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Repeated DDoS Attacks Force Coinkite Bitcoin Wallet To Close Down Web Service

Posted by msmash on from the hurt-but-not-broken dept.

An anonymous reader writes: Coinkite, one of the earliest Web-based Bitcoin wallet services, has announced plans to discontinue its service and focus on a hardware-based Bitcoin products, all because of a barrage of relentless DDoS attacks that has been plaguing the company ever since 2012. The company plans to focus on hardware-based Bitcoin products such as PoS terminals, USB sticks, and professional servers. "Being a centralized bitcoin service does attract attention from state actors and other well-funded pains-in-the-butt, and as a matter of fact, we've been under DDoS since the first month we launched -- over three years -- yay. Plus we have put real fiat dollars into our lawyers' pockets to defend our customers from their own governments. This is not what we love to do, which is coding and delivering awesome services," the Coinkite team explained.

12 of 35 comments (clear)

  1. Sure, State Actors by Luthair · · Score: 1

    Instead of script kiddies and organised crime trying to make a buck with their botnets.

    1. Re:Sure, State Actors by Luthair · · Score: 1

      Because North Koreans have such great open access to the internet?

    2. Re:Sure, State Actors by Luthair · · Score: 1

      I hear black helicopters calling your name

    3. Re:Sure, State Actors by sexconker · · Score: 1

      I hear black helicopters calling your name

      Black helicopters are silent. Turn in your tinfoil hat.

  2. Re:Wait a minute! by JcMorin · · Score: 1

    DDOS are not solve by only blocking an IP address... the whole connection is saturated even if you block them...

  3. Re:Ethereum will have similar issues as it grow by religionofpeas · · Score: 2

    Presumably, if it grows, the site can be hosted on a sturdier machine and connection.

  4. Re:..and another one bites the dust by rock217 · · Score: 1

    Like that pesky cap on mining, inflation forever!

    --
    Wah Sig!
  5. Re:No hyperbole whatsoever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    It's hilarious to see "real fiat" together like that. It's like saying you have real fool's gold. I suppose it's a valid sentence, but still... what an oxymoron!

  6. professional servers? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    IT hint.
    Next time start with halfway decent servers so the first time a customer visits, they don't kill your service right away.

    DDOS for the past 4 years .... please!
    Now focusing on POS terminals and hardware .... ohhh gawd, no!

  7. Re:No hyperbole whatsoever by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    https://soylentnews.org/article.pl?sid=16/03/29/214241

    i'll just leave that here

  8. Re:No hyperbole whatsoever by thegarbz · · Score: 1

    How odd they chose to use the very thing they've trying to get away from.

    That's an interesting statement, implying that just because they provide a trading platform for someone, and methods to produce something that they actually want to get away from something else. What next, cattle farmers should be critisized for eating vegetables and chicken because clearly they are trying to get away from it by raising cattle?

    Don't confuse the situation, these guys are not in the business to make bitcoins and they never were, just like shovel manufacturers weren't in the business of digging gold out of the ground.

  9. Re:No hyperbole whatsoever by magarity · · Score: 1

    How odd they chose to use the very thing they've trying to get away from.

    Lolz, no, I assure you the lawyers are most certainly NOT trying to get away from "real fiat dollars". Quite the opposite, in fact.