Hosting problems
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- kentster
- Jr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 34
- Thanks: 1
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I recently switched hosting to Siteground.com and figured it would be a safe bet as a large host who brags about being the #1 Joomla host in the world.
It has been 2 weeks now and I have had everything from a faulty server, to my server was added to a national spammers list which shut down e-mail.
Now I am being told that I have been exploited and 400 spams an hour are being sent from my site. The first problem I was told was the standard Joomla contact form was the culprit (Joomla 1.0.12), so I switched to Facileforms with a image security code. Within two hours, they shut down FacileForms (1.4.7) and told me that they detect this was being exploited.
Any suggestions?
Kent
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- GollumX
- Elite Rocketeer
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facile forms has been on the "unsecure extensions" list at joomla.org for ages. i have never read of anyone getting hacked via the default joomla form.
I recommend you read the security FAQ at joomla.org. Also, if your case is genuine, i believe they will even check it out for you (i guess it is also in their interest to fiqure out which hole was exploited.)
EDIT: Faulty server aside, more often than not, it is the account holder who is to blame for this sort of security breach. Good luck with fixing it though. And please tell us how they hacked you if you get a definite answer. This is every webmasters worst nightmare, and most have a "it won't happen to me" attitude towards hacking. - Last Edit: 17 years 10 months ago by GollumX.
- Say no to Internet Explorer 6.
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- kentster
- Jr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 34
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Thanks for the thoughts and the confirmation that the standard Joomla form is safe. I'll check out the security FAQ again and see if I missed anything.
I assume that by "account holder" you mean me, in this case, and not Siteground.com.
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- GollumX
- Elite Rocketeer
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Posted by: kent frese
I assume that by "account holder" you mean me, in this case, and not Siteground.com.
maybe i shouldn't have said that :-\ as almost every hacking scenario is different.
For the record, I have never used siteground so I don't really know how they configure their servers.
That said, many of joomla's default installation settings are high risk... as compatibility and ease of installation is the higher priority. Many directories are set to 777, the joomla cache and configuration file are within the public_html directory, etc (Full list of risks at the joomla.org security FAQ page).
Also, many 3rd party extensions are unsecure and high risk (As the J! 1.0.12 extension install page incessantly nags)
All these issues have nothing to do with the host. - Say no to Internet Explorer 6.
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- Dave Goodwin
- Elite Rocketeer
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Hi GollumX,
Other than 3rd party extensions, can you elaberate on what you would change to make a Joomla site more secure?
Thank!
dave - "I'm an individual, just like everyone else."
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- Yves
- Preeminent Rocketeer
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I find useful these two tutorials:
1. Keeping your joomla! installation safer against hacks and exploits
2. Securing your administrator directory using .htaccess files - Yves
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- Dave Goodwin
- Elite Rocketeer
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Great info, Yves! Thanks man!
dave
- "I'm an individual, just like everyone else."
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- GollumX
- Elite Rocketeer
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Dave G. wrote:
Hi GollumX,
Other than 3rd party extensions, can you elaberate on what you would change to make a Joomla site more secure?
Thank!
dave
Yves has provided great links.
also check out this security checklist: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,81058.0.html
each item on the list is linked to a howto.
i'm no security guru dave
, i just implement everything on that list.
Kent, here's the thread for you: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,54006.0.html
if you've really had enough of siteground, consider www.rochenhost.com , owned and run by three gentlemen who happen to also be members of the joomla core development team. a
and here is the full joomla security FAQ: http://forum.joomla.org/index.php/topic,102558.0.html
cheers - Say no to Internet Explorer 6.
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- kentster
- Jr. Rocketeer
- Posts: 34
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Thanks for all of the good info. I appreciate the links.
It looks like the problem was an exploit to FacileForms. I was running version 1.4.7 which is the latest version and the one recommended to fix known problems. I guess that somebody found and unknown one...
I am back to the standard form and I'll be a heck of a lot more careful with components and modules in the future...
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- Meristem Design
- Sr. Rocketeer
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Kent, so far as I know, I've never been hacked via Joomla! After 3 years of using it, here's what I've found:
It's the hosts fault. Always. If you follow basic security for Joomla!, you will never have a problem. Ever.
It's the hosts fault, always. If you're on a shared server, especially a Linux box, then you're at the mercy of the other websites security weaknesses on that shared server. I used two top ten Linux hosts. Great customer service, great email support, great control panels. But very lousy security due to some website admin who doesn't think about security, which opens the door for spammers to temporarily hijack a server.
The last Linux host I used was hacked in 3 separate times. One caused me to rebuild every single email address for every client (about 125 addresses) and their pwords; one caused me to have to reupload all files for all clients, and another was a htaccess problem. Yuck.
So, with shared servers on Linux you're rolling the dice. It's really up to the host to keep tabs on security every single minute. - Peter
Front End Developer
Meristem Design Inc
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