As many of you may have noticed we have been having problems with hackers on our sites.
This has caused us great problems,
to explain …
A hacker attacked the server that we host our websites and blog pages on. He/She placed phishing files on the server that call out and ask people for banking information and personal information. This is represented to the unsuspecting public as a page replicating a trusted institution such as a major bank or insurance company.
As a consequence of this action the people who provide our server space automatically suspend the account following a public complaint.
As a webmaster, I attempt to keep the files and pages that we build as secure as I can however, these attackers are exceptionally well trained people who know how to bypass security protocols and weaknesses in scripts that control software that we deploy across the servers, such as this blog-site that is built on wordpress technology.
After clearing out the infected files our account was re-posted and the sites become active again. Unfortunately this hacker or hackers attacked us on several other occassions. We cleaned the sites as per the instructions of the service provider yet the attacks kept coming. The upshot of all this is that we have left that service provider as the back-up and support was very poor, in fact it was dreadful!
We have purchased new server space with a new company, and are in the process of re-building databases and pages in order to counter this ongoing threat.
Notice to Affiliates
If your site is still down please contact me as soon as possible. I am making changes to the way that your sites are hosted and I want to prevent any unnecessary costs to you for the replacement of letterhead or business cards that you may have had printed, or ad’s that you might have placed.
The affiliate program is currently terminated, until I can re-write the scripts and tighten up security
If you are referring a potential sale to the company please e/mail me with the details of the referral and I will try and ensure that you are paid any necessary commissions.
Apologies for the inconvenience that this may have caused
Assuring you of our best intentions always
Sean
Website Manager (webmaster@scenarnews.com)