Saving Country Music: Standing Strong Against Cyberattacks, Defending Freedom of Speech in Country Music

The target of the cyberattack was an article published on May 22nd called Country Music Has a Morgan Wallen Problem. It Is a Complex One.

At 8:00 am on Friday morning, May 24th, 2024, Saving Country Music experienced a devastating cyberattack that rendered the website inaccessible for over six hours. This attack, which was coordinated, targeted, malicious, and catastrophic, was unlike anything the website had ever experienced in its sixteen years of operation. Despite being a relatively small website, Saving Country Music had always been aware of the potential for cyberattacks, given its size and popularity within the country music community.
Cyberattacks and hacking attempts are unfortunately common occurrences for websites, especially those that fall within the Goldilocks zone of being big enough to be enticing targets, but not large enough to have a massive IT team to combat such attacks. However, Saving Country Music had been fortunate enough to avoid any major incidents in the past, with only occasional and inconspicuous outages that went unnoticed by most users.

The target of this particular cyberattack was an article published on May 22nd titled “Country Music Has a Morgan Wallen Problem. It Is a Complex One.” This article became the focus of a large-scale Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attack, which overwhelmed the website with an excessive number of requests from various IP addresses, rendering it inaccessible. Despite blocking over 24,000 malicious IP addresses, the attack persisted, forcing the website’s team to take the drastic step of blocking access to the targeted article itself.

Unfortunately, the cyberattack is still ongoing, and the article remains unavailable to readers. However, since gaining control over the attack, the website has implemented additional measures to prevent similar incidents in the future. Nevertheless, the attack serves as a reminder that no system is entirely foolproof, and the cost of protecting against cyberattacks continues to rise.

Beyond the financial implications, this cyberattack is also a concerning assault on the principles of freedom of speech and expression. Saving Country Music prides itself on engaging with important topics in country music with depth and nuance, and this attack represents an affront to that mission. While it is unlikely that Morgan Wallen or anyone affiliated with him was involved in the attack, it is clear that the attack was purposeful, targeted, and malicious.

The choice to target a specific article rather than the website’s homepage or login pages suggests that the attackers had a specific agenda. The article in question discussed Morgan Wallen’s recent rejection by the Nashville City Council for an outdoor sign, and while it received backlash from some of Wallen’s fans, others criticized it for being too apologetic and defensive of his actions. Regardless, Saving Country Music remains committed to sharing important news, commentary, and criticism on country music, undeterred by such attacks.

While this cyberattack may have caused short-term damage, it has only strengthened the website’s resolve to continue speaking the truth and addressing important topics in the face of an increasingly dangerous and confusing future. The attack serves as a reminder of the importance of free expression and the need to protect it, even in the face of adversity. Saving Country Music remains steadfast in its mission to provide insightful and thought-provoking content to its readers, regardless of the consequences.