Web Hosting Fight
A Dutch anti-spam activist group called ‘Spamhaus' recently accused web hosting company ‘Cyberbunker' of spamming users. Not only did Spamhaus accuse Cyberbunker of bad spam tactics, but the activist group added Cyberbunker to its blacklist. 
Since millions of people follow the Spamhaus blacklist, this was a big deal for Cyberbunker — especially since the web hosting company has had a controversial past. Cyberbunker has had brushes with the law before.
The hosting company was the host behind the famed Russian Business Network, and it has also hosted BitTorrent tracker, The Pirate Bay. Why was Cyberbunker on the Spamhaus blacklist?
Web Hosting Fight: Accused of Spamming
Spamhaus feels that Cyberbunker is a spam host. Or, a host that sends out spam regularly and widely. However, this accusation didn't fly with Cyberbunker supporters, and it has a lot of clever supporters. To retaliate, Cyberbunker hackers united and attacked the Domain Name System (DNS). The DNS is the lifeblood of the Internet, so you can image what a mess this caused.
Web Hosting Fight: The Internet Temporarily Becomes Jammed
Internet users by the millions were impacted by this web hosting company versus anti-spam group attack. Services like Netflix were shut down and websites were unable to be accessed. This simple spat caused so much shutdown that Internet users across the world were unable to conduct basics online tasks.
If this sounds like a scary notion, that's because it is. Cyber attacks like this one are becoming more and more common, and, soon, the entire Internet could be wiped out based on a simple accusation. Hackers are becoming smarter, and it's only a matter of time before another hack like this one happens.
Web Hosting Fight: Be Careful Who You Host With
Needless to say, those who use Cyberbunker's hosting services were also impacted by the attacks. Further, it's never a good idea to have a business or personal name attached to a hosting company that's as controversial as this one is. So, how can you avoid any bad PR?
Make sure you do your homework. Most people who use Cyberbunker probably had no idea that the company was so controversial. Hosting companies can all seem very harmless, but some of them practice bad business. In turn, bad business practices lead to possible shut downs, or, worse, an entire company might be shut down. This would leave you with no hosting company to speak of. What became of Cyberbunker?
Web Hosting Fight: Cyberbunker's Fate
Clearly, many Cyberbunker users did not agree with Spamhaus' assessment of the company. But, those who do follow the Spamhaus blacklist are likely taking their business elsewhere. Cyberbunker remains up and running, and plenty of companies use the host still.
It's hard to say which company was right in this debate, but it's amazing to think that a fight between a hosting company and a cyber-watch team could result in such a massive Internet shutdown. This just goes to prove that reading about any company — hosting company or otherwise — that you are about to do business with is vital.
