Hackers and How to Avoid Them.
Hey folks.have been hacked twice in the last year, both times it has been my own fault and both times I should have known better.
The first time was due to a phishing e-mail that allowed my computer to get hacked. I had to disable my antivirus for a while because I forgot to budget for the renewal and figured it would only be down a few days so I didn't get a free version in the meantime. I just happened to visit the wrong site and had a hacker looking at my passwords and such for some of my most used sites for like 3 days.
They hacked my main blog, they hacked several other accounts before I got their software removed and changed all my passwords around the web.
Thanks again for Wealthy Affiliate's tech support team for helping me restore a secure version for the site and get my main site back up and running in just a few hours. These men and women work so hard and do such an amazing job keeping hundreds of thousands of sites running well.
My latest hacker has cause a more server total loss of one of my place holder domains.
Yesterday I had to take down the website at RetireEarly.pro and will need to rebuild content and all because its possible the hacker followed me from my old web host. Maybe not but the exploit was definitely my fault as I bulk moved the site to Wealthy Affiliate servers and never updated it in the over a year it has been here.
WordPress is 100% open source code and developed by over 14,000 assorted web contributors to the project. Any of them can make coding mistakes and that is why at least once every couple of months there is a major WordPress Security Update. Do Not Ignore Them.
Through a process called SQL Injection they placed a code on the site that would use the images when displayed to ass adware and malware on to a percentage of my low traffic viewers. Lucky it was a non subscriber site with only around 40 visitors a month but when I added it to Google Search Console last night I was told of the hack, tracked it down, found the severity, and deleted the website so I can recover the domain's greatness pending sale at a future date.
Keeping Safe from Hackers
Use common sense. If you have no antivirus your computer can even get hacked through social sites and Google searches, so use a great free virus suite like AVG or Avast in the interim. If WordPress or a Plugin is pushing an Update do it immediately. If you have your subscription form or meta box on the site there will be SPAM subscribers if you have anyone can subscribe allowed. DO NOT CLICK THEIR PROFILE LINKS.
Use only secure passwords at least 8 characters long and where possible keep them hidden.
Andy Zeus Anderson
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Also, be careful of the plugins you have installed. Remove any that you do not use and only use plugins that have been tested with the current version of WordPress. Be wary of new plugins that have a small user base as well.
For Windows PC's:
1. Make sure your anti-virus and malware scanners are up to date and not disabled.
2. Keep your firewall on.
3. If you can, use a VPN such as NORD. It's very cheap and a must if you are using pubic WIFI. Else you will be subject to man-in-the-middle attacks. This goes for Andriod and iPhones we well.
4. Only browse through secure connections (HTTPS).
5. If you store passwords online, use a secure/encrypted file.
FOR WINDOWS 7 USERS
Remember that Windows 7 reaches end-of-life on January 14, 2020. That means you will no longer receive Windows 7 security updates that help protect your PC.
If you can, update your Windows 7 PC to Windows 10 ASAP. It's best to do a clean install of Windows 10 vs and Upgrade, just keep in mind you'll need to reinstall your apps. If it's not possible to reinstall your apps you'll need to upgrade.
For reference, here are Windows 10 most basic requirements below. From my experience with older PC's, a minimum dual-core processor, 4GB RAM or more, and 500GB hard drive. (Solid State drive is best).
BASIC REQUIREMENTS (Meaning it will work for Windows 10, but will be very slow)
Processor: 1 gigahertz (GHz) or faster processor or SoC
RAM: 1 gigabyte (GB) for 32-bit or 2 GB for 64-bit
Hard disk space: 16 GB for 32-bit OS or 20 GB for 64-bit OS
Graphics card: DirectX 9 or later with WDDM 1.0 driver
Display: 800 x 600
Useful Tips when moving to Windows 10
1. You download the free Windows 10 media creations tool here: https://www.microsoft.com/en-us/software-download/windows10
You can use this to create installation media for USB or DVD for ALL versions for Windows 10.
2. A little known secret on licensing. If you have a Windows 7 license (typically found on the side or bottom of your pc or laptop), you can use it to activate Windows 10 for free as long as it has never been used to activate a copy Windows 10 in the past.
This will work for most people. I did this on my wife's old Dell laptop just two weeks ago, so it still works. This will save you the hassle of buying a copy of Windows 10 or a license key.
3. Always install Windows Home 64 Bit. Only install 32 Bit if your PC doesn't meet requirements for 64. Also, there is no real advantage to installing Windows 10 PRO unless you're using the PC connected to a corporate network or something like that.
MAC Users
Sorry, I know some of you use MACs but I'm not a MAC user, so just keep your antivirus up to date and firewall turned on, and stay away from those unsecured websites.
Hope this info will help.
Michael
*** wow -- that's super helpful, Michael -- you get an A+ !
and how about some gold stars thrown in, too? .. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
thanks for a great list of checks ... will come back and check out the Windows 10 that's already on --- a few years already ...
cheerio-o .... :)
*** Really super wise counsel, Andy! .... appreciate your sharing with us about your experience --- thanks so much! .... :) ***
Not a problem, it's our own slips that usually lead to hackers getting their teeth sunk in but we can avoid these rabid vampires if we use our heads and stay updated with security measures.
Good evening my friend, so far I've been lucky no one's hack any of my websites, and I sincerely hope that it will never happen. However I thank you for this Vital Information, and may you have a blessed night, and a very successful rest of the week.
I pray you never have to go through it because even for a website geek like me there are times you just have to kill the site and rebuild.
Bummer Andy. Yes, I have been hacked and it is no fun. Lot’s of idiots out there with nothing else to do.
Joe
A Hacker is like a thief even if they steel no money because they steal a piece of your life you can't get back. I had only around 50 hours in that site but it's a work week gone to a hacker being a moron.
Some great advice here...I have had some bad experiences myself with hackers on a couple of my e-com sites and it cost money, time down, and stress (plus headaches)...
Cheers!
Dave : )
Yeah, I lost an e-commerce site 2 years ago to a hacker. I couldn;t recover the domain even after rebuilding the site because it was already in all of the Phishing Site registries by the time I even discovered the hack. I had 400 hours in the site, the listings, the SEO, and marketing. I spent another 100 hours trying to get the site cleared to not show a warning in the browsers of a Dangerous Attack site and I had a sweet domain too. Littlest eshop dot com
Yes, we need precautions set up for our online business. I also need to enhance my security measures!
Wealthy Affiliate has one hell of a security suite and getting hacked is usually a sign of user error. I did a couple of things I know better than to do and paid for it by losing a half-day to one hacker and a 6 page website to another. We have to do our part to keep a secure WA.
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Great post Andy and a timely reminder to us newbies to stay alert.
My husband keeps an eye through Norton on our computer, tablet and phone security. But I like your advice if you have a few days not covered.
So sorry you had this trouble.
Lily 😊
I personally hate Nortons because of its adware package and the fact they like to choose safe content for you eliminating a lot of things that are not a threat at all but I am a big fan of AVG and Kaspersky. Glad you have someone to keep you safe on that end. Now just keep those sites updated and you should be safe for some time.
I know Tony will. Lots to think about.
Lily 😊