‘Oh No I’ve Been Hacked!’ Plus Other ‘funny’ Accidents From Bobby Owsinski

Right here producer/engineer and veteran music trade blogger Bobby Owsinski recounts his harrowing expertise of getting hacked, and the following problem of regaining management his web site.

Visitor put up by Bobby Owsinski of Music 3.0

It began final Friday night after I began getting emails saying that my numerous websites have been redirecting to other locations on the Internet. Many of the redirects have been attempting to promote one thing (just like the Google Play Retailer) however none of them have been pointed at my blogs, podcast or personal website URL. I attempted to log into my my websites however was locked out as an admin. Oh, no. What is that this new sort of hell? I’ve been hacked!

Then got here the frantic calls to my web site internet hosting companion Hostgator, the place I used to be referred to their on-line safety crew. $1,200 of SiteLock safety later and it was wait and see what the virus scan got here up with. The scans got here again the subsequent day. The websites have been now clear – type of – however I wanted to revive all of them from a backup simply to be secure.

Okay, now it’s again to Hostgator. “Please restore my websites from a backup earlier than March twenty sixth.”

“No drawback however it should price you.”

Me getting my bank card quantity prepared once more – “Sure, however I have to be on-line yesterday. Simply do it.”

“It is going to take as much as 24 hours.” Uuggg. No alternative.

24 hours comes and goes, I’m not on-line but. My websites no longer redirect, however they only present a clean white display. Is that this higher? I assume so. Within the meantime, Google is telling me that it’s penalizing my websites as a result of my backlinks to the 1000’s of posts and podcasts no longer work.

24 extra hours – nonetheless nothing. Calls to Hostgator and to the safety crew (a 3rd social gathering not part of Hostgator, it appears). “We’ve escalated this to our highest precedence and it’ll all be again on-line in 24 hours.” Sure, and that’s what you advised me 2 days in the past.

24 hours goes by, nonetheless nothing. Lastly I name a supervisor who’s been useful prior to now (one thing I ought to have completed proper to start with, it seems). It takes 24 extra hours, however shock – the whole lot is again. Nonetheless not good – another safety scan, however a minimum of now you can learn weblog posts and listen to podcasts.

So right here we’re almost per week after the primary incident and it appears like the whole lot is again to regular. It’s the primary time in 11 years I’ve missed a weblog put up. It’s the primary time in 8 years I’ve missed a podcast put up. I really feel horrible about this, nevertheless it was out of my management.

I’ve had my points recently with Hostgator, however they’ve at all times tried to work with me, are at all times past courteous and attempt to be useful, and are, for probably the most half, educated. I discover it troublesome to get indignant at somebody who’s a minimum of attempting their finest (or makes me assume that’s what’s occurring).

How was I hacked? Nobody can say for positive. I exploit a WordPress theme by Thrive referred to as Luxe, and there was an replace e mail that got here by on Monday (3 days after the websites have been initially hacked) saying to replace instantly to cowl a safety drawback. It may have been there. Then once more, I used to be shopping for a brand new automobile and ready for edocs to come back by from DocuServe. I might need been phished there after which put the worm on my Hostgator account.

Regardless of the case, SiteLock now says the whole lot is cool and again to regular. Thanks for sticking with me. You’ll see my regular schedule of posts beginning once more on Monday. I cannot low-cost out in relation to web site safety sooner or later!