TopGame servers attacked, accusations come in tons
There has been much fuss this week around the crippling of a number of TopGame online casinos, which have apparently suffered a DDoS attack on the software provider’s servers.
This issue has caused a big debate on a number of message boards, and triggered a whole lot of bitter accusations, denials and speculation, as TopGame representatives accused affiliate management company Affactive of being behind the attack.
Namely, a TopGame spokesman stated the following:
"My name is Scott and I am an online rep for Topgame Technology. I would like to post this official statement from Topgame management regarding the recent attack:
"Starting on November 16th and still ongoing, Topgame has been under a DDoS attack (Distributed Denial of Service Attack). The attack targeted one of our Licensees, and quite quickly after shifted towards Topgame as further attempt to damage the Licensee. We are still experiencing the attack at this moment and are continuously working on stabilizing the system. The attack does not affect all Licensees equally.
"Following intensive communication with the attackers we came to realize that they were trying to dictate, to us and our licensees, operational terms and conditions. This seems to be a regular business practice for them. Rest assured, Topgame does NOT negotiate with criminals. We are working with the best anti-cybercrime companies in order to prevent any additional DDoS attacks or other crimes against our systems.
"To our surprise, recent investigation has revealed that the attacker does not only own and manage several online casinos and a fairly known affiliate program, but has also recently launched his own gaming software.
"Based on this information, we consider this no less than unlawful attempt to physically destroy whoever he considers 'in his way'. The names and all personal info of the attackers are at our possession and we will report the people involved to the higher authorities.
"We can state with 100% certainty that we'd rather be under attack than negotiate with them. We are fighting back to protect our systems and Licensees as well as anyone else who may be a victim of these illegal actions.
"It is important to bear in mind that once this happens to one Licensee today, tomorrow it will easily be done to another, to a site owner, or an affiliate like you."
To confirm “Scott’s” statement, a TopGame licensee Rome Casino also issued a statement, confirming that the perpetrators of the attack are the Winpalace/Affactive group, and that they are trying really hard to fight the attack off, but that it was still ongoing and causing problems.
"The DDOS attack was not just to our casinos and servers, but has been to the entire Topgame network, and all Topgame brands have suffered the same attack," a Rome Casino spokesman stressed.
However, as neither of the accusing statements provided any firm evidence that Affactive was responsible for the attacks, Affactive spokesman DanielG responded:
"Our team is absolutely disgusted at these public comments and accusations stated above accusing us of having any involvement in the Top Gaming software malfunctions. These false postings are totally unacceptable and demeaning to our well-regarded organization.
"Affactive has been in existence for many years and has built a reputable and trustworthy partnership with our clients. We have always promoted well-respected casino brands for our affiliates to advertise since our establishment and going forward in the future. We have always made a conscious effort in making sure our clients obtain profitable results and we would never compromise our partnership efforts.
"This is nothing but lies derived from our competitors seeking attention. We demand that you remove these false accusations immediately!"
In the evening of Nov. 22, he also claimed that their "RTG brands have been under DDOS attack for the past few hours."
With the discussion raging on both sides, a number of questions remain unanswered, such as whether any of the parties has initiated legal action and informed the police of the issue, or whether an Affactive operation that uses Top Game’s software has been affected. In addition, no confirmation has arrived from RTG that its Affactive casinos have been affected, etc.
