Regularly Check Your Wordpress Files: They Could be Hacked
Last night I got a bit of shock when I discovered a strange URL in my Wordpress header file (header.php). I cut and pasted into the URL field of my Firefox browser to find that it was some placeholder site that was selling domain names!?
I believe that this could be associated to a vulnerability if one of the older versions of Wordpress that I had running.
Once I realised what was going on I immediately removed the offending link and did a scan of all the other main Wordpress files (index.php, footer.php, comments.php) just in case.
I’ve found this forum thread on DigitalPoint where other Wordpress users talk of similar hack problems especially with redirects from the wp-blog-header.php file.
How to Avoid These Wordpress Hacks:
1. Keep up to date with latest versions of Wordpress
2. Check your main Wordpress files regularly
3. Check your web stats - normally a good sign of a security breach is a visible dip in web traffic
4. Change your password regularly (I know it’s a pain)
5. Visit the Wordpress Blog for the latest news
Please feel free to share your stories and tips below.
Popularity: 32% [?]
MyBlogLog Authentication
Guys, please ignore this post as I’m just claiming this blog on MyBlogLog. The main reason I’m doing this is because I’ve activated “MyAvatar” on the comments section of the Mr.Gadget website. The intention is to help readers build up the community feeling by being able to recognise fellow readers/commenters.
Undergoing MyBlogLog Verification
Popularity: 22% [?]
Speed Linking September 18, 2008
Been busy doing a lot of different things over the last couple of weeks so haven’t been able to post as frequently as I would have liked to. I also went on much needed holiday in north-eastern part of Australia called Queensland. We stayed at the Radisson at the Gold Coast and I can highly recommend that it as a place of relaxation, fantastic service and good room service food! 
Darren Rowse (Problogger) always comes up with top blogging ideas and I like his concept of Speed Linking where he highlights his best sites for the week. Here’s my first Speed Link:
1. Mr.Problogger has a great article on 13 Ways To Promote Your Next Blog Post which contains practical advice and increasing your exposure
2. News that the new Canon 5D Mark II Digital SLR will be available in the next couple of weeks has sent me scrambling for my calculator do to sums on whether it’s more effective to buy or rent. 21 Megapixels, video capability and full-frame…nuff said!!
3. Not happy that Digg banned my account without any warnings. I have a feeling it was to do with my use of MonkeyGrease scripts but I have friends who are still using them still on - what gives?
4. If you like airplanes, you need to check out this blog post on 12 Spectacular Aircraft Photos
5. I heard about the 30DayChallenge from Allison Reynolds and I’m hooked. Ed Dale is a Melbournite and is a legend in web site buying and selling - he’s so funny too. A must watch if you want to learn how to make money online.
6. Here’s an article on 10 Amazing Savants - thank God these people weren’t aborted while in the womb…
7. Last but not least here’s my new Digital SLR Reviews website.
Popularity: 26% [?]
My Daily “Must-Visit” Web Site List
Now that I’ve officially entered into the foray of social media applications, I’ve noticed that I’m spending more and more time on the Internet. Recognizing the additional time consumption, I am determined to make sure that things do not get out of hand.
To do this, I need to list down all the sites that I visit on a daily basis and then prioritize the maximum time I should spend on each. I’ll address the latter in a future post.
Here’s my list:
My Daily “Must-Visit” Web Site List:
1. Alexa: Traffic Rankings for my 3 blogs
2. Google Adsense: Advertising revenue - it’s nice to see how these figures update almost real-time.
3. My Blogs: Mr.Gadget Australia, Arnold Aranez dot com and Gadget Loop (new site)
4. Kontera: Another advertising revenue website
5. Affiliate Websites: Clickbank
6. Plurk: Social media website that acts as a micro-blog with graphical timeline
7. Twitter: Micro-blog which I post a couple of announcements per day
8. Stumble Upon: Social bookmarking tool
9. Digg: Social bookmarking app
10. Google Gmail: Check in to read and reply to mail a couple of times a day
11. Technorati: occasionally pop-in to see how my Technorati rank is progressing
12. Facebook: Social media app to keep in touch with friends and family
Now that I’ve identified the top websites that I visit daily, I now need to time-manage each to make my day more streamlined / effective. Would love to hear of any tools or techniques that other people use.
How many sites are your “Must-Visit” website list?
Popularity: 30% [?]
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