EQ2Flames Forum Hacked, Riddled with Spyware
We have received several reports that EQ2Flames.com was hacked late this afternoon and had been serving malware. The account currently displays as Suspended.
If the hackers were profiteering script kiddies, only able to inject malicious code but gaining no further access. then the damage may be minimal.
However if the hackers gained access to eq2flames’ MySQL database then they would be able to browse everything, including hidden forums and Private Messages.
vBulletin forum software does not store plaintext passwords so it is unlikely we will see identity theft.
UPDATE: EQ2Flames is now back online.
UPDATE #2: EQ2Flames seems to have once again been hacked.
UPDATE #3: EQ2Flames is back after a complete reinstall and audit of the software.
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Comments (107)
Necromancer
| #
Sony probably hacked them because they’re mad EQ2 flames speaks the truth about how horrible, stupid and incompetent the EQ2 Dev team really is.
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Murfalad
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Your tinfoil hat might not be covering all of your head there 🙂
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Necromancer
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I’m missing a red adornment slot because it was nerfed out 😛
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Anaogi
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This will develop further…one of the threads enshrined in their “Hall of Flames” was a rant about getting even with someone with a DOS attack, but quickly morphed into an old-school hacker meet-n-greet.
So…yeah. This could get interesing. 😉
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Kwill
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I was browsing flames right about the time it happened — my anti-virus caught something, and my browser crashed. Gonna run some security stuff now though! Thanks for reporting this.
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Zizzu
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It’s no suprised really. EQ2 Flames has scripts running all the time forcing your computer to see ads and whatnot. Probably real ez for a hacker to get in and change code around.
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Aaron
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It’s back now (for me anyway)
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Blockhead
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@Zizzu
Get Firefox and install the “Adblock Plus” add-on. I forgot websites had advertisements, thanks for reminding me how useful this add-on is.
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Lempo of Everfrost
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Feldon,
Did you get information from LFG that the site itself was infected/hacked or if one of the services that they use to facilitate ads on the site had some rogue content. EQ2flames gets a lot of traffic so of course they are gonna be a target of hackers but more than one high profile site has been the victim of ads from a banner ad service contained the harmful content.
Not calling you out here just looking for more info.
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Gaige
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Niber thinks it was some automated script written to exploit vunerabilities in one of our add-ons, like maybe tapatalk. He disabled a handful of them and it hasn’t happened again and I know LFG and Niber are looking into upgrading VB as well.
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Lexxie
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Hey Gaige, I’ve been getting a bunch of weird messages about Tapatalk when trying to view Flames and some other forums the last few days. Something about it being an old version iirc. Can you pass this onto Niber pls?
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Gaige
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Its disabled for now because it was suspected as one of the add-ons that might have been causing us problems.
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Tore
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eq2flames.com seems to still have some problems. Chromes goes nuts with warnings when I enter..
eq2flames.com => errors
eq2flames.com/bruisers => works fine.
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Marvis
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Just tried to go to eq2flames and I got a ton of trojan warnings.
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Jolemai
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Yup, it’s been hacked again.
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Dharvane
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Be careful of EQ2Flames. Just tried to go there and the Flames website attempted to load 4 trojans into my system. Mozilla / my Antivirus stopped them thank god. Watch yourself.
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Rick777
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Anyone know if a hack can actually affect hardware? Very weird, but I had 2 separate PC failures on the same day flames went down. I suspect PSU, but I have surge protectors on both. Probably a coincidence, it’s just weird they both fried at the same time.
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Lexxie
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If anyone is concerned about their PC I’d suggest running Malwarebytes Anti-Malware on it for starters: http://www.malwarebytes.org/
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Feldon
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Lempo,
It wasn’t necessary to contact LFG to confirm the information.
And if I had to contact SOE before I posted anything, EQ2Wire would be updated with Press Releases 2-3 times a month, plus the Fan Faire stuff. It’d be a pretty dull site.
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ohnoes
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This just means more compromised accounts for Sony. If hackers can get account information off flames. Chances are there are some people who use the same information for their sony accounts.
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Insayn
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Not likely since eq2 required everyone to change there password when they were hacked.
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Nate
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If the admins of that site would stop pissing so many people off, they wouldn’t have quite as much issues with being hacked — but they always have to start or encourage some kind of drama to take place. And when people have that many enemies, they’re bound to run across the wrong one, call someone an honor thief that was actually a veteran or a meat shield that was actually worked in computers and databases.
They’ll get it figured out.
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Nate
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How, exactly, did they manage to piss Anonymous off?
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boho
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It’s not Anonymous. It’s that jarhead that got butthurt and raged since someone claimed he wasn’t in the military.
Now he thinks he has some legal case against LFG (he doesn’t), and further decided he’d hack the site and infect it with malware so anyone who visits, innocent or not, will be “punished.”
What he’s done IS straight up illegal, and is an embarrassment to the armed forces at large. Vandalizing a website amd putting hundreds of users at risk because you got called names by a handful reflects poorly on the entire military and undermines any “cyber bullying” case you might have.
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Feldon
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Looks like some bizarre behind-the-scenes stuff going on.
First I’ve never heard of a “Leading Web Development and IT Networking Firm” keeping tabs on an MMO fan site like EQ2Flames, but yet this is one of their latest “news items”:
http://www.mlwassociates.com/2011/07/eq2flames-crime-alert/
and more recently:
http://www.mlwassociates.com/2011/09/eq2flames-hacked-by-vigilante/
Is MLW Associates, aka Michael Lee Wells, Elamite who was recently the subject of an RaR on EQ2Flames?
http://www.mlwassociates.com/about/michael-lee-wells/
http://michael-wells.net/2011/07/24/the-power-of-stupid-people/
The whole thing is possibly just a sideshow to what’s going on at EQ2Flames, but people sure like a double helping of drama these days.
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Gaige
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Just lol @ MLW. So butthurt.
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Dharvane
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Feldon… you just made my day. Those 4 links (technically 3, not counting the “about me” deal) are the funniest stuff I’ve read in months. If even a small portion of the stuff written there is true, I find it hilarious as hell. Flames got what it deserved after all this time lol 🙂
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Nate
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Any proof? Or is this just another Flames bleed-over lynching?
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Gaige
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So Dharvane you find illegal hacking to be hilarious? What other crimes do you find funny? Murder? Rape? Arson?
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Insayn
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Copy and paste from his blog. This sound familiar doesn’t it??? It’s just like the (FAKE0
A MESSAGE FOR EQ2FLAMES:
#OPEQ2FLAMES
We regret to inform you that you have grasped the unfortunate attention of Anonymous. You cling to your freedom to press, and yet you have no capacity for privacy. You demand respect from others, and yet you bestow none. You use the name of Jesus Christ like he was a whore or prostitute. You call our hackers stupid, and yet you can’t even defend your own site.
The constant barraging of EQ2Flames.com will persist until personal information is removed and purged from the site. We will allow your site to run every hour for an hour. If personal information is not removed we will force you to bring your site down again or you will force your users to bring down their computers.
We are Anonymous.
We are Legion.
We do not forgive.
We do not forget.
EQ2Flames, Expect us.
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Insayn
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First FBI emails now he’s talking to Anonymous?
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Nate
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I think it’s funny too. What seems to be the biggest scream is that he’s both referred to as a jarhead (the derogatory type as being stupid) and then being called a hacker. Logically speaking, this can’t happen, either the light is on or it is off. In all my experience, inconsistent stories generally indicates a lie. With that said, some of you flame bleed-overs needs to pick a story and stick with it if you wish to retain your credibility.
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Gaige
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Credibility matters when discussing video games!
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Dharvane
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Naw, Gaige. I don’t find murder, rape or arson to be funny but do I find it hilarious that Flames (the pinnacle of epeen asshattery) got hacked to be amusing?
Hell yes. 🙂
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Gaige
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Good for you. Let me know if your car gets stolen so I can laugh at that too~
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Nate
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Well gee Gaige, if you’re going to sit there and accuse someone of a RL crime of course credibility means something. You forget you’re the one separating “game” from “real life” when you start splattering empty rhetoric and criminal accusations all over the place.
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Gaige
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Read through MLW’s bs and he is basically bragging about doing it, so its not like the accusation is much of a stretch. Besides I’m an umprofessional, immature manchild, what do I care about credibility I just care about drama.
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Nate
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Make no mistake, I am only asking for a little consistency in your story to help me believe what you say is true.
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Dharvane
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:Comment by Gaige — September 4, 2011 @ 2:50 pm
Besides I’m an umprofessional, immature manchild”
After all these years, Gaige finally admits what everyone already knew? Nice! Only took EQ2Flames going down in, well… “Flames” to have it happen, lol 🙂
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Nate
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Thanks for the info Gaige, but I have read it, and I’m not seeing any bragging. What I see is someone that says he “may” know the hacker but has no other ties beyond simple knowledge of that hacker. Saying MLW actually hacked Flames is really making a big leap of what he said which seems to be common practice from you flames type.
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Gaige
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I’ve admitted that for years Dharvane, where have you been.
I originally stated it was a random script affecting a mod we were running because that is what Niber said. With all of MLW’s trumpeting as of late I *personally* doubt it, but I don’t know anything about it tbh, only Niber does.
However, I’m just relishing in the drama of it all, that is all I care about.
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Gaige
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Are you sure you’ve read it?
“Rejoicing that someone got tired of EQ2Flame’s shit and took action is not an admission of guilt.”
“But, if I did hack their website, it would have made my case to the contrary. You see it was said that I didn’t know jack about hacking (as several have already said in EQ2 Live Forums that I lacked the intellect to hack lol) which was one of the primary and underlying pieces to proving EQ2Flame’s points. And the hack was just a script? Then how come the site keeps coming down? I’d really like to see Niber explain this away he he. No matter how you bake this baby, it makes my case better; either I didn’t do it and EQ2Flames is just jumping to conclusions yet AGAIN with my case or they seriously underestimated me. Either way, the lulz on them.”
Etc etc.
For someone who is supposedly a CEO and president of some IT company the dude comes off as a bitter, butthurt obsessed nutjob.
Maybe he didn’t do it, but the bullshit on his site and blog make me think he did, especially that lolanonymous comment. As if they would give a shit what happens on Flames – but MLW can’t seem to stop obsessing about it =x
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Vinyard
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So I totally said hi to MLW on the official forums, and said that we know it was you who hacked Flames…SOE-MOD-04 must be an avid flames reader because he said lets not accuse anyone of anything
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Nate
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I hate to say it Gaige, but when you start comparing stories here, yours seems to be the only story that changes. Sadly this causes me to have a hard time believing you.
Someone that rejoices about a crime doesn’t make them a criminal. This really just feels like more freedom of speech selectivity that anonymous has allegedly taken flames down for.
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Gaige
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I don’t care who or what you believe tbh. At all. I don’t know you, you might as well be a pimple on an ant’s ass in my world.
If my story changed it’s because the information I had available changed.
Go figure~
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Gaige
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In fact, it wouldn’t surprise me if you were MLW =x
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Nate
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Everyone seems to be MLW with you. Careful Feldon! You’re going to be told you’re MLW next! *snickers*
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Gaige
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I know Feldon IRL, I’m not worried about him.
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Nate
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If MLW did hack that site, it would be the most epic lol EQ2 has ever seen.
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Nate
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This is not a lol @ LFG, this is all-encompassing of those participants of that site that bought into the idea this guy was a retard. If I were a member of Flames, I do not believe I would be proud of that right about now.
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Gaige
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I’m VERY proud of the fact that I’m a member of EQ2Flames~
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Nate
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ur a drama queen, it is to be expected.
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Lexxie
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I have to say Nate, you seem to have a lot of knowledge of the recent content of Flames for someone who claims not to use it 😉
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airea
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MLW is a retard and I only had to read his blog to know that. He talks in glowing terms about the hacking of the website used by thousands of people who never had any interaction with him whilst going on to talk about the bill of rights existing to protect victim’s civil rights.
Let’s be clear here, the site was hacked in such a way as to infect any and every user of the site with multiple trojans, trojans designed to steal their online identity. It was not brought down with a clever message, it was brought down by the admin to protect the users from the crime that MLW is talking in glowing terms about and halfway admits to being responsible for.
The level of duplicity and hypocrisy within the same article is epic and amounts to retardation.
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Nate
| #
Wayback machine is not a difficult tool to use.
http://wayback.archive.org/web/*/http://www.eq2flames.com/ In case you’re having withdrawals Lexxie.
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Laurie
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Wow you win the internet Nate…
Let me just say this though although I am not a huge fan of EQ2flames
(Can take em or leave em really)I have never seen a person more deserving of
a RaR then this MLW tard.The fact that he still posts like all his lies and military background has not been torn to shreds just amazes me.
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Boho
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Is there a reason your avatar is MLW’s picture, Nate?
Also, Anonymous never hurts “civilians.” They’ll take sites out, but never do general virus/malware stuff.
The “Anonymous” comment is also hilariously fake. What a pathetic jackass.
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Boho
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Oh, you can only see MLW’s — sorry, Nate’s — picture in “mobile view.”
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Peter
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Michael L Wells just issued himself a death sentence.
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Nate
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Really Peter? This really doesn’t help flame’s case at all. Have you been reading up on live? Gaige just accused MLW of taking things too seriously and he gets death threats. WOW. I can see where this guy may be getting upset.
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Dharvane
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Kinda funny there’s been over 3 different threads (started by 3 different people) about EQ2Flames on the official SOE boards and they keep getting deleted, lol!
Guess SOE is tired of hearing about it.
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Gaige
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Oh look, EQ2Flames is working again~
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Nate
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3? I only saw 2, what did the other entail?
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Dharvane
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EQ2Flames is up again? WOOT! Let me RUSH right over there so I can take a chance at getting my machine attacked by viruses? No thanks.
Granted… Firefox / my antivirus generally STOP the virus attacks but take that kind of risk on purpose? Naw. Not a fan of Russian Roulette. I’ll give it a week or two and see if other people are having issues before I go back to the e-peen / dramafest forums 🙂
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Gaige
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That’s fine, we really don’t want you there anyway~
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Dharvane
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Oh darn. My self-image is now all crushed and whatnot. Honest injun 🙁
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Nate
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Oh, I am so glad I never created a Flames account!
http://michael-wells.net/2011/07/24/the-power-of-stupid-people/comment-page-2/#comment
Look at the last comment by Gaige. Assuming he’s speaking in an official capacity, it is intentional that Flames has just released the link between flame user accounts and all their characters and server locations.
I can’t see this going very well at all.
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Gaige
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Thanks for proving who you really are “Nate”. You had a flames account and we banned you, remember?
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Gaige
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We’ve been requiring people disclose their character name, server and guild to register for at least two months now and it hasn’t slowed our registrations at all, I should know I activate most of them.
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Nate
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Gaige, you are metaphorically the “Tigger” of assumptions, bound after bound because that’s what Gaige’s do best!
I have never seen that forum before, and confirmed it by 8 other guild mates that use flames that it was only there just after registration and just before you’re approved.
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Nate
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I agree with MLW here, you are so full of yourself you are almost incoherent and befuddled. This assumption is actually based off of the wayback machine, google cache, 8 guild mates, and 5 friends that use flames.
Are you really going to sit here and ruin your reputation and credibly further by trying to say that those forums are supposed to be on display to the public or will you correct yourself and admit some wrong doing here?
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Gaige
| #
You linked that comment I made on MLW’s blog less than 2 minutes after I posted it.
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Gaige
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I don’t really know, I never use a non-admin account, I assumed they were available to the public but if they weren’t they weren’t. It doesn’t matter, people are fine with having to disclose that information to use our site since they’ve been doing so since the 3rd week of June for the privilege of being part of the EQ2Flames community.
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Gaige
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You agree with yourself? Go figure =x
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Gaige
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Also I’m really surprised you’d let your friends and guildmates utilize our site, since its a crime haven according to you =x
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Nate
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So you are admittedly stating that you were talking out of your ass this entire time? Shameful, simply shameful.
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Gaige
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I talk out of my ass all the time, what’s the difference.
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Nate
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+10
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Bohohoboprobono
| #
Oh, and Mike — you are one sorry security expert if you can’t even successfully hide your identity on a freaking game site.
Come at me bro.
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Mike
| #
I post my contact details in public yet I try and hide them? No my wish was to keep them separate where LFG purposely violated my trust in disclosing my email address to Cyan in order to “link” my website. In fact, LFG was the first person to every post on my website.
All my identifiable information that prevents me from being a victim of identity theft, bank fraud, or credit card fraud I have locked down pretty tight and have to this day, never had a problem with it personally. It was my mistake to have entrusted LFG with an email address that traced back to my company.
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Mike
| #
For any of you sitting in your cushy chairs making these childish death threats — bring it, you obviously know where I stay, just be sure to bring someone to take pictures, I need all the evidence I can get when you’re lying cold, lifeless, and full of lead. Fair warning, this is a castle law state — I shoot home invaders to kill and it is completely legal.
Bring it on baby.
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Peter
| #
So MLW is Nate eh? Watch your back bro.. someone is coming for you.
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Mikeisfat
| #
LoL its so obvious that nate is ballsack chin you really are pathetic mike.
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Isest
| #
I will say this they hacked the email database for eq2flames. Since the other day, the email address that I had associated with eq2flames has been bombarded by hacking/phishing attempts to get my eBay, pay pal and other credit card attempts. All of them from Europe.
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deepruntramp
| #
I hope they can isolate evidence of your hack, Mike. I’d love to see a petty little crybaby like you permanently ruin his reputation in his field by committing the very kind of crime he tries to combat.
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Gaige
| #
Weird, my email has remained fine, go figure.
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Lexxie
| #
No problems with my email either /shrugs
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LFG
| #
Lol Mike you are such a liar. I have never posted on your website, and the only information I’ve posted about you is what you personally have sent me. My site rules contain a rule that allows me to repost anything I receive, you had that notice when you emailed me.
The only thing of yours I haven’t posted is the long, rambling and incoherent letter you sent me asking me to pretty please remove the thread about you. Keep it up and I’ll repost that also.
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LFG
| #
Two more comments:
The fake Anonymous twitter to me is pathetically fake because I have never registered on nor used Twitter. I don’t have a Twitter account, have never even visited the Twitter site, and in fact don’t know how Twitter works lol, so it’s not like anyone could send a message to my Twitter handle, since I don’t have one.
Also Feldon, it’s not Michael Lee White, it’s Michael Lee Wells, let’s all acknowledge his correct name and Internet notoriety.
LFG
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Bigron
| #
My email is fine also
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Mikeisfat
| #
My Email is also fine
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Malvious
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Hacked again \o/
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Aaron
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inb4 comments disabled.
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Mike
| #
Seems to be hacked again 😉
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Mike
| #
How long did it stay up this time after that wicked JS error was fixed? 1 hour? LULZ!
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Mike
| #
So $400.00 to keep the hacker out the first time, the next time was just you leaving a few weak files in the directory, so everything was audited, but now… Just curious… Why?
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Siden
| #
So when flames coming back up?
All I see when I go to eq2flames.com is Hi <3 Niber
btw my email is fine to.
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Mike
| #
LFG you lie through your yellow teeth, meth infested teeth, even your own buds were calling you out on MLW_Fanboi and I quote, “wait, LFG, didn’t you say he was from North Carolina? That IP comes back to Florida”. You were called out on that.
This is a pretty huge distance actually, I mean we’re talking about the same distance from Jersey to Maine.
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Maine+Florida&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1956l6008l0l6219l13l10l0l0l0l0l890l4885l5-4.3l7l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1920&bih=976&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
Secondly, what twitter handle are you talking about exactly? I don’t recall saying anything about you concerning twitter. Can you post a reference please?
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Mike
| #
Oops, here is a better link:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&q=Maine+to+Florida&gs_sm=e&gs_upl=1682l3590l0l3793l16l10l0l0l0l1l913l4110l3-1.0.1.4l6l0&bav=on.2,or.r_gc.r_pw.&biw=1920&bih=976&um=1&ie=UTF-8&sa=N&tab=wl
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Siden
| #
Flames is back up
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LFG
| #
Dearest Michael Lee Wells:
eq2flames has not been hacked again. It has remained up continuously since the last time it was brought up over two days ago. It has been significantly upgraded and reinforced and isn’t going anywhere.
Regarding your twitter reference, the fake twitter you posted from “anonymous” contained a twitter handle. You are the one who posted it on your site, so you should know what I’m talking about. I’ve never used twitter, dumbass, so it’s unlikely that anyone from anonymous would attempt to address me through that medium.
I sincerely appreciate the advertising revenue you generate for my site, please keep it up.
Thank you,
LFG
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LFG
| #
To be clear regarding this comment:
“The only thing of yours I haven’t posted is the long, rambling and incoherent letter you sent me asking me to pretty please remove the thread about you. Keep it up and I’ll repost that also.
LFG you lie through your yellow teeth, meth infested teeth”
Are you claiming you DID NOT send me that email?
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Mikeisfat
| #
id just like to reiterate the fact that mike is fat and his chin is not unlike a mans marble purse.
thanks
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Lebrasier
| #
Makes me physically sick to share the same christian name as MLW.
I might do a Nyber and change my name to Myke.
/Lebrasier
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LFG
| #
Agreed with poster above, Mike’s chin more resembles a scrotum than any man I’ve ever seen.
But back to Mike: You just removed all your lies about being backed up by Anonymous and a PI from public view, you made all your recent lie filled posts about eq2flames private so people can’t see them any more.
Michael Lee Wells is a liar and a coward. Mike, if you dispute that, please post your views on my site, your account is still active and you won’t be censored in any way. I’m now done posting here, so if you reply don’t expect an answer.
Feldon, thank you for the hospitality, but it appears my work is done here, I’m back to eq2flames now.
LFG
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CheeseburgerAnimal
| #
EQ2Flames is down again…
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Ziplock Bazaar
| #
And down again now…..
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