Since the last week in November, 2much programmers had been writing a temporary replacement of the module effected when a breakthrough occurred late Monday night that allowed 2much to overcome the time bombs planted in the company's operating systems. They are now online again, one week earlier than anticipated.
"It wasn't just time bombs in the software," said Mark Prince, owner of 2much.net. "Our server was being attacked from the outside by logic bombs. We managed to capture a signal and decode it, so now we know the source and our programmers have effectively blocked it."
During the attacks, chat hostesses from thirty-five different sites were repeatedly kicked off, frustrating clients and performers alike.
"We were pulling our hair trying to figure it out," said Prince.
Now that the company has blocked the attack, patched the receive codes, and gone back online, they fully intend to prosecute the perpetrators, said 2much's media and communications manager Greg Jones.
"This crime affected almost forty companies across the net, hundreds of chat hostesses, over a hundred various employees, and it cost us a lot in reputation," Jones said.
The company's legal counsel noted the resilience of his client's reputation.
"This whole incident demonstrates that 2much has the financial and technical resources to withstand attacks of this kind, costly as they may be," said counsel. "Prospective as well as existing clients should feel secure with the knowledge that 2much has the ability to maintain its online business and that of its customers."
"Business first," said Jones. "Many people depend on us. We need to make these next few weeks count, especially before Christmas, and before we launch the new version."
Details about LiveCamNetwork 2.0, the company's next upgrade to their video chat service, are now very closely guarded.
"Despite the interruption of services for nearly two weeks, 2much made sure that all accounting remained up-to-date and that all 900+ models and thousands of affiliates were paid on time," Prince told XBiz. "In addition, LiveCamNetwork.com set up a completely free non-billable nude chat for its loyal customers while the system problems were being fixed."
"LiveCamNetwork.com is the company's 'exemplar' site, a model for both potential and existing clients and webmasters as to how they can build theirs to become," Sidney Zombay of ISN News told XBiz. "After nearly five years, LiveCamNetwork has established a very loyal fan base, with unheard of retention. Of course, the chat hostesses of LCN are largely responsible for this, but it's all part of what one regular returning customer has called the 'LCN experience'."
"It's a testament to how a professional company is run," Zombay said.
"Marketing campaigns, traffic orders, an online magazine, and new chat site projects," are coming up, said Prince, adding that "There's a two week backlog to take care of, new chat hostesses to sign up, and the business of notifying everyone who couldn't work that their sites and chat rooms are back again."
