Yay! We’re back! 

Yay, we’re back!

Well, we, actually, never really went anywhere. However, our website went down to a snail’s pace – or for some people, the site went to a grinding halt on Monday, March 28, 2022. 

First and Foremost

First and foremost, I want to note that we do not keep any of our subscriber’s personal information on our site. When you register for our E-Zine, your email and information are stored on a site that is secured. 

What Happened?

Right after we sent out our weekly Ezine on March 28, 2022, which I would like to note, we have been doing for years, two of the three sites on our server came under attack. Once I realized what was happening, I quickly put together and sent out the email: Sorry | Please | Thank You to our readers who received the E-zine.  

I sent the second email because the attack had slowed our site down to a grinding halt, which, as a reader of digital products and the owner of a website, drives me crazy when pages load slowly or, worse yet, not at all.   

Our team had worked so hard on the E-zine with the articles and images, only for people not to be able to access the articles was a nightmare in my mind. 

Sly Cyber Attackers

We have been dealing with cyber issues for approximately a month or so. I have a great team of people who have been able to stave them off until Monday. Our flagship site, cmfmag.ca, sits on a server with two other sites: cmfdirectory.ca and wreathsacrosscanada.org. The latter two sites typically do not receive a lot of hits. 

As soon as I sent the E-zine, cmfdirectory.ca and wreathsacrosscanada.org were bombarded with requests. It seemed sending the E-zine triggered what is called a DDOS attack. This is the first time those two sites have been directly attacked.  

Our website provider kept blocking the IP addresses, but there were so many, and they were from different countries, that it was hard to keep up. 

I sent out the second email let our readers know why the site was running so slowly. It is important to note that whoever was attacking the site wasn’t “breaking in” or trying to get information. They were trying to take the site or sites down. 

Six hours after the attack started, we were back to normal, with the website loading pages at its normal speed.

Moving Forward

During that time, we found a solution for cmfmag.ca and cmfdirectory.ca. Unfortunately, we are still working on a solution for wreathsacrosscanada.org. Until we find a solution, the site will remain unpublished. We are aiming to have a solution by next week. 

If you have been with us for a while, you will know we typically send one email a week, and the format is always the same. If you receive an email that looks suspicious or odd from us, check the email address—an email from us will always end with @cmfmag.ca. 

THANK YOU!

I want to THANK YOU for your readership and support. It is very much appreciated! Moving forward, I am praying we have found a solution. 

Updated: April 9, 2022.