Not sure what to make of it. I've added the IP address to the blacklist, yet login attempts continue.

I've ASSUMED - perhaps this is the problem - that once an IP is blacklisted, that address is blocked from the site entirely. Perhaps not?

So... nobody's interested in explaining how the IP Blacklist is supposed to work?

I never got an answer here, so I submitted a ticket. Here was the response from Alexandru Plapana:

"What exactly do you mean by traditional ?

The IP restriction itself is added via a Joomla! system plugin. The IP address in question, won't be able to access that particular site.

Regards!"

I noticed the hacking attempts ceased a couple of days after I had blacklisted the malicious IP. I guess the script gave up or reset and then perhaps the blacklist began working.

Hopefully this information is useful to somebody else...