This is an update regarding the recent technical difficulties with PlayOnline service since Apr. 9, 2005.
The DDoS attack from anonymous third parties is still continuing. Our technicians have been taking countermeasures to prevent the attacks in real time. However, we are in a situation where it is difficult to prevent all attacks.
This is mainly due to changes in attack methods. We are currently unable to determine the country of origin of these packets because the anonymous third parties have been changing the IP address within a world-wide range. They have also been sending packets through random ports, causing difficulty to distinguish between packets from DDoS attack and normal packets.
As one method of prevention, we have restricted part of the incoming route used by the DDoS attacks. However, since packets from DDoS attacks and normal packets coincide outside of our network, users may experience auction house and search failures, as well as FINAL FANTASY XI and PlayOnline login difficulties. We deeply apologize for this temporary inconvenience.
With cooperation from ISPs and support from law enforcement authorities, we will continue to take the most effective measures available. Network maintenance will occur tomorrow, Apr. 28, 2005 as part of these measures. (Please refer to "Server Maintenance" for more information.) Regardless of circumstances, we will strive to maintain the best service possible, and ask for your understanding and cooperation.
