Ack, Ack, Ack My Site’s Been Attacked!
Nothing stries fear into the heart of the blogosphere more than finding a Google malware warning (or worse) where your website used to be. And as you can tell from the illustration here it’s happened to us, so we speak from experience.
Unfortunately cyber crime and harassment is a fact of life but fortunately there’s something you can do about it. First, some definitions are in order:
Badware is software that fundamentally disregards a user’s choice about how his or her computer or network connection will be used. Some badware is specifically designed for criminal, political, and/or mischievous purposes. This type of badware is often referred to as malware, and includes viruses, Trojans, rootkits, spam bots, and other varieties.
Some badware is not malicious in its intent, but still fails to put the user in control. Consider, for example, a browser toolbar that helps you shop online more effectively but neglects to mention that it will send a list of everything you buy online to the company that provides the toolbar.
Another example is when you install a piece of software, and that software installs additional software that you weren’t expecting. This can be especially troubling if the additional software does something undesirable or doesn’t uninstall when you remove the original software. [Read more at Stop Badware].
To go further here are some starting points to understand and remedy the situation:
- Google Malware FAQ
- Hardening WordPress
- StopBadware’s Badware Website Guidelines
- Stop Badware’s tips for protecting your website
Feeling like this is too much to deal with? That’s why The Brooklyn Blogfather is here! Contact us today with details about your malware attack. We’ll evaluate the situation and get back to you with a time line for fixing the problem.