Movable Type 3.14 released
We have just released Movable Type v3.14 which fixes the issue of extreme loads witnessed on servers under the strain of a massive spam attack. Because these attacks are increasing in both frequency and severity, we strongly recommend that all Movable Type users install this update. This is particularly important for any installation that is visible to the public on the web.
This release is a free update for Movable Type v3.x users and has been thoroughly tested both in-house, by our ProNet members and also by many of the web hosting companies initially affected by the problem. If you already purchased Movable Type or downloaded the free version, you’ll be able to download the new release from your Movable Type account.
The main changes in this new version are explained in detail below, but in summary, you can expect these updates:
- Unnecessary rebuilds upon comment moderation are eliminated.
- Generation of internal bookkeeping data for dynamic pages is not performed when using static pages.
- New weblogs default to having comment moderation enabled.
We have also attempted to use our response to this issue, both in communicating with our end users and with our partners who host web sites powered by Movable Type, to set a baseline of expectation for our future communications about vulnerabilities in our software.
About the changes in Movable Type 3.14
The most important change in this release concerns unnecessary rebuilding in the case of comments which are forced into a moderated state for whatever reason (e.g. via a preference setting or a plugin callback). Moderated comments should not trigger a rebuild because the content of the site remains unchanged. However, due to an errant conditional statement, rebuilds occurred regardless of comment status. We have fixed this problem which will make a significant difference in performance for servers under the burden of a comment spam attack.
The second change eliminates unnecessary database connections related to internal bookkeeping for dynamic publishing. Dynamic publishing relies on these records to know what content to serve the user in place of a static file. In previous versions, this overhead was incurred even if the user had not elected to use dynamic pages. This issue has been rectified and improves the balance of benefits between static and dynamic pages.
Finally, we have altered the defaults for new weblogs in Movable Type to enable comment moderation by default for commenters who are not authenticated via TypeKey. Not only is this an improvement in the quest for sane defaults for new users, but as a side benefit, it also eliminates the following error on new Movable Type blogs:
"Comment registration is required but no TypeKey token has been given in weblog configuration!"
We're expecting no shortage of smiles when that error fades into obscurity.
A note to MT-Blacklist users
A portion of the changes implemented in this version are masked by MT-Blacklist v2.x. However, if you are using MT-Blacklist, there is no need to disable it as it works perfectly fine with this version of Movable Type.
Look for a new beta release of the plugin within the next twenty-four hours (in the usual place) which will provide yet another improvement in system performance.
More to come
In case you missed it, Mena wrote a few words about this release and the events that led up to it.
I would like to echo her sentiment in apologizing to any users or web hosting companies who have been affected by this problem. We hope that you understand both through our responsiveness and the visibility we've given to this issue that we are dedicated to taking care of our customers needs and solving problems that confront them on a daily basis. We've worked very hard to provide full information as soon as it's been available, on our company website, on the Movable Type product homepage, and within the Movable Type application itself.
While we are always working hard to improve the quality of the software we release, the reality is that all software has bugs. What we promise, however, is that we will always strive to be as responsive and forthcoming as as possible to make sure that you can trust Movable Type as a platform and Six Apart as a company.
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