WordPress 2.8 is available now
The latest stable release of WordPress (Version 2.8) is available now. Get the latest version form here
WebHostingTalk Hacked
WebHostingTalk became victim of malicious attack. Below are the words from WebHostingTalk:
What do we know about the damage done?
This attack was very deliberate, sophisticated and calculated. The attacker was able to circumvent our security measures and access via an arcane backdoor protected by additional firewall. We are still investigating the situation, but we know the attacker infiltrated and deleted the backups first and then deleted three databases: user/post/thread. We have no record or evidence that private message data was accessed. Absolutely no credit card or PayPal data was exposed.
Do we know the motivation behind the attack?
We don’t know enough at this time, so any insight would be purely speculative in nature. WHT is a platform where positive and negative information is shared and exposed about business and individuals. Under TOS policy, we cannot edit or remove user-generated content at the request of an unsatisfied third party. Therefore, WHT tends to become the target for disgruntled individuals and businesses.Have we been able to restore more recent back-ups?
The offsite backup, the onsite backup and the operational data were destroyed by the attacker, so we’ve resorted to a physical back-up of last resort. Unfortunately, we are experiencing difficulty restoring from our most recent physical backup. At this point, October is the most recent backup that we were able to restore. We continue to work to extract data from a more recent set of DVDs.What is WHT focused on doing now?
The first priority, which kicked in immediately upon discovering the hack while in process, was locking down the infrastructure to avoid further damage and restoring the site. We also had to block the potential for a repeat attack. Now we are working on investigating how much prior data is restorable, reinstating premium memberships, contacting business partners, and communicating with the community members. We are also doing everything possible to identify the attacker and bring them to justice. Disappointments happen – we are working hard to restore trust among community members and to bring things back to normal.
Is WHT doing anything different due to this attack?
WHT has been targeted before and our infrastructure has withstood previous attacks. However, following this well-planned and targeted attack, we will be altering aspects of our architecture to ensure that this type of attack does not happen again. Needless to say, we have learned from this situation and will address any discrepancies accordingly.
We had three, protected data back-up units with one offsite behind a firewall and a fourth physical data back-up layer. We evaluated our disaster recovery plan as recent as late-2008, and carefully reviewed how to recover from a disaster situation. The attacker appeared to have deliberately targeted our data back-up systems, a scenario that our disaster recovery plan did not fully anticipate. We have implemented changes to our data backup and disaster recovery plans to address this weakness. And we advise others to consider a scenario of deliberate, malicious data destruction in their backup and recovery plans.
What should members do now?
The password encryption technology we use is strong for securing non-financial data. However, we suggest that members change their passwords frequently and do not use the same user name and password for the forum as they may use for more sensitive services like online banking. If a member feels more comfortable changing their password, then we recommend that they do what makes them feel more secure.
A concern is that members may receive more spam because the attacker posted stolen email addresses on file sharing sites. I haven’t personally seen an increase in the amount of spam I usually receive to my email address, but it is a risk that we cannot easily alleviate. As we become aware of specific file sharing sites with these email addresses, we are requesting that the emails be removed promptly. So far, most have been quick to comply.
What if I can’t use my WHT account?
We are temporarily using a version of the database from October 2008. This means that if you joined WHT after October 2008, you’ll need to register again to post now. We may still be able to recover your account, but we don’t know yet. Please register with the same username you used before.
If you joined WHT before October 2008 and get a password error, the system is probably asking for the password you were using in October 2008. If you don’t remember your previous password and have access to the email address for your WHT account in October 2008, please use the password recovery tool.
For help accessing your account, please open a helpdesk ticket.
If you’ve subscribed to a Premium or Corporate membership prior to October 2008, someone from iNET has contacted you by now. If you’ve subscribed (or re-subscribed) since October 2008 and haven’t heard from iNET, please contact us on the helpdesk.
Moving forward …
We take the protection of user-contributed data very seriously, and we strongly regret what happened. iNET has a sophisticated infrastructure with advanced security. Yet even institutions that spend millions of dollars a year on Internet security are exploited. Anyone recall NASA being hacked some years back?
It’s not what you’ve done, it’s what you do. And from this day forward, we continue.
We’ve been overwhelmed by all the offers of help and support we’ve received from our members. What can I say about that beyond my heartfelt thanks? I love this community!
WebHostingTalk is one of the largest online community and people get very useful information from them. We all have to co-operate with them in such situation.
Source: WHT
GoDaddy Debuts .IN Domain Registration
One of the leading Web hosting and domain registrar, GoDaddy, has debuted the launch of the new TLD .IN to its long list of offered TLDs. .IN is the official country code top level domain (ccTLD) for India. Now, you can register .IN domain from GoDaddy.
Bob Parsons, Founder and CEO of Go Daddy remarked, ”Go Daddy is making it easy for anyone interested in using a specific country code to have all their domains in one place. For anyone looking for both low prices and world-class customer support, Go Daddy is the ‘in’ thing.”
Now a day, people in India, widely uses the Internet and there are millions of users accesses Internet in India. The .IN extension is available to anyone interested in registering India’s top level domain. All .IN domains have a one-year minimum registration requirement.
To get list of Accredited Registrars for .IN extension, kindly visit registry.in.
curl_exec() has been disabled for security reasons in Wordpress 2.7
The latest version of Wordpress 2.7 requires curl_exec() function. However, for security reasons, many hosts do not allow to use this function and due to this your wordpress blog will not function properly. There is an alternative available to use Wordpress 2.7 without enabling curl_exec() function.
First download this plugin and install it:
http://trac.wordpress.org/attachment/ticket/8086/list_transports.php?format=raw
After you activate it, you’ll see a list of what transports WordPress detected as working at the bottom of the admin screens (in the footer). Once you know these, you can deactivate and delete the plugin.
If you are not able to activate the plugin you can ignore the above step.
Now, open functions.php which is in your theme directory and add the following code:
function block_transport() { return false; }
add_filter('use_http_extension_transport', 'block_transport');
add_filter('use_curl_transport', 'block_transport');
add_filter('use_streams_transport', 'block_transport');
add_filter('use_fopen_transport', 'block_transport');
add_filter('use_fsockopen_transport', 'block_transport');
That will block all five possible transports from working. Now just remove the add_filter line on the transport that you want WordPress to actually use.
Added: You will need to add above code in php block and put at the end of function.php file.
Thanks to Otto42 for his advice and solution.
Contact us at support@webhostingdiscussion.net if you want us to troubleshoot this problem.
Kailash
Parallels Releases Plesk Billing 6.0 – Modernbill
Parallels, the leading virtualization software provider, released Plesk Billing 6.0. It is an automated web based billing system designed for Web Hosting, ISP and WISP industries. Below are the few features of Plesk Billing (Previously it was ModernBill system):
* Automated Signup
* Automated Payment Processing
* Automated Account Provisioning
* Online, Recurring, Web Based Billing
Parallels Plesk Billing — Online Demo:
[1] Administrator Interface
Username: demo
Password: demo
[2] User Interface
Username: joejoe
Password: joejoe
For more details and features, visit Plesk Billing System
How to upgrade to Wordpress 2.7
Wordpress 2.7 is now the latest version of Wordpress and it comes with many new features. Below is the step by step guide line to upgrade your wordpress blog.
[1] Backup your entire blog (Web contents as well as your database).
[2] Rename wp-config-smple.php to wp-config.php and made the required changes in it.
[3] Upload your new worpress files and overwrite existing files.
[4] Now browse http://yourdomain.com/wp-admin/upgrade.php
You are done now.
Note: You can also request us to upgrade your blog on your behalf. Refer this post
Kailash
HyperVM comprehensive Virtualization software and VPS solution
HyperVM comprehensive Virtualization software available to create and/or manage different Virtual Machines which are based on different technologies across machines and platforms. Using HyperVM you can manage your VPS and servers across the different data centers.
Below are the few features of HyperVM:
- HyperVM also supports Windows Virtualization with advanced features like backup/restore built in.
- It supports multiple virtualization technologies.
- Migration of your server is possible in HyperVM.
- Backup features is integrated with HyperVM. It also allows your clients to browse the backups and they can restore from their end without contacting you.
HyperVM Demo: Click Here
HyperVM Installation: Click Here
More details on HyperVM: Click Here
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