OK, I know I ONLY just told you guys that I wasn’t going to be blogging on Mondays but I need to share this with you all.
Disclaimer: Tina Gray {dot} Me is not hosted, and is not affiliated with Little Hero Hosting.
A couple of weeks ago, a TGDM reader contacted me, saying that her anti-virus protection gave her a warning when she tried to view my site. I thought it was a little weird because I wasn’t having any problems, nor were a few friends that I asked. Even Google gave me a green light, telling me that TGDM was fine.
But then a couple more people alerted me.
I got in touch with my web host. Only to be told that scans from his end were all clear.
So why were people getting warnings? And why, instead of a friendly “hey, this site may be dangerous”, people were now getting angry red flashing screens warning them to stay away.
THAT now explains why my stats had dropped in the last week or so!
At this stage I was freaking out because I had heard a few bloggers talking about their sites getting hacked, and then I read about Maria’s drama and Nikki’s drama.
*breathing deeply* OK, at least my blog was still there. But for how long, who knows!
It was only when Michelle from Little Hero Hosting and I caught up for a chat, that I mentioned what was going on. I am SO grateful that she offered to take a look because apparently it was a nasty bit of script that had lodged itself in there. 
After a few hours of deactivating plugins, deleting plugins, deep scans and some whimpering from me that I’m not sure Michelle heard or not, she found the malicious script, and deleted that bad ass.
A few more scans, reinstalling some WordPress files, doing a back up and Michelle sent me the text message I was holding my breath for – “done and running”.
Checking with a couple of readers who had received the warnings, and they assured me that it was all clear from their end now.
PHEW!
I’ve been blogging for around 6 years now. Everything I know about WordPress, I basically taught myself from hours of reading how to’s and tips online. I thought I kinda knew what I was doing. Heh.
But I learned:
- don’t trust back up plugins – these one-click plugins may seem an easy way to back up your blog but you don’t know if these plug ins are dangerous
- back up your blog on the server instead – I’m now doing this! You’d think I’d know better!
- a virus can sit dormant for a long time so it’s sometimes difficult to find it
- the WP-malcheck or whatever the plugin is called does not work because after scanning my blog, it told me it was clean.
- some viruses/hacks are programmed to only affect some browsers
- Google lied to me! It said my site was safe when it wasn’t it.
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{ 32 comments }
oiii vey tina…. well after a mild mini heart attack i am glad to hear that it is all fine now. I would have no idea why to do! I have an automated backup that sends me the file straight to my email…. i guess i should be doing this on the server too.
xx
tahlia – the parenting files recently posted..grateful for foood
Tahlia, to back up on your servers, go to your cpanel to the wordpress installation. Michelle plans to write a blog post about how to back up properly so I’ll be sharing it when she does.
Glad you hear you got it sorted out Tina. Michelle sounds like the woman to go to when you’re in a bloggy bind! So was it the back-up plugin that had the bad script? I use X-cloner recommended by Michael Aulia. I hope it’s OK?
Laney @ Crash Test Mummy recently posted..Success served up with a healthy side of fear and failure
Hi Laney, not sure if it was the back up plugin or one of the others, sorry. And I can’t tell you if X-cloner is ok or not but making sure you are backed up on the server seems the safest thing to do. And yes, Michelle definitely saved the day for me!
Thank goodness for Michelle! She is such a wealth on knowledge and so kind to help out people, even when they aren’t her clients! I’d have fallen down into the fetal position in tears many a time without her help!
Daisy recently posted..How Do I Cope?
I know! I would have been in a bind because my OWN host kept telling me everything was ok!
I’m so relieved it’s all sorted. Joel wouldn’t let me near the site until he had a chance to look at it, and then he ended up sick most of the weekend, so I didn’t get there at all!
Thank goodness for Michelle, too.
Melissa recently posted..What do you think about this?
It was scary, that’s for sure!
Oh my goodness! I keep hearing about these hackings but have no idea what to do regarding back ups etc..! Naive of me to think the internet is forever, right??
Donna recently posted..Write on Wednesday – Collections (of memories)
If you’re running self hosted Wordpress, go to your cpanel and back up from there. If you’re on a different blogging platform, I’m not sure. Sorry!
I’ve been getting emails saying that someone in Russia keeps trying to hack into my blog… it’s killing me. I’ve got all the plugins in place, (touch wood) which is why I’m getting the notifications. But I hope it’s all safe.
I’m assuming that you’re talking about the firewall plugin or something similar, because I had that in place as well and I was getting those alerts too. I guess you can’t fully prevent it from happening but if your blog is properly backed up, then at least you have something to fall back on.
Ah Tina, sucks! I get these dodgy emails all the time but have no idea what’s going on… Can you tell me, pretty please, how does one back up their blog on the server? *hides head in shame*
Louisa recently posted..5 Things I’ve Learnt From 5 Years Blogging
Hey Louisa, this comment from Jess was for you:
“I do it through my c-panel. I know Michelle was going to write about it on LHH blog, so maybe check that out.”
Wow that is scary. Michelle is a marvel. She recently sorted out my website crashing issues (not hack related) and identified backup issues that I didn’t even know existed. I’m going to be much more diligent now. Glad everything worked out for you too. xo
Misha – The Bling Buoy recently posted..Comment on Spiders with sledgehammers by 13-02-12 Love Businesses Weekly Showcase
I was silly enough to think that if I had the right plugins in place, then everything was ok. Live and learn!
Ach! I’ve been there and it isn’t fun. At all. I got caught in the timthumb vulnerability last year and spent hours sorting it out. I’ve installed the Sucuri scan (http://sucuri.net/) and follow their rss feed and CNet Security News to try to stay on top of things. Glad you didn’t lose anything!
Tenille @ My Family Table recently posted..Some Lunch, Some Eggs, and Some Veggie Slice
Definitely not fun! A system like Sucuri is a great idea. Peace of mind! Might not stop an attack from happening but at least it will catch it and deal with it quickly.
It is such a pain Tina. I was hacked twice in a week – it took up about 30 hours of my life as I host a number of other blogs etc for friends.
PlanningQueen recently posted..Drowning In Clutter – Tips From Readers
Twice in a week!? I think that is why I’m sceptical about hosting blogs for friends. I don’t want all of them to be affected if something happens!
Glad it’s sorte now Tina. That would have been scary!
Michelle has taught me how to back up the server, but I needed to be more vigilant in doing it. She is a fountain of information!
Jess recently posted..Red Cup Blue Cup
Michelle taught me too! Clever cookie she is
I do it through my c-panel. I know Michelle was going to write about it on LHH blog, so maybe check that out.
And this comment was supposed to be in reply to Louisa’s! Sorry!
Jess recently posted..Red Cup Blue Cup
Michelle is a wonderful source of information and helpfulness.
I am so pleased it has all been fixed up for you Tina
MultibloggingMum recently posted..WELCOME
Michelle definitely is a god send! I had no idea where to start fixing it!
Thank you for all the wonderful comments!
Tina, I’m so glad we got you sorted out, yes I did hear your whimpering but I would have been no different trust me.
Yes Tina & Jess are right, I am in the process of writing a full guide on backing up which should be up in the next week.
Michelle recently posted..WordPress Protection Tips
Said it before, will say it again – you are awesome, Michelle! I wouldn’t have known where to start fixing my blog. Thank you! x
I feel so out of my depth with WP most days. I was planning to change to anther theme on my craft blog this weekend, but because I am sick have put it off.
So glad Michelle was able to help you out and that you learnt some things from that horrible experience.
Amy @ MahliMoo recently posted..Pinterest Linky Love: The Cold and Flu Remedy Edition
Hope you feel better soon, Amy. Being sick sucks :s Have fun changing your theme. They say change is as good as a holiday. Heh
Great post. That’s exactly how my blog went – warnings for some people but okay for others with clear scans via Google and other sources. It was so stressful! Luckily, my hubs is pretty good at this stuff and fixed it all. I think it’s wonderful that you’re sharing your experience with others so they can be aware and take the necessary precautions.
Becky from BeckyandJames.com recently posted..Kony2012: My Thoughts.
Thanks, Becky. I should have taken it seriously right from the first time someone had said something but I mistakenly didn’t because I thought it was only one person, iykwim.
Lucky your hubs can fix it! And lucky for me there are people like Michelle to come to my rescue!