Your new post is loading...
UPDATE (12/29/24): The website now displays an "ERROR 403 - FORBIDDEN" message (see images). I'm not any expert, but this may mean that it is dangerous for users/"clients" to access the site. If i were you, I would stay away from the site.
UPDATE (12/26/24): After being up for a few days the site is again down experiencing a "509" error!
If you are trying to access the Newtown Township website - www.newtownpa.gov - today (12/21/24) you will see a "509" error:
Bandwidth Limit Exceeded
This is after the site was down on 12/26/24 for a day or so. I believe the site is being hacked. A hacker can potentially cause a "509 error" by launching a Distributed Denial-of-Service (DDoS) attack, which floods a website with excessive traffic, rapidly exceeding its allocated bandwidth limit and triggering the "509 Bandwidth Limit Exceeded" error message; essentially overwhelming the server with requests, preventing legitimate users from accessing the site.
Key points about a hacker causing a 509 error:
- DDoS attack mechanism:Hackers use automated tools to send a large volume of requests to a website from multiple sources, effectively overloading the server and causing it to reach its bandwidth limit.
- Impact of a 509 error:When a website hits its bandwidth limit, users will see an error message indicating that the site is unable to handle the current traffic volume.
- How to mitigate:
- Website owner actions:
- Upgrade hosting plan to a higher bandwidth allowance.
- Implement a Content Delivery Network (CDN) to distribute traffic across multiple servers.
- Optimize website content to reduce file sizes.
- Monitor website traffic and identify suspicious activity.
- Network administrator actions:
- Utilize DDoS mitigation services to filter malicious traffic.
- Implement network security measures to prevent attacks.
- Website owner actions:
The township needs to do a better job protecting its digital assets including the website. This is not the first time that the site was hacked.