Urgent Update: Disruption of Images
Hey everyone, I’m sure you’ve noticed images around the site starting to flicker out of existence, again. I was hoping to not need to write a post the last few times it’s been resolved, but here we are again and images aren’t loading.
As many of you know, all our images are hosted on the domain https://img.subeta.net, directed to a secure storage "bucket" on AWS. For over a decade, this setup has served us well, housing our item images, avatars, and more.
A few years back, we migrated our servers away from AWS, keeping only a few essential components there, including the S3 bucket. These components are linked to older parts of the site that require a significant overhaul to transfer elsewhere.
Regrettably, for the past few months, our AWS account has been facing frequent suspensions due to "suspicious activity" flagged by external sources, likely trolls. I've had to jump through hoops multiple times, resetting passwords, and rotating tokens just to regain access and restore our images and queues. Our minimal usage means our bill hovers under $100, disqualifying us from upgraded support.
After pleading with AWS support during the last suspension, I learned that false reports of illicit content in our buckets trigger these suspensions. Due to our modest bill, Amazon suspends first and investigates later, leaving us stuck in this frustrating loop. We're constantly at risk of suspension due to these malicious reports.
Currently, I'm awaiting AWS support to reinstate our account. Once resolved, I'll strategize moving our remaining AWS infrastructure elsewhere to prevent future disruptions. This situation is exasperating, and is mostly out of my control. Your patience and understanding are sincerely appreciated, and images should be loading again very soon.
As many of you know, all our images are hosted on the domain https://img.subeta.net, directed to a secure storage "bucket" on AWS. For over a decade, this setup has served us well, housing our item images, avatars, and more.
A few years back, we migrated our servers away from AWS, keeping only a few essential components there, including the S3 bucket. These components are linked to older parts of the site that require a significant overhaul to transfer elsewhere.
Regrettably, for the past few months, our AWS account has been facing frequent suspensions due to "suspicious activity" flagged by external sources, likely trolls. I've had to jump through hoops multiple times, resetting passwords, and rotating tokens just to regain access and restore our images and queues. Our minimal usage means our bill hovers under $100, disqualifying us from upgraded support.
After pleading with AWS support during the last suspension, I learned that false reports of illicit content in our buckets trigger these suspensions. Due to our modest bill, Amazon suspends first and investigates later, leaving us stuck in this frustrating loop. We're constantly at risk of suspension due to these malicious reports.
Currently, I'm awaiting AWS support to reinstate our account. Once resolved, I'll strategize moving our remaining AWS infrastructure elsewhere to prevent future disruptions. This situation is exasperating, and is mostly out of my control. Your patience and understanding are sincerely appreciated, and images should be loading again very soon.
Posted by 
Keith
Penemuel
The transparency is really appreciated - so many sites go into radio silence as if it would be better to stay quiet until they fix the problem, and end up causing user frustration. It’s always better to say *something* even if that something is just ‘we know there’s a problem and we’re working on it’ - that small gesture goes a long way! <3
5
Khaiya
As always the transparency is appreciated. If I knew something about programming I'd try to be helpful. But you'll always have my support. This is such a great space. You're always trying to better it..
0
Xezvi
Thanks for the explanation Keith. I had noticed 90% of my item images breaking a few times and wondered what was up, lol. It didn't really effect my use of the site so I always just navigated based on text and ignored it until it was fixed. It sounds incredibly frustrating on your side to repeatedly deal with this nonsense from Amazon. You have my sympathies!
0
Mackenzi
"I was hoping to not need to write a post the last few times it’s been resolved"
I just wanna let you know, in my personal opinion of someone who has enjoyed this site for a good number of years, I think it's always okay to make some kind of communication and talk about when things are on the fritz.
I just wanna let you know, in my personal opinion of someone who has enjoyed this site for a good number of years, I think it's always okay to make some kind of communication and talk about when things are on the fritz.
12
StarShadow
I haven't noticed that many images missing & all the dice are there when I play bluff. Hope everything gets worked out OK.; Thanks.
1
Delirium
Thank you for telling us what's been going on. Images being broken can be incredibly annoying and I think it helps us remember that it's even more annoying being on the backend and trying to deal with mega-corporations who don't give a shit about their smaller customers because they have more money than any company should ever have.
9
Disasters
Thank you for the transparency! Seeing the images go down so often was troubling, but having a reason behind it and knowing that not only are you doing all you can, but that you can’t do anything to prevent it, makes it easier to understand. It honestly makes me feel much better about supporting the site when we’re actually being given the reason and it’s not just being ignored like some things were in the past.
12
springjoy
@Keith I'm so sorry for this. I am a content creator on a different platform and I swear people just poke around and report things as explicit or inappropriate when they aren't. I've had my account suspended for "substance abuse", and other creators have been flagged for random things and it's very old and frustrating. I can't imagine how much more so in this situation!
I hope that you'll be able to find a good solution that won't give you too many headaches!
I hope that you'll be able to find a good solution that won't give you too many headaches!
5
stormchaser
that sounds so frustrating :( we really appreciate you keeping us informed about things like this! <3
2
Cossus_cossus
That sounds very frustrating - for you! Me, I can just sit here and wait for it to work again sometime.
1
Saeros
Thank you for the update. It's really sad that some people are always trying to hurt others...
5
Cerredwyn
Thank you very much to Keith and everyone else left on that skeleton crew of staff who's trying to resolve the issues. I'm a huge fan of Subeta, am here every night for several hours, and this site keeps me motivated to stay in the world and have a little bit of a social life. Thanks again everyone who works so hard to keep us going here.
4
Castiel_Angel
People are such assholes! How did things get so bad in the world that people have started to amuse themselves by hurting others? We are so doomed as a species...luckily there's an asteroid on the way in 2036 that may or may not hit us, so fingers crossed we find a way off the planet for the good people by then
2
raw
Keith, your efforts and the efforts of your staff are beyond appreciated. Thank you so much for keeping Subeta around, it really makes my days so much better to be a part of this community regardless of whether the images are loading or not! <3
9
Someone
Oof! What a headache. Some people got nothing better to do than be the absolute worst -.- hope y’all can get to a solution quickly.
5
Vars
i can't believe it's someone actively making an effort to report the site...like that's really something else & that's coming from me, the prince of tedium
sorry it's been so crap to deal with, that really sucks
sorry it's been so crap to deal with, that really sucks
6
Keith
@Saturnine You can report any public AWS asset (publicly accessible EC2 instances, S3 buckets, etc) as holding child pornography or illegal / stolen / copyrighted material, and they'll typically (Unless you're on a support plan) suspend as specific as they can get. If it's the third or fourth time it's happened (and this is the... 20th?) they'll ban the account until confirmation that it's not doing any of the above.
We'll just move off S3 to something s3-compatible (which there are a ton of now!) and be done with it soon, hopefully!
We'll just move off S3 to something s3-compatible (which there are a ton of now!) and be done with it soon, hopefully!
21
Saturnine
as someone who works with AWS (using their system, yes including buckets, ec2s, migrations, all that), I'm so deeply curious as to how someone would report an s3 bucket for false info and why AWS wouldn't flag that 5 reports are probably not in good faith (but they have cut a great deal of staff, sooooOOooooOo)
If you want a temporary contract for someone to look and help, I'm here.
If you want a temporary contract for someone to look and help, I'm here.
4
mayla
Thank you for the update, Keith. The transparency is greatly appreciated. I hope that a more stable solution can be found that leads to less frustration all around.
6
Keith
I promise we've had the crowd funding idea kicking around for awhile, I'm coming back to Subeta full time in a few days (at least for a few months 🎉) and can think about it more seriously. We've got a skeleton crew of us, so even the idea of putting together something like that would require a level of thinking about the future we haven't had space to do in quite some time~!
43
Carlita
I'm a total ignorant on this matters but I do appreciate on giving us an update. Thank you so much for the effort <3
2
Thundercracker
Thank you for the transparency of what is going and and why @Keith. It is very much apricated in understanding the workings of Subeta behind the scenes.
It is frustrating to hear that paying lower brings less respect by the company. I hope you are able to get Subeta off that server sooner than later and stop paying them for their lackluster service.
It is frustrating to hear that paying lower brings less respect by the company. I hope you are able to get Subeta off that server sooner than later and stop paying them for their lackluster service.
8
LothlorienRain
Thanks for the update, and oh I feel for you. Within the last year I have had a terrible time with Amazon due to their security system being decidedly too sensitive. It is as though it unlearned everything that taught it how to recognize a human from a computer, and to tell normal human migration from foreign fraudulent interference. The result is this mess. At least in my case I am not under attack directly. I think honestly the attack is being directed at Amazon, and we are the ones who suffer because its our files and accounts that get flagged. May your efforts to get away from them prove to be a good thing.
9
Malachi
Oh I would also like to +1 the fundraiser idea. LOTS of players have wanted to do this and help Subeta out. Like sure, we can buy CSC, but there's a fairly noticeable desire in the playerbase to boost Subeta without relying on purchasing credits.
You guys could do a Kickstarter-esque deal where there's prize tiers — perhaps CW and pet overlay vouchers, super rare but still available-to-all items, maybe even really high goals where backers can decide the next species/color to release or be revamped (if a revamp is deemed necessary), or a new set of wearables (one item, multiple palettes) for site-wide use, etc. Actually,separate and combo packages for HA people and pet people ain't a bad idea. Maybe a battler package too since I know that's some players' vibe!
And then ofc the tracking of donation goals, like (total amount) means you guys can do (needed thing). Hiring more artists, more coders, finishing the new site, etc.
Just an idea!
You guys could do a Kickstarter-esque deal where there's prize tiers — perhaps CW and pet overlay vouchers, super rare but still available-to-all items, maybe even really high goals where backers can decide the next species/color to release or be revamped (if a revamp is deemed necessary), or a new set of wearables (one item, multiple palettes) for site-wide use, etc. Actually,separate and combo packages for HA people and pet people ain't a bad idea. Maybe a battler package too since I know that's some players' vibe!
And then ofc the tracking of donation goals, like (total amount) means you guys can do (needed thing). Hiring more artists, more coders, finishing the new site, etc.
Just an idea!
7
Taarna
Really appreciate the update, even though you didn't want to share all that.
For me, it's more reason to keep contributing to the site monetarily, to see that a better service can be acquired and paid for without taking money from the very few staff that remains.
End users need to stop focusing on the "whodunit" and focus that energy into things that would support the site and it's new transition of services.
For me, it's more reason to keep contributing to the site monetarily, to see that a better service can be acquired and paid for without taking money from the very few staff that remains.
End users need to stop focusing on the "whodunit" and focus that energy into things that would support the site and it's new transition of services.
7
Dahlia
I have noticed that this tends to happen on a monthly basis now- around the same time. It's tragic that somebody or some people have that much time on their hands a month to do such things. I'm not even mad necessarily, more pity them for wasting their breath and precious time on earth like that when they could be doing something far more productive and life changing. ಠ︵ಠ Thanks for the update, Keith.
9
Rebane
How frustrating! Thanks for the communication. Hopefully this resolves with minimal stress for you.
1
Malachi
who even has the time and energy to false report a small pet site in 2024 for shits and giggles
like, problems for us aside, what a needless waste for them? it's exasperating but it's not like... y'know... actually clever and worthwhile trolling. someone is being a total clown for free instead of getting a job as a professional one (professional clowns get paid pretty good, actually).
like, problems for us aside, what a needless waste for them? it's exasperating but it's not like... y'know... actually clever and worthwhile trolling. someone is being a total clown for free instead of getting a job as a professional one (professional clowns get paid pretty good, actually).
15
Bren
Thank you for the update Keith, and also many thanks to you all for working so hard to try to resolve these issues!!
1
Kamil
What a bunch of assholes. Do people really have nothing better to do? Apparently no, they do not. I like the idea of a fundraiser, if that looks like it would help us get away from AWS sooner/easier.
And I like the idea @gemajgall had. Only make it a Lego a dog’s chewed on. Nice extra sharp bits.
And I like the idea @gemajgall had. Only make it a Lego a dog’s chewed on. Nice extra sharp bits.
8
diddlersfram
It's about time Amazon and others remember that we are customers. They are in business because of us
5
Keith
@Manders That is so nice! I've got a lot of experience from my other work in AWS, so I'm fairly sure I've followed best practices (IAM users with rotating and expiring tokens, root account with no API access and 2fa enabled) and it's just going to be a case of getting suspended every time before I can send in a ticket :( :(
16
Sheap
Filling reports with lies seems like a nice hobby to dedicate your limited time on earth huh?
1
Nebet
The situation sounds horrible, people are awful to submit false reports like that. Good luck on getting everything fixed, and thanks for the update!
2
Serena922003
Thank you so much for the update, insight, and transparency. Very frustrating situation. We appreciate you! <3
2
Balloon
Thank you so much for posting an update this time and letting us know what's going on. We really appreciate you and the hard work you're putting in to fix things :heart:
And I'm totally down for participating in a fundraiser! I was just thinking as I read the post that I'd be happy to donate if that would help.
And I'm totally down for participating in a fundraiser! I was just thinking as I read the post that I'd be happy to donate if that would help.
5
LadyTamarwen
Wow. That is BS. You should be treated with respect whether you pay $100,000 or $0.99. I am sorry you are facing that battle alone. Most of us who are here have been loyal for years. You better believe we’re not going anywhere. Thank you for fighting to keep us going. Any other place would have shut down on us. That’s actually kind of heroic. Because of you, we always have a home here. :)
20
norfie
That sounds like a frustrating situation. Thank you for the updates and for working so hard to figure out a solution!
3
Tiffanythethingthing
sorry you got targeted by bad people and the fake reports as well
i hope the mess gets resolved
i also support subeta just because it saves both Japan and wolves
i hope the mess gets resolved
i also support subeta just because it saves both Japan and wolves
5
toesbees
how terribly annoying! thank you for your continued work and handling this!! we will always be here to support y'all! (◍•ᴗ•◍)♡ ✧*。
2
Manders
Hey Keith, my fiance is a developer who has AWS experience, and would be very happy to help if you need someone to bounce off of. I'm not sure how big the dev team is, but I assume it's not massive. He is the solo dev at his job and I see how frustrating it is firsthand when you don't have a sounding board to talk through bugs and other issues with.
We talked about this quickly, and he mentioned something about setting up an IAM policy that can control who has access to the images? Not sure if that'd be something you guys have already done but I wanted to throw that out there.
This sounds so frustrating, and I understand completely that this will take time to truly resolve. I hope things are as painless as possible. You're welcome to reach out to me at my email address on my account if you'd like to take up my fiances offer! Absolutely no worries if not though :)
We talked about this quickly, and he mentioned something about setting up an IAM policy that can control who has access to the images? Not sure if that'd be something you guys have already done but I wanted to throw that out there.
This sounds so frustrating, and I understand completely that this will take time to truly resolve. I hope things are as painless as possible. You're welcome to reach out to me at my email address on my account if you'd like to take up my fiances offer! Absolutely no worries if not though :)
27
Fenren
Ohhh so that's what it is, i thought it was my pc's fault. Thanks for the update, hope it goes well 🙏
0
Dragyn
I like the idea of a fundraiser if s new hosting service is needed. You can award perks depending on the donation so people have incentives like we do with subscriptions. I personally love the idea of a forever account :)
5
indica
uggggh! what a frustrating situation to be in and i hope you can get it resolved with minimal fuss. x_X
0
kingdomhearts5eva
Oh my lord, how frustrating for you and staff. I’m sorry to hear this is happening without end. Thanks for everything and all your work :’(
1
Mackenzi
Wow, learning this is likely troll activity is so frustrating. Targeted attacks were not what I was expecting! I'm sorry you're dealing with that Keith, thanks for trying to stay on top of it. People need some chill.
8
Sweetheart
that seems frustrating, i really hope it gets resolved soon, thank y’all for letting us know. ❤️
3
Rakumel
god, that sounds exhausting. Thanks for the update, Keith. Best of luck finding a solution.
2
undergreenlight
Sounds very frustrating and I am so sorry this keeps happening. I am super illiterate about this stuff so all I will say is I hope things turn around. I don’t want to bring this up but there are a lot of things that people are looking for here. I was playing another pet game like crazy but I enjoy the freedom, the access to making sp and getting cool items. It’s a lot harder on other sites. I also LOVE the HA situation. It’s what keeps me coming back. This site has inspired me to write and draw again… so… what if you guys did like a fundraising thingy with goals. A certain amount and you guys could find better image hosting, next amount we get say, um… something else. And people who donate get like a tiny something because the incentive should not to get like, something no one else can get, maybe a gold account or something. Then maybe you guys could do more advertising. Maybe sponsoring some pet game players to play on their channel. I am going to get argued with soooo much so know that this is just me thinking and felt like commenting. Either way, love the site and am having quite a good time. Social stuff could be better but that might be on me.
16
Faune
Oh my gosh, I'm sure that's so incredibly frustrating (and honestly probably hurtful).
Thank you for continuing to fight for our site, I hope things get easier soon.
Thank you for continuing to fight for our site, I hope things get easier soon.
3
_blackwolf_2009_
Hope this gets resolved soon, I can't understand why they'd be doing this after years of using the service. :/
2
Raven
boy i feel like head desking just reading this. How frustrating. Good luck in getting all this sorted out.
1
Oreo
Thank you so much for the update, keith ♥️ fingers crossed that it can be resolved soon! What a horrible situation :c
2
Senti
Thank you for the update Keith and thank you and all the Subeta workers for working so hard!! :heart:
1
setthespark
Well that stinks. I wish people had better things to do with their time. Thanks for updating us.
7
Keith
And the reason you're still seeing most of them around the site? We've gotten really good at caching
40
usagi
I appreciate you giving us an update, Keith. And I'm sorry to hear about the likely trolls. D: I hope you're able to find a better hosting place.
5
Narcissist
sorry Keith!! what a mess - it feels like something they should actually, you know, be investigating, but that would just be too difficult....
2
Stigs
Thank you, Keith. I'm sorry you guys are being targeted. I'm loyal to Subeta and I hope you find the transition easy. :[ ..
1