On Friday, October 8th, 2021 at approximately 12:04 PM, a player by the name of GamerProPlaysYT (Gamer) joined BCN via the proxy network then left about 20 seconds later. Gamer then joined the Lobby server directly and appeared in the log as a local IP address. How this was accomplished is currently still under investigation. The way a Minecraft network functions is that all servers behind the proxy have to be in offline mode. This means it acts kind of like a cracked server, conducting no authentication whatsoever with the Mojang servers. Since Gamer joined Lobby directly outside the proxy, Gamer was able to spoof its UUID and appear to be any user it wanted to. Gamer decided to spoof me, @StormyIceLeopard , the owner. This unfortunately gave Gamer operator (OP) access. Gamer was able to do anything it wanted. Gamer decided to do harm to BCN. Gamer griefed and destroyed the Lobby, BombBrigaders, and NeoTNT spawns. And on SMP... Gamer wiped my house off the side of the mountain, literally. Gamer also did harm to some plugin configs via commands and messed with our permissions plugin. Ranks/Groups were messed up badly. Things could have been much worse, though. 4 other players joined BCN during the incident timeframe, at least 2 of them we believe were directly connected to Gamer in some way (eg. being friends). Gamer kept on trying to give OP to these players, but we have safe guards in place to prevent unauthorized use of OP. As soon as these players tried to do anything to interact with the game (move, chat, open inventory, etc.), they were automatically banned for unauthorized OP access. At approximately 12:28 PM, they all stopped and left. We assume Gamer was frustrated with our anti-OP protection. Then, at approximately 2:00 PM, @SmashbrosThe3rd noticed the log events that took place and started compiling the different logs into a single file to show me what had happened that day. When I got out of class at 3:50 PM, I got into a voice call via Discord with @SmashbrosThe3rd and everything seemed fine... until he told me the news. He shared the file that he had compiled and shortly afterwards I realized the extent of the situation and I quickly shut down all of the servers to prevent further damage at approximately 4:00 PM. For the remainder of Friday and all of Saturday, Me and Smash continued our work, observing and documenting the damage that took place and discussing the possible paths to a full recovery. Due to a lack of proper backups, restoration had to happen manually. HUGE OVER THE TOP THANKS to @SmashbrosThe3rd for helping out on the days he usually takes a break from the PC and enjoys sports on TV. Throughout Sunday and Monday (October 10th/11th) we worked hard restoring the servers and implementing new safe guards to prevent future incidents like this and new protocols in the event that other incidents do occur we are able to recover faster. We have also introduced new security measures that you, the average player, can utilize to protect your account on BCN. We have implemented a 2FA system and a GUI/inventory based 4-digit PIN system.  The 2FA system is based on TOTP, the most secure 2FA method available outside of a physical key. The 4-digit GUI-PIN system is currently intended to be used alongside our 2FA system because of how it currently functions. Because of this, we may decide to remove it at any time. We'll let you know in a future post if this occurs. Tutorials on how to use the new security features can be found at the following links (The Tutorials were written by @SmashbrosThe3rd ): 2FA Tutorial: https://blizzardcraft.net/in-game_2FA GUI-PIN Tutorial: https://blizzardcraft.net/in-game_GUI-PIN We are very sorry for the weekend down time and for the long delay of disclosure to you all. This happened on the weekend before midterm exams. I got very busy and did not have much time to allocate to this issue. If it weren't for @SmashbrosThe3rd , BCN wouldn't have gotten back online as quickly as it did, the issue persisting longer than it did. Hard times happen, but we get through them and move on, stronger, smarter and more prepared. We are resilient and we will not be discouraged because one person decided to do something that'll get it in serious, real-life trouble. The world offers us challenges. Sometimes, it may seem like they're impossible, but they end up accomplished. How are they accomplished? Perseverance. Harsh endurance. Pure human instinct. We know that more are coming and we will be ready. But for now, we breathe, preparing for what's next. (And, yes, this whole paragraph (Plus grammar & other fun stuff) was written by @SmashbrosThe3rd . If Stormy had wrote that, I would've been more impressed than humans landing on the moon.) Enjoy playing on BCN once again! I wish you all a great final-third of October, and Happy Halloween! This whole thing has been scary, but rest assured that scary movies are scarier than jumpscares by family and friends. (Oh, and this whole thing, too.)

Oh man, has it been a while since you heard something from us. We have been hard at work behind the scenes preparing for the update that took place today. It took us 10 hours to make all the changes we wanted to, and sadly there are still some small details left to be done, but it was worth it. So what does the average player need to know? Well... Limbo has been removed, no more 1.8-1.15 support. What about EternalIceAge? You can join it using the new IP for that specific server: eia.blizzardcraft.net Do you have other server IPs, like BombBrigaders, NeoTNT, or SMP? No, we do not. If this is something you would like, let us know in our Discord server. ProCosmetics is now available on SMP, BombBrigaders, and NeoTNT! You can now show off the cosmetics you gathered on all servers but EIA, with some exceptions for fair gaming reasons. We also plan to add custom cosmetics. Currently in the works are some custom music, balloons, and statuses. There... may or not be a striving toon coming in the near-future... There is now a PvP (Player vs. Player) arena in Lobby! Find it in the Ice Cave. (It's not looking great right now, we know. It takes time and it will be worked on throughout the week.) There are now messages to inform users where they come from and where they are going. Let's say you are on BombBrigaders and another player joins, in the chat it will say what server they came from, for example they could have come from Lobby or NeoTNT. Let's say you are on Lobby and your friend joins, but then quickly leaves. There will be a message in chat saying where they went, such as they went to SMP. Wow, it took you 10 hours to do just that? No no, we did so much more behind the scenes. We cannot reveal too much for specific reasons, but here is what we can tell you: We updated most, if not all, our plugins. We updated the server build numbers to be more stable and secure. We debugged and tested new features, such as Cosmetics on SMP, NeoTNT and BombBrigaders alongside the new PvP arena in Lobby. We made our network more secure by porting everything through our Anti-DDoS server and closing previous routes. As far as we know, nothing should be broken. If something is not working as intended, please let us know in our Discord. We've improved the join & quit messages (Except for BB. They're still a WIP) as well as an introduction by Ice Guardian! Regular updates and patches for our chat filter is planned to resume sometime in Early July. Plugins and how they function... Such a mysterious wonder... We added new administration and moderation tools to help our staff keep BCN a family friendly place. We improved our process of testing and evaluating interested builders. Believe us when we say, we wish we could live stream what we do behind the scenes. Sadly, we cannot. If we did, that would put our network in a vulnerable position. Sadly, much must remain on a need-to-know basis. Is this all you have to share? Actually, no. We got a few more small things we would like to inform you about: We are working on a new area in Lobby about the story of BCN! Sadly, without the original builder still with us, it is slow going. We are trying hard to keep the same feel and since no one currently on staff is a "great" builder, this could take an unknown amount of time. We are working to bring the donation store back. We are currently waiting for our website CMS (Content Management System), NamelessMC, theme to be updated. Once that happens, we will undergo further maintenance to update that. We are also considering a referral system for both our Discord and Minecraft networks. We are still currently unsure how this will work, but we are looking into it. We want to reward those who help make BCN grow, and reward those who are invited. Phew, that was a lot to read. We hope it was not too long though. We are constantly looking for ways to improve, grow, and learn. We are still looking for staff to help us out. At the time of writing we still need Minecraft Helpers, Discord Helpers, Minecraft Builders, and Minecraft Plugin Developers. All jobs are on a volunteer basis, meaning no pay. Okay, it is time to stop typing and let everyone have fun. Go enjoy our network, it's up and running and waiting for players just like you. Stay safe everyone and have fun! P.S. If there was anything forgotten, I am pretty sure @SmashbrosThe3rd will inform me. You will either see this post updated or a reply down below. P.S.S. Yeah yeah, everyone knows the drill. I come in and fix things, throw in the occasional meme or two and overall have a fantastic time. We aren't done yet! Stay tuned...

It's been a long time coming but I am finally pleased to announce the release of our new discord server. This could not have been done without help from @SmashbrosThe3rd , @DangerMage , @DarkKronicle, and @Chronos22 . Many thanks to you all. @DangerMage for being our moderator and helping out with making the server similar and fun. @DarkKronicle for the development of our new chat filter. @Chronos22 for helping the server be organized. @SmashbrosThe3rd for helping me keep my head straight and handling the roles and permissions. This seriously could not have been done without their help. Many Thanks Again! The old Discord server is going to be an archive server. It will not be deleted but no one will be able to send messages or invite new users. The new Discord server has new things to keep you entertained, such as qotd (Question of the Day), Poketwo bot, counting game, never-ending story, and more to come. We also plan to sometime integrate rewards from Discord to Minecraft, such as cosmetic coins. The new Discord server can be joined via the link at the top of the website (top left above Home link, it says Join our Discord!) or clicking here (link might not work). Please stay safe during COVID-19 and have fun! Sincerely, #TheIceLeopard.

Oh boy, it was a busy semester. I did finally finish all my classes (yes I did pass them all). @DangerMage and I have been working hard at improving the Eternal Blizzard Pack and the Eternal Ice Age server. The mod pack has been updated and is available for download while the new server is planning to be released this Saturday (December 12, 2020). I plan to be doing a live stream to celebrate its open beta release. Yes, that's right open beta! We have made many changes, you can read the changelog here . Open beta means that if you have the mod pack you can join. No longer needing to be added to a whitelist. It will be a fresh start, but the start should be easier for you though with the revisions @DangerMage and I have made. Most credit for this mod pack goes to @DangerMage , I just helped him with the idea and how it should work. So if you enjoy the mod pack, please give your appreciation to @DangerMage by telling him! The old world will be available to download sometime in the future, keep an eye on our Discord server for that. @SmashbrosThe3rd and I (and @DarkKronicle and @Chronos22) have been working hard to relaunch the BCN Discord with a refresh. We are working to create a new server that will be more organized and more fun with more things to do. The release date is still unknown as we are still trying to work out some details. We wish to release it before I go back to school in January 2021. I will make a new post when that comes around again. For now, continue to enjoy the current discord. The new one will be very different, but also the same. Anyways, thanks for being apart of our little community. I love seeing you all enjoy the hard work I put in to keep this network running. If you ever have any suggestions I am all for them in our discord. Stay safe!   Fun Fact: At the time of writing (December 6, 2020) I, @StormyIceLeopard , am now 23 years old. Crazy right?

Changes from 0.3 to 0.4: Added the following Mods Better FPS ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/betterfps ) Brandon's Core ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/brandons-core ) Draconic Evolution ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/draconic-evolution ) OMLib ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/omlib ) Open Modular Turrets ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/openmodularturrets ) Project Intelligence ( https://www.curseforge.com/minecraft/mc-mods/project-intelligence ) Modified start items to make starting off easier Full Wool Armor 5 Cold Resistant Potions Some Food Stone Tools Sword Axe Pickaxe Shovel Changed crafting recipes Modified saturation system