Two more strings of Malware attacks were discovered last week. One hit on Monday, May 17th and another on Thursday, May 20th. The attacks infect php platforms (like WordPress, Joomla, Drupla, etc…) hosted at various hosting companies.
Before you do any more searching on the internet…or even before you check your own sites…make sure you have a VERY GOOD anti-virus software package. I use BitDefender but I have friends that like the paid AVG version. Make sure your anti-virus software is up-to-date because the way this Malware works is it tries to infect a blog visitor’s computer!! Don’t let that computer be yours. And, don’t let your online reputation be ruined by allowing your site to infect your visitor’s computer!
The attacks are affecting “self-hosted” blogs/sites. If you are hosting a blog or php site on your own domain, you need to be staying on top of this. A good site with up-to-date info is www.wpsecuritylock.com. I highly recommend that you subscribe to their email alerts!
1) See www.wpsecuritylock.com for symptoms of Malware and advice on checking your sites.
2) If you use GoDaddy, submit a ticket through http://www.godaddy.com/securityissue. They will scan your hosting account to determine whether or not it has been infected with Malware. They will remove any Malware they find and then send you an email. If you call them, the tech support person you get may not understand what you are talking about…you’ll need to tell them to put a supervisor on the phone or escalate your problem to the next level.
AFTER, your hosting account is scanned and Malware is removed, go on to Step 3.
3) I found great info on cleaning up & restoring my sites at http://www.cowbellyblog.com/2010/05/12/the-best-way-to-remove-malware-from-a-wordpress-blog-using-godaddy/.
4) If you didn’t already, get on the mailing list from this company www.wpsecuritylock.com AND, download their e-book on “7 WordPress Plug-ins for Security”…of course, install & configure the recommended plug-ins as well.
I took all of the above steps after my sites were hit twice in early May. I also changed my WP database passwords, hosting account password and blog passwords. My sites are clean…they were NOT hit by the attacks on the 17th and 20th. While there are no guarantees that taking the above steps will protect your sites 100%, your sites will certainly be more secure than they probably are right now!
If you have any questions or comments, please post them below.
Kimberly
P.S. - I consult & train businesses on how to promote their business on the internet and get found! Subscribe to this blog via RSS Feed or Email so you don't miss any Free Tips! @KimberlyYow
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{ 4 comments… read them below or add one }
Thank you Kimberly! I’ll definitely have to have my blog checked out and get on their mailing list, also adding the extra security plugins.
Thanks again for providing great value!
Vicki
Thanks for commenting Vicki! I’m glad you are taking action on your blog. Hopefully your blog wasn’t affected. – Kimberly
Thank you for this alert, Kimberly. Gonna check all of my sites right now. Haven’t seen anything unusual going on, but it’s better to be safe than sorry.
Changing WP database passwords (as well as root, and other passwords) every month or so is something I highly recommend everyone who runs a website.
Glad you found the post useful Geno!
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