Statement from _TheRedX (posting from his side)

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↩  quack95 Like - all I did is hide just a bit of information that I had a very minimal amount of.

For context, he told the admin team that he had information on exactly how the attacks were being done, and he also told us he knew how to stop the attacks. He then purposefully withheld that information from everyone who asked despite us asking multiple times over several hours. After being given a last chance by video to come clean, he was indefinitely suspended.

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↩  quack95 Apparently I collabed with “rogue players”, but I actually weren’t part of the attack. No attack was done on my part and I haven’t collaborated on the actual attack. All I have done is hide very minimal information on this attack.

While you weren't involved directly ddosing the server, you not only gave the impression you might've had more involvement, but you also withheld information from us yet passed over our messages onto him, and held back your information until we met both of your demands.

Again, the information did indeed turn out to be useless - but in all of the conversations leading up to that, you made it clear that you had the key to fixing the problem. You used this so called information as leverage to force the executive team into negotiations with the ddoser.

Your general attitude in the entire situation made it impossible for you to have been trusted to continue serving as an administrator on the server.

That is my grounds for the suspension anyway. I cannot comment on your indefinite ban.

All in all, best wishes for the future. You're smart with this computer shite and you'll do well in life.

↩  quack95 I agree, but I will add onto this - we don't expect our staff members an undying loyalty to totalfreedom. We don't want you to take a bullet for this server or anything.

What we do want is for you is not to help out the guy whose ddosing the servers forum. It was that, combined with the fact he was refusing to help us while helping him, that meant suspension was the only reasonable course of action

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↩  quack95 If a fix as basic as ONE LINE OF CODE can actually be that hard to do, then I’m sorry. I don’t see how you’re capable of doing your job.

from my understanding, he failed to even identify what this actually was, opting to be really vague about it instead and essentially provide non-answers, so he can fuck right off with that bullshit.

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↩  quack95 I haven’t broken any law

The individual broke the computer misuse act under UK law.

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↩  quack95 and I don’t see how I should’ve been suspended, let alone indef-banned.

The individual broke the law, and is just shitty he got caught.

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↩  quack95 Like, if I decided to go on kaboom and chunkban a TF member that I didn’t even know was a TF member, they can complain about me because they know that I’m a TF staff, and get me in trouble.

Then make sure they don't come and scream at me...? It's really as simple as that.

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↩  quack95 IBRs were literally PUBLICLY LEAKING IPS.

No, ips are public information and as I've said already, we've made this private just to appease you people...

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↩  quack95 I feel like there needs to be a reform on how permissions are handled with TF administrators.

Yes... Attacking the platform to make that suggestions seems a good idea...

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↩  quack95 But they don’t even have OP on the hub anymore

Because we have hub staff. Hub is a different game mode with different rules and different setups...

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↩  quack95 I’m 100% sure if there is some kind of subcommand that could be harmful, it could be removed with NM (NetworkManager).

If you hadn't been dosing the forums you could have seen we already plan to do exactly this...

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↩  quack95 It’s awful how easy it is to get yourself suspended as well. Like - all I did is hide just a bit of information that I had a very minimal amount of. It’s stupid

We asked multiple times and you have useless cryptic information. Was utter nonsense and totally useless.

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↩  quack95 I think suspensions should also have some kind of reform, as I don’t think I should’ve been indef-banned for this.

Of course you do... You got caught out and got indef banned...

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↩  quack95 The fix is so stupidly basic that I just don’t see the Atlas Management Team as capable of actually taking care of the server properly, I don’t even think that they know what they’re doing. If a fix as basic as ONE LINE OF CODE can actually be that hard to do, then I’m sorry. I don’t see how you’re capable of doing your job.

The fix wasn't one line of code, it never was. You were simply lied to. The change was substantislly more complex to deploy. And the fix we've deployed tonight causes us quite a few issues longer term... If you'd bothered to share the info on how you thought it was a one line fix that'd have been great, but given the levels I've had to go to in order to try and get the attack mitigated I'd be disappointed if there was a simpler fix we could have rolled out given you were crippling the Web servers themselves...

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↩  quack95 And Ryan is just plain irresponsible - yes, he does have a job

I work full time... And frankly tf is a hobby. If you decided to attack it fixing it isn't a priority...

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↩  quack95 If you own a server, you better take care of it properly.

Ahh yes. Because spending hours after hours trying to figure out how to block denial of service attacks isn't taking care of the server. Glad it was appreciated.

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↩  quack95 This problem should’ve never happened at all - in fact, if people actually knew what they were doing, I think there wouldn’t have been exploits like what happened with NM and the forums attack.

If you believe that then you're frankly foolish... Attacks and exploits are inevitable. This is the first time we've had any major issues with the forums due to attacks. The bottom line is attacks are inevitable.

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↩  quack95 and i expect what you’re about to say is “i recommend not being friends with a rule breaker”, even though it’s very unlikely you’d say that, i really don’t care about who i’m friends with, as long as they’re not an asshole i’m fine

fwiw, im still friends with and still talk to both seth and robin so 🤷

Sticking to the rant, as I do think some of your projects may take off as you're very skilled.

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↩  quack95 Thankfully, at least that was fixed.

Not really. Did you think we'd manually edit all archived requests, comments, pictures...? We just moved the category back to the admin section. OPs will be happy to be unable to contribute or defend themselves now, thanks to you and your friends.

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↩  quack95 Only execs have full permission over Freedom-01

Actually I don't. Only a senior admin will. It's nitpicking but shows how much one knows TFM or the platform.

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↩  quack95 I wanted a reform.

Not a new thing, veterans remember how well did past chaotic reform attempts go.

Generally speaking, what you've said is too close to the messages the alleged attacker sent you. (Fellow admins who saw the screenshots should be able to confirm my memory's serving right.) I personally believe you must have had a part in all of this, even if you weren't the executor.

Just some remarks.

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↩  quack95 I’ve already pretty much ruined my reputation in the community, and if I wanted to try again, I don’t see how my reinstatement would be accepted, if I do so decide to do that.

I've been in a very similar situation before in the past. My reputation as both a staff member and as a player was nearly finished when it was found that I had been helping a rogue former admin back in 2017. The motivations I had for helping the rogue admin in the first place were even the same: making TotalFreedom great again. While things may look dark and depressing now, I don't think your case is something that you can't recover from. It sure as fuck won't be easy (look at the fairly valid feedback you've gotten from others), but not impossible.

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↩  quack95 Like, if I decided to go on kaboom and chunkban a TF member that I didn’t even know was a TF member, they can complain about me because they know that I’m a TF staff, and get me in trouble. Like, it’s stupid how much responsibility you must have and how much dedication you need for TotalFreedom.

Not really. Actions like that put the reputation and credibility of the entire staff team at stake. Of course there's going to be additional liability.

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↩  quack95 I feel like there needs to be a reform on how permissions are handled with TF administrators. I think the permissions need to be a little evened-out, as it’s stupid how some actually useful commands are just not allowed. [...] I mean, that could be good, but it’s still a little bit of a problem, as I think some features are genuinely useful and great for admins. Like, /data. I’m 100% sure if there is some kind of subcommand that could be harmful, it could be removed with NM (NetworkManager).

Multiple commands were disabled during the Seth era due to their extremely hazardous nature outweighing any and all use cases. For example, the /paper command was outright blocked because /paper heap allowed people to essentially fill up a server's disk and lag it at the same time. I don't disagree that many commands (e.g. /data) should be unblocked for admins, but this is something you could have suggested when you were still an administrator.

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↩  quack95 It’s awful how easy it is to get yourself suspended as well. Like - all I did is hide just a bit of information that I had a very minimal amount of.

I felt it was necessary to file an immediate suspension because the way you responded to some of my inquiries in the matter led me to lose any and all trust I had in you as an administrator.

Specifically:

• When I repeatedly asked you what the solution was to fix the problem the attacks were abusing, you avoided answering my question directly, opting instead for cryptic responses.

videogamesm12 » how are the spam attacks bypassing cloudflare  
_TheRedX » amogus  
xPkz_ » amogus  
videogamesm12 » serious question  
_TheRedX » it uses the amogus to do the amogus  
_TheRedX » how do you not get it  
_TheRedX » its so easy  
videogamesm12 » could you not be so cryptic  
videogamesm12 » i actually need this information to fix the proble  
videogamesm12 » problem**  
videogamesm12 » with the forums  
_TheRedX » it was done with a website  
_TheRedX » amogus-haxor-978456.net  
xPkz_ » red didnt you say the guy literally told you  
_TheRedX » password: amogus  
videogamesm12 » now is not the time for jokes  
videogamesm12 » firstly, why are you withholding this information  
_TheRedX » because amogus  
_TheRedX » literally it's so easy  
_TheRedX » you get the logs and you can figure it out  
videogamesm12 » yeah except thousands of logs of ips flooding the server doesn't tell us anything genius  
_TheRedX » it does  
videogamesm12 » no it doesn't  
_TheRedX » it's such a SIMPLE fix  
videogamesm12 » if it's so simple  
_TheRedX » like holy shit how do you not understand already  
_TheRedX » lmao  
videogamesm12 » then why don't you tell us  
_TheRedX » because amogus!  
videogamesm12 » do you realize how close i am to suspending you for deliberately withholding information like this  
_TheRedX » do you realize how bad the actual atlas management team is, if you can't figure out such a simple darn problem  
_TheRedX » you should talk to the person  
_TheRedX » it's the only way to settle this with them  
videogamesm12 » it doesn't matter if the problem is bloody simple  
_TheRedX » cuz they wont stop if you don't  
videogamesm12 » how are they bypassing cloudflare  
_TheRedX » as i said  
_TheRedX » lamogus  

• Your tone was quite sympathetic towards the attackers.
  Code

  _TheRedX » seriously tho  
  _TheRedX » video  
  _TheRedX » talk to them  
  _TheRedX » I'm willing to sacrifice my rank to make change happen  
  _TheRedX » I have things to do anyways, it's not like i rely on admin or on TF  
  videogamesm12 » You are actively withholding information that would enable us to make these changes you dingus  
  _TheRedX » they won't stop  
  _TheRedX » even if you fix this  
  _TheRedX » it won't end  
  _TheRedX » they'll exploit more and more  
  _TheRedX » it's not a fix  
  _TheRedX » it's a temporary solution but it wont do anything  
  _TheRedX » the only way to settle it with them is to actually talk to them  
  --  
  erin » Red  
  erin » How can we trust you as an admin of this server if you're still sitting on information that leads to someone attacking it  
  videogamesm12 » If they want change so badly, attacking the place that makes these changes possible is the WORST way of doing it.  
  _TheRedX » erin I'm not going to let the server die if someone actually deliberately tries to do this, I won't just give information  

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↩  quack95 Apparently I collabed with “rogue players”, but I actually weren’t part of the attack. No attack was done on my part and I haven’t collaborated on the actual attack. All I have done is hide very minimal information on this attack.

The information was useless in the end, but you had presented it as something that would have ultimately fixed the forum and framed its simplicity as the basis for your argument that AMG's management is incompetent. Deliberately refusing to divulge this information as a staff member (a position where your duties include maintaining server well-being) is a textbook conflict of interest.

At the end of the day, my thoughts are the same as FTTT's. You had good motivations with your end goal, but executed it absolutely terribly.

I find it incredibly disgraceful that you (redx) gave the attacker more respect than your fellow admins and your lack of cooperation clearly showed you had 0 respect for the server and clearly didn't give a shit.

One of the first things you said was 'you knew the reason for the attacks but not who did it'. The way you worded this made you seem like you knew the reason for the attack and simply hid it and later you then say you're "friends" with them and refused to give information because you "respect their privacy." This is legit the same as being "friends with a known criminal but keeping their identity hidden because they are your friend." You also were protecting someone who also managed to harass erin on discord by enabling unsolicited 'accounts' to ask for nudes or some shit and basically harass them. You had absolutely 0 respect for your colleagues and that's what disgusts me. Good riddance.

Quack: everything i say here is in relation to red,,just making sure:

right here's what I find disgusting

Let's say for a moment your solution was the right one and you were capable of helping. Instead, you helped the fuckers who were breaking the law and kept making alternate accounts to bypass. Most importantly, they set up bots to sexually harass users of our community. You supported this. You told us 'we need to negotiate' literal sex pests lmfao

These people are your friends, ergo you do not belong here. They DDOSed us for days, and you supported that because you thought you had it right with 'negotiations'.

I'm just going to repeat, members of this community including underage individuals got sexually harassed by your friends, if you don't believe me check screenshots. You are here writing about how you are right and what you did was justified meaning you're defending literal pedophiles.

I'm not one to normally care this much but this is genuinely revolting. I just don't understand your thought process, and it's just incredible that you stood up for those fuckers who you knew were doing wrong things rather than innocent people. Look, TF is not perfect, I know this full well and frequently point out the shortfalls, but people like erin and smugd are innocent people and they do not deserve to be pestered about sexual things

Don't come back

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↩  Luke They DDOSed us for days

they've not stopped either, just an fyi. it started again earlier today.

The ban reason from the Ender Empire discord, which i feel perfectly conveys my feelings about RedX at the moment. Defending Pedophiles is not OK.

Your solution was executed worse than a victim of a fucking Mexican cartel. Even if it had good intentions.

I'm not entirely sure what your thought process was or still is, but it's clearly not working. With your actions, you've betrayed the trust of the entire community, trust which was given to you as an administrator. I don't expect admins to be like the fucking Secret Service, but there is a base level of respect and loyalty that is to be expected.

I know that'll I'll eventually learn to forgive you, but I had expected better from you, and I'd be lying if I said I wasn't sorely dissapointed.

Jesus Christ, man…

↩  quack95 what even happened to red

↩  Zarcana I have gotten rid of Red as well from the Imperium Discord now that I've learnt of what he has done.

I'm disgusted by what Red has done and I feel horrible that a person so close to me (Country-wise) can even act like this.

i don’t like how people are calling him red here 😭

i was sympathetic when you first got banned, but after reading about what your friends have done i have lost what little respect i have for you. you could have at least pretended to be sincere but you made it all about you. you have tarnished your image by letting a bunch of hooligans harm our community. i wish you the best in your future endeavors and hope that you learn from this. next time, think things through.

non sugar-coated version:

youre a fucking idiot

TheRed is not a Pedophile, nor is he defending them, I know him too well for him to be that. I am not a pedophile either, in fact, even I am still a minor.

The people that messaged TotalFreedom staff are from a chat roulette website, it was solely their responsibility for what they messaged Staff with, it was not me, my friends or TheRed himself - in fact, those messages could have come from anyone, not just people from said site, but for example from real life, where even I got sexually hit on by a guy way above my age for my "big ass". I do not endorse what those people may have sent your Staff, we just wanted to get a few weird people to add Staff members in mass, just to see a bit more drama unfold - because that's what makes TotalFreedom alive - If you do not want strangers to add you or message you I seriously recommend you to stop being crybaby bitches and instead to turn off your friend requests and direct messages. I also have not told TheRed a lot about how the attack has worked, so he couldn't have known better how to tell it to you. I even told him multiple times that he should stay out of this and forward everything to me, as I did not want him to get in trouble, but he insisted in continuing to troll you a little bit. Nevertheless, TheRed was not part of any sort of pedophilic activity, neither was he part of the DDoSing that the forums experienced, if you could even call it a DDoS given how simple it was.

This just goes to show how much of a dumpsterfire TotalFreedom is, and how it is only alive thanks to drama and taking things too much out of context. To be fair, it's completely self explanatory to why TotalFreedom has died down so much, management is shit and the sole thing that keeps the server alive is just plain and simply: drama.
The sole reason we started to target TotalFreedom was because of Ryan's irresponsibility as the defacto Owner of TotalFreedom, and because we wanted to do a bit of trolling and stir up some drama.

Also, the Forum is setup in such a way that anyone can grab your IP via a foreign image, we already tried that a few months back. Thank TotalFreedom System Admins for their shitty administration. Even I got my webserver DDoSed once and I was able to mitigate that attack within an hour by adding a single line of code to my application, while for TotalFreedom's forums 10 requests per second were enough to severely slow it down, plus, it took ages for you to "mitigate" the attack, I hope you learnt to use cloudflare and ip-/nftables properly now.