server anyways, we packed our bags and left.
This is when the SQL attacks stopped.
As we've already stated, the attackers then turned to brute force. The DDoS attack was well done, which made us think that the attackers were more than bored kids - but then, they sent out a shitload of fake RIAA emails, which looked like the work of a 14 year old. It was these emails that allowed us to track down the attackers.
The emails were well spoofed - the "originating IP" belonged to Dutch offices owned by the RIAA. However, they made a serious fuckup - a load of them were sent from riaa@bitient.org. This is not the case of a hacked mail script, as we never had a mail script - this was the case of someone trying poorly to hide their identity. A couple hours after these emails were sent out, every user in #what.cd received a CTCP-Version request from a user called 'biscuit'.
This is where it gets cool.
Sending version requests to everyone in a channel is the sort of thing script kiddies looking for someone to hack would do. As a good sysadmin, I tracked down biscuit's IP address:
[22:17] [Whois] biscuit is biscuit@b.i.s.c.u.i.t.1.3.3.7.h.a.x.0.r.r.o.o.t.NET (Biscuit)
[22:17] [379] biscuit is using modes +wrxt
[22:17] [378] biscuit is connecting from *@5acf5b58.bb.sky.com 90.207.91.88
And searched for it on the site - I came up with this account: http://what.cd/userdetails.php?id=1106
So, p3t3r and biscuit are on the same IP address. They both hate us, and p3t3r has openly threatened to take our site down. P3T3R has an account on the site, that logs into frequently, but never uses to upload or download. They both have shell access to our original server, so they could get into the database. Biscuit, the "1227 hax0r", sends a version request to everyone on IRC, a couple hours after scam emails have been sent out from a server they have access to. A little more research shows that P3T3R is 14 years old, and biscuit is his brother. It all sounds pretty conclusive to me. I go on to the bitient.org IRC channel to see what I can find. What do I find?
[22:37] (Noah) BISCUIT!
[22:37] (Noah) You'd better not have been the one sending those fake RIAA emails!
[22:37] (P3T3R) :O
[22:37] (Noah) And you most certainly have better not have been the one behind the hack
[22:37] (Noah) the emails CAME FOMR MY IP!
[22:37] (P3T3R) hack?
[22:37] (Noah) FROM THIS FUCKING SERVER
This pretty much convinced me that these two (especially P3T3R) were the ones behind the attacks. So, I'm sure you're all curious as to who these people are. We only went so far as to find out info on P3T3R. His name is Peter Cole, and he lives in Yorkshire, in the UK. His email addreses are *****@p3t3r.co.uk and *****@gmail.com (the second one is also his MSN). His AIM is *****, and his Yahoo messenger username is *****. He has a personal web site (hosted on the bitient.org server) at p3t3r.co.uk - sadly, his home address and phone number are hidden from the whois. There's a shitload of information on him, easily accessible via google.
Neither I nor the rest of the staff is going to do anything to him - we just thought you'd like to know who the dickhead with your email address is. You can do with this information what you please.
EDIT: I had a nice chat with Noah earlier - apparently, P3T3R isn't the asshole, his brother is. His brother's name is Richard Cole, uses the email address b@iscuit.co.uk and owns the domain iheist.com - and the whois information for that isn't kept a secret. This is their address and phone number:
Administrative Contact:
Cole, Richard
### ****
Halifax, Other ### ###
UK
+.######### Fax: +.########
We also got a load more proof from Noah - he read their history file. It is available online here: http://pastebin.ca/770838 The cool shit starts at command 491 (a DOS attack). You can also see biscuit hacking our database, etc.
I've removed his email from the news post for the day, at Noah's request - he wants to flame him without his email getting lost in piles of spam. I'll re-post it when Noah's done.
FAKE RIAA Email Sent To All What.cd Users.
Since the DDOS attacks have failed to kill What.cd it now appears that the culprits have resorted to sending out mass fake emails to the user base of What.cd. The content of this email is copied below.
We have recently been investigating the activities of the users of the
site http://www.what.cd/ and we have found that this site exists for the
sole purpose of music piracy.
Pirating music is a criminal offence and we believe it should be obvious
to you that the results outweigh the benefits - hard working artists
won't be rewarded for their work and will stop producing music,
ultimately leading to a severely reduced selection of music both in the
shops and for download.
The RIAA had hoped that the disabling by the police of the large illegal
music site, Oink.cd, would stop a lot of people from engaging in piracy,
as they don't want to be seen as criminals. However, this appears to
not be the case, as two large new sites have sprung up in its place.
This email is the final warning to all of you who were members of
Oink.cd and are current members of What.cd. If we find you to be
committing any more criminal acts of piracy then we will have to press
charges against you, as representatives of the major record companies of
America.
Yours Faithfully,
The RIAA
These mails are obviously NOT sent from RIAA email servers and therefore are obviously FAKE.
Received: by 10.65.51.8 with SMTP id d8cs376201qbk;
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.82.138.6 with SMTP id l6mr11197306bud.1194863792091;
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Return-Path:
Received: from bitient.org ([85.17.201.73])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id u9si10178203muf.2007.11.12.02.36.31;
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 85.17.201.73 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of riaa@bitient.org) client-ip=85.17.201.73;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 85.17.201.73 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of riaa@bitient.org) smtp.mail=riaa@bitient.org
Received: (qmail 24242 invoked by uid 10012); 12 Nov 2007 11:34:36 +0100
Date: 12 Nov 2007 11:34:36 +0100
Message-ID: <20071112103436.24239.qmail@bitient.org>
To: j@gmail.com
Subject: Music Piracy
From: piracy@riaa.org
Reply-To: piracy@riaa.org
X-Originating-IP: [76.74.24.143]
X-Originating-Email: [piracy@riaa.org]
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Received: by 10.82.138.6 with SMTP id l6mr11197306bud.1194863792091;
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Return-Path:
Received: from bitient.org ([85.17.201.73])
by mx.google.com with ESMTP id u9si10178203muf.2007.11.12.02.36.31;
Mon, 12 Nov 2007 02:36:32 -0800 (PST)
Received-SPF: neutral (google.com: 85.17.201.73 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of riaa@bitient.org) client-ip=85.17.201.73;
Authentication-Results: mx.google.com; spf=neutral (google.com: 85.17.201.73 is neither permitted nor denied by best guess record for domain of riaa@bitient.org) smtp.mail=riaa@bitient.org
Received: (qmail 24242 invoked by uid 10012); 12 Nov 2007 11:34:36 +0100
Date: 12 Nov 2007 11:34:36 +0100
Message-ID: <20071112103436.24239.qmail@bitient.org>
To: j@gmail.com
Subject: Music Piracy
From: piracy@riaa.org
Reply-To: piracy@riaa.org
X-Originating-IP: [76.74.24.143]
X-Originating-Email: [piracy@riaa.org]
X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service
We have recently been investigating the activities of the users of the
site http://www.what.cd/ and we have found that this site exists for the
sole purpose of music piracy.
Pirating music is a criminal offence and we believe it should be obvious
to you that the results outweigh the benefits - hard working artists
won't be rewarded for their work and will stop producing music,
ultimately leading to a severely reduced selection of music both in the
shops and for download.
The RIAA had hoped that the disabling by the police of the large illegal
music site, Oink.cd, would stop a lot of people from engaging in piracy,
as they don't want to be seen as criminals. However, this appears to
not be the case, as two large new sites have sprung up in its place.
This email is the final warning to all of you who were members of
Oink.cd and are current members of What.cd. If we find you to be
committing any more criminal acts of piracy then we will have to press
charges against you, as representatives of the major record companies of
America.
Yours Faithfully,
The RIAA
These mails are obviously NOT sent from RIAA email servers and therefore are obviously FAKE.
Official Word From What.cd Founder On Recent Site Troubles.
This week has been terrible. After we did two code audits and fixed our security issues, our wonderful attackers couldn't get in (yay!), so they turned to brute force. After having been hit by several port scans and a rather fearsome DDoS attack (traffic reaching almost 80 megabits per second (note: that's 10 megabytes per second)) our server pretty much went to hell. After an extended downtime (ending a couple hours ago) during which we tweaked firewall settings, etc., we decided that it was safe enough to bring the site back up.
Pretty much immediately after the site came back up we had someone trying to brute force our (well passworded) ssh accounts (they've now met the hot burny side of the firewall).
What have we learned from all this? That there is a person or a group of people somewhere that wants us to disappear. We originally thought that the attacks were by bored kids, but whoever was behind the DDoS appears to be much more serious than that. We aren't going to publicly speculate on who is behind the attacks - we'll leave that to you guys.
Despite these attacks, we are still up and running, and we hope to stay this way for a very long time. We have plans for this site, and we aren't going to flush them down the drain just because some people don't like what we're doing. The first of our plans involves a very cool freeleech plan, but we're going to wait until we're sure the tracker's relatively stable for that. For the time being, we're keeping freeleech on until further notice.
Sunday, November 11, 2007
Prince to sue The Pirate Bay
Written by Ernesto
Originally published on TorrentFreak.com on November 11, 2007
Originally published on TorrentFreak.com on November 11, 2007
Continuing an aggressive campaign to defend his copyrights, pop star Prince is preparing to file lawsuits within the next few days in three countries--including the United States--against The Pirate Bay, CNET News.com has learned.
One of the world's best-known BitTorrent indexing sites, The Pirate Bay has defiantly linked to pirated copies of films, TV shows, music videos, and other content while often boasting that it ignores Hollywood's requests to remove them. The Pirate Bay does not host any unauthorized content, but the service is internationally famous for being a highly effective file-sharing tool.
Prince will file similar suits against The Pirate Bay in the U.S., France, a country with laws favorable to copyright owners, and Sweden, where The Pirate Bay is based. In addition, Prince is preparing to take civil action against companies that advertise on The Pirate Bay, many of which are headquartered in Israel, according to John Giacobbi, Web Sheriff's president.
Prince has hired Giacobbi and Web Sheriff, a service that protects copyright materials from Internet piracy, to coordinate the legal challenges against The Pirate Bay and others who the singer believes has violated his copyright.
Giacobbi said Web Sheriff is also helping to launch an investigation into The Pirate Bay's off-shore connections to determine whether the company is compliant with Swedish and international income and corporation tax laws.
The Pirate Bay has already weathered several attempts by the governments of Sweden and the United States to shut down the site. Yet, this is likely the largest civil challenge the Web site has ever faced.
At the core of Prince's lawsuits are his claims that the three founders of The Pirate Bay are profiting from the work of artists without compensating them. The Pirate Bay earns $70,000 a month in advertising revenue, Giacobbi alleged. The site's founders have previously denied that the operation makes money.
None of the three founders of The Pirate Bay could be reached for comment.
Canadian Police Tolerates Piracy For Personal Use
Written by Ernesto on November 11, 2007
Originally posted On TorrentFreak.com
Canadian Police announced that it will stop targeting people who download copyrighted material for personal use. Their priority will be to focus on organized crime and copyright theft that affects the health and safety of consumers instead of the cash flow of large corporations.
Around the same time that the CRIA successfully took Demonoid offline, the Canadian police made clear that Demonoid’s users don’t have to worry about getting caught, at least not in Canada.
According to the Canadian police it is impossible to track down everyone who downloads music or movies off the Internet. The police simply does not have the time nor the resources to go after filesharers.
“Piracy for personal use is no longer targeted,” Noël St-Hilaire, head of copyright theft investigations of the Canadian police, said in an interview with Le Devoir. “It is too easy to copy these days and we do not know how to stop it,” he added.
St-Hilaire explained that they rather focus on crimes that actually hurt consumers such as copyright violations related to medicine and electrical appliances.
A wise decision, especially since we now know that filesharing has absolutely no impact on music sales. On the contrary, a recent study found that the more music people download on P2P-networks, the more CDs they buy.
Massive P2p Raids In Hungary, 100 servers down
Sad news came from Hungary, a country which seemed to be a very secure place in terms of peer to peer networks and filesharing. Hungarian police raided and confiscated over 100 servers, including scene top sites, private bittorrent trackers and warez forums. Affected sites include the biggest and most popular hungarian tracker bitHumen (30 000 registered users), release site nCore (which is already up though), trackers Bitlove, Independent, Moobs, Revolution and many other private FTP sites which had a connection with the scene.
The raid took place on November 9 between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. in Budapest, Hungary. The sources write about 80 individuals from both police and special anti p2p organizations involved. The confiscated servers were hosted by various internet server providers (GTS-Datanet, Deninet, CFM, Giganet), so this was a highly organized and prepared raid. BitHumen temporary site informs its members that there were no IP addresses stored at the server, so they don’t have to worry about possible consequences from their membership.
The seizure of so many servers which were connected mostly by 100 Mbit lines caused an interesting effect in the Hungarian peering center (BIX): the overall country traffic went from 60 Gbit/s to 35-40 Gbits after the raid. This is another serious attack on the filesharers in last few days - the raid of British music tracker Oink was just a beginning, followed by Demonoid’s downtime and now this issue. It looks that noone is safe anymore…
The raid took place on November 9 between 11 A.M. and 3 P.M. in Budapest, Hungary. The sources write about 80 individuals from both police and special anti p2p organizations involved. The confiscated servers were hosted by various internet server providers (GTS-Datanet, Deninet, CFM, Giganet), so this was a highly organized and prepared raid. BitHumen temporary site informs its members that there were no IP addresses stored at the server, so they don’t have to worry about possible consequences from their membership.
The seizure of so many servers which were connected mostly by 100 Mbit lines caused an interesting effect in the Hungarian peering center (BIX): the overall country traffic went from 60 Gbit/s to 35-40 Gbits after the raid. This is another serious attack on the filesharers in last few days - the raid of British music tracker Oink was just a beginning, followed by Demonoid’s downtime and now this issue. It looks that noone is safe anymore…
Friday, October 26, 2007
Are People who donated to OiNK at risk?
Reply from OiNK moderator zaP:
Again i have to remind people who donated in the past, DONT PANIC.
Users who donated ten bucks a year ago are sure not worth the time and work it takes to trace back Paypal transactions. Also UK/NL has to work closely with other foreign authorities, which slows things down and complicates it further.
Because never any user has received upload credit or such for donations received, we can safely say that at this time, people who have donated can feel safe. Media reports saying that people were forced to donate to be able to download or stay on the site are false. Users who have been on the site know better.
Again i have to remind people who donated in the past, DONT PANIC.
Users who donated ten bucks a year ago are sure not worth the time and work it takes to trace back Paypal transactions. Also UK/NL has to work closely with other foreign authorities, which slows things down and complicates it further.
Because never any user has received upload credit or such for donations received, we can safely say that at this time, people who have donated can feel safe. Media reports saying that people were forced to donate to be able to download or stay on the site are false. Users who have been on the site know better.
OiNK SPEAKS!
Wednesday, October 24, 2007
OiNK Speaks! ..the Truth Comes Out... He Doesn't Eat Meat! Shocking!
from: http://dot-slash-csc.iblogger.org/oinkfaq.html
Shocking! He's alive! and... building websites for the PO PO? Say it ain't so! (It ain't)
Questions & Answers from the #OiNK IRC
smartface: does the paypal account have any funds on it ATM?
OiNK: it had some, and the account has been permanently limited
friggy: you just get bailed for free?
OiNK: yes
smartface: did they actually question you?
OiNK: of course, for hours
sretsof: what was the stupidest wuestion they asked?
OiNK: the police had very limited technical knowledge, which made the interview quite amusing actually.
OiNK: i wasn't willing to teach them how to use a computer
OiNK: they actually wanted me to teach them how to set up a website
OiNK: i just told them to google it.
Xenafor: IS YOUR FATHER OKAY AS WELL?
OiNK: my father is fine.
OiNK: my father was not arrested, though they did take his work laptop
apelure: what does the carges about fraud mean?
OiNK: i've not been charged ...
Xenafor: Are you a vegetarian?
OiNK: yes.
knifeboy: Did they do the good cop/bad cop routine?
OiNK: no
Stormx2: Everyone is first and foremost concerned for you and everything, but at the back of our minds (I think) we're interested in what you think will happen the the pink palace. Obviously you won't have a starring roll, but will the backups be destroyed?
OiNK: why would backups be destroyed?
smartface: have you become a millionarie with our donations?
OiNK: no
j2los: do you think at minimum the forums will be restored as a community for discussing music?
OiNK: i don't know
guildmast: Are there any plans for an official OiNK donations fund we can feel comfortable donating to?
OiNK: not yet
ftdrs: seriously though, what did they accuse you of?
OiNK: conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringements
maxdoubt: do you have/need legal representation?
OiNK: i'm still deciding on legal advice
Kevix: did you have any warning before hand that the knock opn your door was coming? OiNK: no
smartface: are you planned for a trial anytime soon?
OiNK: the earliest date for trial is 26th december - though highly unlikely
Yawg: did you anticipate a raid in the past? Did you take any precautions regarding site design and logs and whatnot to protect the community?
OiNK: the logs we store aren't enough to inciminate users
Gl1mw0rm: are you still the rigtfull owner of the oink.cd domain?
OiNK: unclear
Barth: what about the recent security/privacy changes to the site and the irc? was that a coincidence or did you see something coming?
OiNK: coincidence
j2los: do you think it is absurd that only now that the site has been taken down has it been deemed notable enough for a wikipedia article?
OiNK: i found that amusing, yes
OiNK: i'm glad the article is staying neutral
midnightgt: (without incriminating anyone) is there any copy of the source anywhere? Would you be in support of a second coming of the website? How do you think this reflects on the war on file sharing? (Certainly I do not feel like we are losing) OiNK: sorry, no comment
lhnz: Why exactly did the cops want you to make a website for them?:P
OiNK: not sure
csc: so, do the cops know you're here?
OiNK: dunno
ATF: did you get fired from work?
OiNK: yes
gleam: do you think you or anyone else will ever hear from tmt again?
OiNK: no
MooIsTooWrong: do you think most of the people in this
channel are asking asshat questions?
OiNK: yes
uQ1: What grounds did your work fire you?
OiNK: i'm not going to go into that, sorry.
OiNK Speaks! ..the Truth Comes Out... He Doesn't Eat Meat! Shocking!
from: http://dot-slash-csc.iblogger.org/oinkfaq.html
Shocking! He's alive! and... building websites for the PO PO? Say it ain't so! (It ain't)
Questions & Answers from the #OiNK IRC
smartface: does the paypal account have any funds on it ATM?
OiNK: it had some, and the account has been permanently limited
friggy: you just get bailed for free?
OiNK: yes
smartface: did they actually question you?
OiNK: of course, for hours
sretsof: what was the stupidest wuestion they asked?
OiNK: the police had very limited technical knowledge, which made the interview quite amusing actually.
OiNK: i wasn't willing to teach them how to use a computer
OiNK: they actually wanted me to teach them how to set up a website
OiNK: i just told them to google it.
Xenafor: IS YOUR FATHER OKAY AS WELL?
OiNK: my father is fine.
OiNK: my father was not arrested, though they did take his work laptop
apelure: what does the carges about fraud mean?
OiNK: i've not been charged ...
Xenafor: Are you a vegetarian?
OiNK: yes.
knifeboy: Did they do the good cop/bad cop routine?
OiNK: no
Stormx2: Everyone is first and foremost concerned for you and everything, but at the back of our minds (I think) we're interested in what you think will happen the the pink palace. Obviously you won't have a starring roll, but will the backups be destroyed?
OiNK: why would backups be destroyed?
smartface: have you become a millionarie with our donations?
OiNK: no
j2los: do you think at minimum the forums will be restored as a community for discussing music?
OiNK: i don't know
guildmast: Are there any plans for an official OiNK donations fund we can feel comfortable donating to?
OiNK: not yet
ftdrs: seriously though, what did they accuse you of?
OiNK: conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringements
maxdoubt: do you have/need legal representation?
OiNK: i'm still deciding on legal advice
Kevix: did you have any warning before hand that the knock opn your door was coming? OiNK: no
smartface: are you planned for a trial anytime soon?
OiNK: the earliest date for trial is 26th december - though highly unlikely
Yawg: did you anticipate a raid in the past? Did you take any precautions regarding site design and logs and whatnot to protect the community?
OiNK: the logs we store aren't enough to inciminate users
Gl1mw0rm: are you still the rigtfull owner of the oink.cd domain?
OiNK: unclear
Barth: what about the recent security/privacy changes to the site and the irc? was that a coincidence or did you see something coming?
OiNK: coincidence
j2los: do you think it is absurd that only now that the site has been taken down has it been deemed notable enough for a wikipedia article?
OiNK: i found that amusing, yes
OiNK: i'm glad the article is staying neutral
midnightgt: (without incriminating anyone) is there any copy of the source anywhere? Would you be in support of a second coming of the website? How do you think this reflects on the war on file sharing? (Certainly I do not feel like we are losing) OiNK: sorry, no comment
lhnz: Why exactly did the cops want you to make a website for them?:P
OiNK: not sure
csc: so, do the cops know you're here?
OiNK: dunno
ATF: did you get fired from work?
OiNK: yes
gleam: do you think you or anyone else will ever hear from tmt again?
OiNK: no
MooIsTooWrong: do you think most of the people in this
channel are asking asshat questions?
OiNK: yes
uQ1: What grounds did your work fire you?
OiNK: i'm not going to go into that, sorry.
Oink founder: We're just like Google
By Paul Stokes
Last Updated: 8:20am BST 25/10/2007
An IT consultant suspected of operating one of the world’s biggest pirate music websites from a Middlesbrough bedsit said he had done nothing wrong.
Alan Ellis, 24, was arrested on Tuesday as part of an Interpol-led operation to shut down a music file sharing website which has attracted around 180,000 members.
Mr Ellis set up the website, called Oink, three and a half years ago.
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He was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringement and has been released on police bail for two months.
Computer equipment and documentation seized from his home, his place of work and his father’s home in Cheshire and are undergoing forensic examination.
But speaking after his arrest he claimed it was no more illegal than search engine sites such as Google which could also direct users to illegal music downloads.
Police and music industry investigators have suggested that hundreds of thousands of pounds a year could be made by the site.
Mr Ellis declined to comment on whether users had made financial “donations” to the site.
Mr Ellis was contracted to work as an IT consultant for Virgin Media’s contact centre in nearby Stockton-on-Tees, but was dismissed on the day of his arrest.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t believe my website breaks the law. They don’t understand how it works.
"The website is very different from how the police are making it out to be. There is no music sold on the site - I am doing nothing wrong.
"When I set up the site I didn’t think I was doing anything illegal and I still don’t. There are 180,000 users and there has been an outcry about what has happened to me.
"People who download music also buy CDs as well. A lot of people download music on the internet to get a taste of it and then later buy the CD.
"But I don’t sell music to people, I just direct them to it. If somebody wants to illegally download music they are going to do it whether my site is there or not.
"If this goes to court it is going to set a huge precedent. It will change the internet as we know it.
"As far as I am aware no-one in Britain has ever been taken to court for running a website like mine. My site is no different to something like Google.
"If Google directed someone to a site they can illegally download music they are doing the same as what I have been accused of. I am not making any Oink users break the law. People don’t pay to use the site.”
Oink, which used a cartoon of a pink pig as its logo, was one of the world’s biggest “peer-to-peer” music download sites, which have been targeted by music publishers and police because they allow users to swap music for free.
Anyone accessing it is met with the message: “This site has been closed as a result of a criminal investigation by IFPI, BPI, Cleveland Police and the Fiscal Investigation Unit of the Dutch Police into suspected illegal music distribution. A criminal investigation continues into the identities and activities of the site’s users.”
The website’s server, based in Amsterdam, was closed down by Dutch Police last week.
Among allegations being examined are that more than 60 major albums were leaked on an OINK site weeks before the CDs’ were officially released by record companies.
According to users, Oink had a daily throughput the equivalent of five million songs and registered members were able to download around 1,000 songs.
Detectives are thought to be analysing the databases for details of the invitation system and members’ downloads.
Users were offered the chance to buy a range of branded merchandise bearing a pink pig Logo and the slogan: “Music so good it could make your tail curl”.
A spokesman for Cleveland Police, responsible the Middlesbrough inquiries, said: “It is too early to tell if we will go after individuals, it all depends on what we find.”
Last Updated: 8:20am BST 25/10/2007
An IT consultant suspected of operating one of the world’s biggest pirate music websites from a Middlesbrough bedsit said he had done nothing wrong.
Alan Ellis, 24, was arrested on Tuesday as part of an Interpol-led operation to shut down a music file sharing website which has attracted around 180,000 members.
Mr Ellis set up the website, called Oink, three and a half years ago.
advertisement
He was detained on suspicion of conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringement and has been released on police bail for two months.
Computer equipment and documentation seized from his home, his place of work and his father’s home in Cheshire and are undergoing forensic examination.
But speaking after his arrest he claimed it was no more illegal than search engine sites such as Google which could also direct users to illegal music downloads.
Police and music industry investigators have suggested that hundreds of thousands of pounds a year could be made by the site.
Mr Ellis declined to comment on whether users had made financial “donations” to the site.
Mr Ellis was contracted to work as an IT consultant for Virgin Media’s contact centre in nearby Stockton-on-Tees, but was dismissed on the day of his arrest.
He told The Daily Telegraph: “I haven’t done anything wrong. I don’t believe my website breaks the law. They don’t understand how it works.
"The website is very different from how the police are making it out to be. There is no music sold on the site - I am doing nothing wrong.
"When I set up the site I didn’t think I was doing anything illegal and I still don’t. There are 180,000 users and there has been an outcry about what has happened to me.
"People who download music also buy CDs as well. A lot of people download music on the internet to get a taste of it and then later buy the CD.
"But I don’t sell music to people, I just direct them to it. If somebody wants to illegally download music they are going to do it whether my site is there or not.
"If this goes to court it is going to set a huge precedent. It will change the internet as we know it.
"As far as I am aware no-one in Britain has ever been taken to court for running a website like mine. My site is no different to something like Google.
"If Google directed someone to a site they can illegally download music they are doing the same as what I have been accused of. I am not making any Oink users break the law. People don’t pay to use the site.”
Oink, which used a cartoon of a pink pig as its logo, was one of the world’s biggest “peer-to-peer” music download sites, which have been targeted by music publishers and police because they allow users to swap music for free.
Anyone accessing it is met with the message: “This site has been closed as a result of a criminal investigation by IFPI, BPI, Cleveland Police and the Fiscal Investigation Unit of the Dutch Police into suspected illegal music distribution. A criminal investigation continues into the identities and activities of the site’s users.”
The website’s server, based in Amsterdam, was closed down by Dutch Police last week.
Among allegations being examined are that more than 60 major albums were leaked on an OINK site weeks before the CDs’ were officially released by record companies.
According to users, Oink had a daily throughput the equivalent of five million songs and registered members were able to download around 1,000 songs.
Detectives are thought to be analysing the databases for details of the invitation system and members’ downloads.
Users were offered the chance to buy a range of branded merchandise bearing a pink pig Logo and the slogan: “Music so good it could make your tail curl”.
A spokesman for Cleveland Police, responsible the Middlesbrough inquiries, said: “It is too early to tell if we will go after individuals, it all depends on what we find.”
OiNK Founder Will Be in Really Big Trouble...Just As Soon As Police Figure Out What He's Done Wrong.
Twenty-four-year-old OiNK founder Alan Ellis, who was arrested on suspicion of "conspiracy to defraud and copyright infringement" Tuesday following a raid on his much-loved BitTorrent site, has been released from police custody with no charges filed. Now he's back and chatting online about his detainment:
"The police had very limited technical knowledge, which made the interview quite amusing actually. I wasn't willing to teach them how to use a computer. They actually wanted me to teach them how to set up a website. I just told them to Google it."
Ellis says the earliest his case could go to trial is December 26, though he notes that this is unlikely. One thing is for sure, though: By the time police and the record industry figure out what to charge him with, someone will definitely have invented an easier, more efficient, less traceable way to steal music.
"The police had very limited technical knowledge, which made the interview quite amusing actually. I wasn't willing to teach them how to use a computer. They actually wanted me to teach them how to set up a website. I just told them to Google it."
Ellis says the earliest his case could go to trial is December 26, though he notes that this is unlikely. One thing is for sure, though: By the time police and the record industry figure out what to charge him with, someone will definitely have invented an easier, more efficient, less traceable way to steal music.
Letter From Former OiNK Staff Moderator.
I'm Paine. I used to be a moderator at OiNK.cd, until, as you know, we were shut down by the BPI and IFPI.
Now, there are far, FAR too many rumours flying around, and I wanted to set some shit straight.
OiNK will _NOT_ be up today, or tomorrow.
We're not magic. None of the moderators have access to the current code and databases right now -- in fact, neither does OiNK himself, as his stuff was confiscated (remember the crap you saw in the plastic bags on the news?). People purporting to be TMT and/or OiNK are, to be frank, lying their f**king asses off.
There is currently _NO_ "oink legal fund".
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT give ANY money to ANY of these fake funds you are seeing. They are scams. OiNK will not see a penny of this money, and neither will you.
OiNK himself is safe and well.
He's fine and out on bail.
There is no "official" OiNK forum right now.
While there may not be an official forum, a lot of our ex-users are flocking to http://www.ohax.com/phpBB2/ -- Some of the users on there are actually staff. However there are also people maliciously using that site to link to scam sites and other various filth.
Anyway, I hope that's settled a lot of shit. If you're in doubt I'm who I say I am, then don't believe me. I encourage you all to exercise extreme caution when people are floating around throwing names about left right and center saying these things. The "TMT" on Dalnet was not our TMT. In fact, nobody has been in contact with him, and I expect it will remain that way for a very long time.
Edit: A few people have asked me if we logged the IP you snatched things from. The answer is no, we did not log snatch IPs.
Edit 2: This is an important one -- Your passwords do NOT need to be changed, they were stored as salted MD5 hashes. All the authorities have is the hashes. The only way they can get the original passwords is via brute force. The chances of that are slim to none if you followed standard good password practice.
Now, there are far, FAR too many rumours flying around, and I wanted to set some shit straight.
OiNK will _NOT_ be up today, or tomorrow.
We're not magic. None of the moderators have access to the current code and databases right now -- in fact, neither does OiNK himself, as his stuff was confiscated (remember the crap you saw in the plastic bags on the news?). People purporting to be TMT and/or OiNK are, to be frank, lying their f**king asses off.
There is currently _NO_ "oink legal fund".
DO NOT, I repeat, DO NOT give ANY money to ANY of these fake funds you are seeing. They are scams. OiNK will not see a penny of this money, and neither will you.
OiNK himself is safe and well.
He's fine and out on bail.
There is no "official" OiNK forum right now.
While there may not be an official forum, a lot of our ex-users are flocking to http://www.ohax.com/phpBB2/ -- Some of the users on there are actually staff. However there are also people maliciously using that site to link to scam sites and other various filth.
Anyway, I hope that's settled a lot of shit. If you're in doubt I'm who I say I am, then don't believe me. I encourage you all to exercise extreme caution when people are floating around throwing names about left right and center saying these things. The "TMT" on Dalnet was not our TMT. In fact, nobody has been in contact with him, and I expect it will remain that way for a very long time.
Edit: A few people have asked me if we logged the IP you snatched things from. The answer is no, we did not log snatch IPs.
Edit 2: This is an important one -- Your passwords do NOT need to be changed, they were stored as salted MD5 hashes. All the authorities have is the hashes. The only way they can get the original passwords is via brute force. The chances of that are slim to none if you followed standard good password practice.
FAQ About OiNK.cd Closure
Q: What happened?
A: On Tuesday, OiNK was arrested at his house in a "raid", they also "raided" his fathers house and work place. His computer and various other items were taken (including his xbox, but atleast they left the Wii). Later on Dutch Police seized the OiNK.cd servers hosted in the Netherlands. A few hours later OiNK was released on bail, but not charged.
Q: Do I have to worry about my password?
A: Passwords have never been stored as plain text anywhere. Only as salted MD5 hashes. Also, police or industry agencies do not care about your password. If it lets you sleep any better, change it on all other trackers and such. But it is not required at all.
Q: Do I as a normal user need to be scared?
A: No -- The logs stored were not enough to incriminate any of our users. They have better things to do than hunt down 180,000 Britney Spears fans.
Q: Did you log IP adresses with all the transfers?
A: No of course we did not.
Q: Now what?
A: OiNK has been bailed until 21st December pending further investigations, no charges have currently been brought against him. The Police will go through the seized material.
Q: The future of the OiNK community?
A: To be frank? We don't know. None of the moderators had access to either the code or databases, and OiNK's possessions were confiscated. We have a boat, just we don't have anything to paddle with.
Q: Where can I donate?
A: Stop right there. OiNK has not been formally charged with anything, and it is by no means certain donations are needed. If you see any sites advertising as a "Legal Defence fund", it's probably a scam. If there ever is a need for such a fund, you will read about it here.
Q: What about that other admin?
A: The former staff will not comment on any questions regarding the situation of him.
Kind regards,
your former staff of OiNK's Pink Palace
A: On Tuesday, OiNK was arrested at his house in a "raid", they also "raided" his fathers house and work place. His computer and various other items were taken (including his xbox, but atleast they left the Wii). Later on Dutch Police seized the OiNK.cd servers hosted in the Netherlands. A few hours later OiNK was released on bail, but not charged.
Q: Do I have to worry about my password?
A: Passwords have never been stored as plain text anywhere. Only as salted MD5 hashes. Also, police or industry agencies do not care about your password. If it lets you sleep any better, change it on all other trackers and such. But it is not required at all.
Q: Do I as a normal user need to be scared?
A: No -- The logs stored were not enough to incriminate any of our users. They have better things to do than hunt down 180,000 Britney Spears fans.
Q: Did you log IP adresses with all the transfers?
A: No of course we did not.
Q: Now what?
A: OiNK has been bailed until 21st December pending further investigations, no charges have currently been brought against him. The Police will go through the seized material.
Q: The future of the OiNK community?
A: To be frank? We don't know. None of the moderators had access to either the code or databases, and OiNK's possessions were confiscated. We have a boat, just we don't have anything to paddle with.
Q: Where can I donate?
A: Stop right there. OiNK has not been formally charged with anything, and it is by no means certain donations are needed. If you see any sites advertising as a "Legal Defence fund", it's probably a scam. If there ever is a need for such a fund, you will read about it here.
Q: What about that other admin?
A: The former staff will not comment on any questions regarding the situation of him.
Kind regards,
your former staff of OiNK's Pink Palace
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