Blockchain-based move-to-earn app Stepn under DDoS attacks after upgrade

cointelegraph.com:

Solana-based move-to-earn application Stepn has reported multiple denial-of-service (DDoS) attacks in the aftermath of the platform proceeding with a major anti-cheating upgrade.

Stepn took to Twitter on June 5 to report that the platform has suffered a number of DDoS attacks causing recovery maintenance and associated improper performance.

1/2We have been under multiple DDOS attacks in the past hours. Securing the servers and recovery may take anywhere from 1 to 12 hours. We recommend you take some rest during the maintenance or otherwise the work-outs may not be recorded properly.

According to the statement, Stepn was expecting to secure and recover the servers in up to 12 hours but has not posted an update for 20 hours by the time of writing.

“Our engineers are working hard to fix the problems. We will announce here once recovery is complete. Thank you so much for everyone’s patience,” Stepn wrote.

The attacks came shortly after Stepn introduced its anti-cheating system referred to as “Stepn’s Model for Anti-Cheating,” or SMAC, on June 3. The system aims to eliminate fake users from the platform as well as to prevent fraudulent motion data on the Stepn app in an attempt to gain unfair profit from the platform.

“SMAC system specifically targets the movement simulation by amending real walking/running data, thanks to our machine learning algorithm,” the anti-cheating system’s description reads.

Stepn reported on major platform issues soon after proceeding with the upgrade, with SMAC mistakenly identifying some genuine users as bots. Other problems included network issues caused by a “25 million DDOS attack” as well as the temporary inability to track any bots on the platform.

“We are deeply sorry for the inconvenience caused to