Due to the recent events funneling around the web in regards to our close friends at Swizards and after a few queries in the Ol’ inbox, it only seems fitting to express some clarity here.
What happened at Swizards?
Well, if you haven’t heard - supposedly there was a compromise via the tune of an SQL injection. This permitted the attacker to gain access to users data stored on the local databases. Though this is very unfortunate, it is even more so that this could adversely affect the future business of Swizards.
I have personally worked very closely with Swizards in the past… I designed the website and built the custom dashboard using WHMCS on the user cookie-side of things. I have worked closely with a few of their systems admin and to this very moment, I still do. They are a charismatic, enthusiastic and highly passionate group… all very empathetic and loyal to their users and moderators. I do not think that anyone should ever be so deserving of an attempt (unless they really put their worst foot forward intentionally… then it may be justified), but to say that Swizards, their staff and their user-base are deserving is far far from truth.
What the attacker has done is plain and simple extortion. There is really no other way to look at it. What Swizards is doing at this moment… I cannot really say. Swizards are their own organization of people. I can assume that they are attempting every effort possible to rectify the situation. It simply seems it couldn’t have happened at a more inconvenient time… at a time when I know that they have been actively seeking setting up a more solid infrastructure for their own website. I can also say with complete confidence that this may additionally come, not from Swziards not caring about their user-base… but in regards to them putting customers services, servers and settings as a priority, thus creating a blind-spot of selflessness in regards to their own frontend and database. Granted, this can and will affect users in these types of situations, to think that Swizards has allowed this out of knowledge and principle is simply wrong… and I am willing to back that up with my own reputation.
What’s happening at QuickBox?
I have been asked this several times over and will explain here in public forum.
Nothing is happening here at QuickBox. Just another glorious day tanning my neck as the day star sends down it’s steely rays of sun-dust all while I diligently type away at my computer over a margarita and a squawking Great Tailed Grackle making bold attempts at my potato wedges. That is actually what is happening at the moment.
In all seriousness. The QuickBox Project was born out of love for the fileshare community and all that it has done for numerous individuals around the world. It has enlightened us to one anothers lives and created connections with people the world over in which we would not had made effort to acquaint ourselves with otherwise.
QuickBox owes it’s very existence to Swizards and we have crazy amounts of respect for them and the level of service and transparency they provide. It is an admirable trait that many providers could take notes from. It is through their values and hard work that them (Swizards) and myself came to be so close in our efforts and communications.
Is QuickBox at risk? Is my data safe here?
QuickBox is not at risk over the events happening with Swizards in this moment. We are not a seedbox company, we merely make an open-source platform that other companies have made use of for their paying customers. Does this make us directly affiliated with them? No.
Your data here at QuickBox is contained (believe it or not, that’s your choice) within several containers… a box in a box in a box. Each box having it’s own layered firewall and brand of security. I take security with all seriousness. I treat every users system I login to to offer support the very same way I would treat my large fortune 500 clients and ticker-scaled business clients. It’s not a game and it is a means to give everyone a safe haven. A place empty of threats coupled with friendly and opened-ended discussion. We are after all, offering a completely free open-source platform that is technically an enterprise-provider-grade solution. Does this possibly add an additional layer of safety to QuickBox… b/c we give it our all for nothing? Perhaps and perhaps it doesn’t, we cannot be the judge and jury to these things… nor is there any sort of analytic one can come to use to forecast such happenings.
QuickBox has been endorsed by Swizards and to this day still maintains friendly relations with Swizards staff, I myself would have it no other way. We are not directly linked to or affiliated with Swizards… we are a project born of Swizards and maintained independently of Swizards… nothing more and nothing less.
What has happened with Swizards is saddening as they are incredibly friendly and all hard working.
Let’s all wish them the best and drop the speculations. I hope that Swizards pulls through this as they are known to be incredibly resilient… it is a solid characteristic from their level of dedication to their user-base (whom they lovingly refer to as fam.) I know they care about their users. So show some respect and have no worries. In the event that they do need to shut down due to the circumstance (which have crippled much larger companies) QuickBox will continue to grow and expand it’s feature-set … Swizards name will continue to live on through this very project… as without Swizards, not one of us would be devoting time to this project, nor enjoying it for what it is and what it gives.
