142 CommentsShare: |
Subscribe
Yesterday, I woke up to discover my website had been hacked.
Some suggested it might be a Kitten and Little prank.
Others wondered if the ghost of Mean Rooster could be involved.
Or could it be Clover, angry over the tiara she’s not getting for Christmas?
Or Jack, upset over the lack of attention?
But in fact it was one of those very strange human beings who exist to manufacture trouble for innocent people. As someone noted yesterday, people like this should get a farm so they can have more constructive ways to occupy their time. In any case, I want you to know that I have expert technical and maintenance support on this website. (I don’t maintain this site by myself. I don’t have the technical expertise.) My site is continually updated and secured. Spammers and hackers can’t always be stopped, even with expert care. It has been a frustrating experience. My site was thoroughly corrected by not only my own professional tech but also technical support from my hosting company.
As to what happened, someone hacked into my server and placed malicious code on my site. It was a deliberate attack. This caused warning flags to appear to many of the visitors to my site, and my site was blocked by Google. (Even AFTER it was fixed. It takes time for the block to clear even after the site has been restored.) I’ve worked very hard on this website every single day for years, and I rely on this website to make a living. (I don’t want to dwell too much on my distress, but let me just say that I’m distressed.) I’m really just a girl on a farm with a blog. Someone left me a comment recently accusing me of being a self-promoter. YES, I AM. This is how I earn my living, writing this blog. But it’s not the only reason I do it. I do it because I love it and I love doing it for you. It’s my little positive thing to do in the world. And I’m absolutely devastated that this happened.
What does this mean to you other than possibly not being able to access my site yesterday? You can (should) run a virus check on your computer as a precaution. Please take this as a reminder to use updated virus protection because any website, email, or other information received over the internet at any time can fall victim to a hacker or spammer.
Unfortunately, yesterday, it was my website.
Fortunately, they thought I was worth hacking. (Right???)
Bear with me as I try to look on the (dubious) bright side of a terrible event. The Pioneer Woman website was hacked recently in a similar manner, so I’m trying to take this unpleasant assault as a compliment.
Not one I really wanted to receive.
In the meantime, I have received notification that my website has been officially reviewed and cleared by Google. It may take up to 24 hours for the UNblocking to propagate across the internet. Some users may still receive warnings. Again, I want to assure you that I have expert, professional technical support on this and my server is being monitored. I have done, and am continuing to do, everything I can. This was an extensive, vicious, and intentional attack. My site has been thoroughly cleaned and restored.
It’s my promise to you to be here every day. I apologize for not being able to be here yesterday for many of you.
*I want to thank the people who made such quick work of cleaning up a truly massive insertion of malicious code. (I recommend these people!) My own professional designer and technical expert, Emily Carlin of Swank Web Style, along with the abuse and security specialists at Surpass Hosting. Thank you also to my readers for your patience!
Posted by Suzanne McMinn | Permalink
