Partypoker Hit with Second DDoS Attack of 2018

Partypoker has suffered another DDoS attacked just five months after hackers brought down the site’s KO Series.

Hackers target Partypoker again and bring down the site with another DDoS attack
(Image: Techworm)

In a tweet sent out on August 9, the operator apologized for the disruption and promised that players would be able to log back into their accounts as soon as possible.

“Apologies for the technical difficulties, we are working to rectify, the site has been targeted with a DDoS attack from third parties. We hope to resume normal business very soon and will keep you updated. Thank you for your patience,” reads the August 9 tweet.

Players Unimpressed with Response

Despite disclosing the source of the disruption, a number of players weren’t happy with the treatment they received. In addition to complaints about poor customer service, a number of players took umbrage to having their tournaments cut short.

“Dreadful how people who played for hours in tournaments and had had a good sequence will just get a buy in back. I could easily buy into the same tournament tomorrow and get knocked out first hand. There needs to be higher compensation for top 10% players. I won’t be back quickly,” wrote Leon Dalton.

Decisive action might have fixed the latest problem but there is now a fear that the problem runs much deeper. Back in March, the highly-publicized $10 KO Series was halted at midway stage because of DDoS attacks overloading the site’s servers.

Site Under Siege for the Last Three Years

After taking the decision to cancel its KO Series events, Partypoker added an extra $3 million to its tournament schedule once the attacks had stopped. Following up, managing director Tom Waters apologized and called the incident a “disaster.”

“We have identified the issue, the problem has been rectified, refunds are being processed and tighter procedures have been implemented to ensure this doesn’t happen again,” Waters said on March 5.

Prior to that incident, the site fell victim to another DDoS attack in 2015 and forced the security team to review the site’s defenses.

Although security threats are a constant concern for every online operator, Partypoker’s tech team may have to go back to the drawing board to preserve the brand’s reputation.