[SJDXA] ARRL Systems Service Disruption

[John Bodine]

Exactly.

On Thu, Sep 26, 2024 at 2:59 AM John Crovelli <w2gd at hotmail.com> wrote:

> Be very weary when you see those at HQ effectively call a Director (N4MB)
> a liar.
>
> Sometimes doubling down works, sometimes not.  It sure smacks of CYA to me.
>
> GD
>
>
> ------------------------------
> *From:* sjdxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net <sjdxa-bounces at mailman.qth.net> on
> behalf of Tom Preiser N2XW <tjpreiser at gmail.com>
> *Sent:* Wednesday, September 25, 2024 6:47 PM
> *To:* obarc at mailman.qth.net <obarc at mailman.qth.net>; South Jersey DX
> Association <sjdxa at mailman.qth.net>
> *Subject:* [SJDXA] ARRL Systems Service Disruption
>
>
>
> The following is from the ARRL Website.
>
> *Updated 9/25/24*
>
> Two major systems that have not been returned to service include DXCC and
> our accounting system. Most other systems have returned to full service,
> and we are working to clean up the stragglers.
>
> *DXCC*®* System*
>
> Our DXCC software was written some 20 years ago.  Although an attempt was
> made 8 years ago to reprogram it to function in a newer environment, that
> effort was unsuccessful, so the old system remains running today.  The
> complication with bringing it back to service is that it runs on an older
> version of Windows that is not supported, and more importantly, we cannot
> purchase adequate protection to return it to service on an internet-based
> network.
>
> We have created an air-gapped network to run the system on and have it
> operating in a test, using a different method for connecting it to Logbook
> of The World® and online DXCC -- the web service that runs the online DXCC
> application.  This configuration is being tested and we expect it can go
> into production soon.  We will work to process the backlog as quickly as
> possible.
>
> *New DXCC?*
>
> There were statements made by an ARRL Director about work on a new DXCC
> system.  That is not factual. While we have ideas for merging DXCC and
> LoTW® into a single ARRL Radiosport platform, this concept has not been
> fully spec’d out or put into development.
>
> *ARRL Financials*
>
> The system we use for accounting was hit hard by the cyber-attack.
> Currently, the system is fully operational and the ARRL Foundation books
> are in place.  ARRL’s corporate books are current as of 6/30/23, and we are
> working to load the balance of the data through 12/31/23. Once we are
> certain that the books tie to the audited 2023 financials, we will move to
> load the 2024 transactions, which are in digital and paper formats. That
> will take some time, but we will have all the data current in time for the
> 2025 Annual Meeting and the annual audit.
>
> *Backups*
>
> Another statement made was about ARRL’s backups of our IT environment.
> There was an effort last year to move all of our backups into the cloud.
> That was completed mid-2023.  There was a routine discipline of backups
> that went through mid-May 2024 when the cyber attack occurred.
> Unfortunately, the entire cloud infrastructure was penetrated, and all of
> the environments were deleted.  Not encrypted.  This caused us to revert to
> other backups that had been made and stored in other places.  As a result,
> we were largely able to continue all of our major services especially
> publishing our 4 magazines and keeping book projects, like ARRL Handbook
> 101, on schedule.
>
> Today, ARRL is using a proprietary system to backup systems and data
> locally and to the cloud.  We are also continuing to use air gapped,
> off-site backups in specific areas and are expanding that for disaster
> recovery purposes.  The new IT environment is currently being rolled out,
> so the assertion that there is something wrong or staff are incompetent is
> not factual.
>
> We appreciate your continued patience and understanding._._,_._,_
>
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-- 

Later,
        John Bodine/WU2E
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