sabotage

Mysterious puffs of smoke appearing as BF HQ collapses

well, it's certainly hard to explain the timing. just before the 3pm KOs... but all there really is is four PL matches which don't feature one big six team between them, plus a 6 nations game that hasn't even broken 700K matched in its main market.

not exactly a backbreaker.

Maybe just proof they can do it so betfair payup before Cheltenham.

That's exactly it.  Betfair have been plagued by this for years, and have some very high-powered kit to protect against this kind of attack.  Just goes to show how vulnerable online businesses can be.  When they are big enough it will happen to Purple too.

But the internet facing bit is working. The web, the API. It's the OTHER side, that in any sane world bad people shouldn't be able to get near, that is clearly dead.

It's more likely BFs high reliability standards at work?

in which case why is it always saturday afternoons, just before the 3pms?

that's the bit that needs explaining, because "load" clearly isn't the answer.

I thought DDoS attacks were a thing of the past and could be fairly easily defended against.

i thought internet sabotage was the current fear of all western governments.  if those in china can infiltrate the infrastructure of big companies and governments, then nothing is impossible.

it has happened the week before cheltenham in the past, and we have had numerous 3 pm saturday issues.  other internet companies have admitted to paying up, but betfair won't.

it will be plain old load imo

I'd be astonished if it isn't a hack and an extortion attempt before Cheltenham.

There must be more pressure put on bf by huge-liquidity horse races (in the 5 mins. before the off) than for high-profile football matches. Plus horses are almost pure and simple a betting event, while football is not, so if criminals wanted to make their point that bf was vulnerable and that they can prevent them functioning as a betting site, they'd threaten to hijack the racing.

The alternative possibility is that bf repeatedly trial something new the Sat. b/f the Festival every year. But how cd they be so stupid as to always fail?

those PL 3pms in full:

Norwich0 - 0Southampton

QPR3 - 1Sunderland

Reading1 - 2Aston Villa

West Brom2 - 1Swansea


iow, probably a fraction of the load you'd expect from last tuesday's man u game.