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WordPress Under Attack

WordPress Under Attack

For the last few days we (any most other web hosts) have been seeing a coordinated brute force attack on WordPress installs.  A brute force attack is a method used by hackers trying many different password and credential combinations in rapid succession in an attempt to obtain your login information.

Initially the attacks were coming from single IP addresses that could be blocked.  The initial attacks caused high load, but were successfully fended off.   The attack has evolved into a distributed brute force attempt, where random IP addresses are being used.  Since the attack is now random we cannot simply block an IP address that is repeatedly trying to login.   To keep your site safe, we have temporarily disabled WordPress login capabilities for the affected web sites.  If you end up with a “Access denied” message when trying to log into your WordPress site, then your site is affected.   We are working on alternate methods to mitigate the attack.

If you need immediate access to your WordPress install, send us an email with your current IP address and the URL of your WordPress site and we can open a spot for you.

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Update 4/12/13 2:00PM EST:

The attack has lessened in intensity but is still continuing.  For now we are keeping many WordPress installs locked down to protect your sites and passwords as it is the best way to keep things safe.  As before,  if you need immediate access to your WordPress install, send us an email with your current IP address and the URL of your WordPress site and we can open a spot for you.  We will continue to update this post as the situation develops.

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Update 4/12/13 2:30PM EST:

The 1st news articles are beginning to break regarding this attack.

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Update 4/12/13 7:30PM EST:

WordPress logins have been re-enabled.  We are monitoring and will post an update here if the situation changes.  In the meantime, everyone using a WordPress install should perform these 2 steps:

  1. Make sure you are using a strong password.  You can generate strong passwords here for free.
  2. Hide your wp-admin by following the guide here.  Note you should pick something unique for your login URL.

Posted in: Server Outages

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Is Windows 8 Ready For You?

Is Windows 8 Ready For You?

This weekend I decided to take the plunge and upgrade to Windows 8.  I was coming from a Windows 7 system running on a fairly budget laptop.  I did  this to get ready for the influx of support requests that normally come when any OS upgrade is released and so I could test things out and advice people if the upgrade was worth it. (more…)

Posted in: Uncategorized

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GoDaddy takes down GoDaddy

GoDaddy takes down GoDaddy

According to this story, and from our own tests, GoDaddy is down, and has been down for hours now.   This is affecting millions of sites and countless more email addresses.  If you can’t send email to someone with GoDaddy as a host, you will just need to wait it out for now.  We truly feel for the poor souls at GoDaddy customer support and all of those affected.

Perhaps folks will learn a lesson from this as well.  Is saving a dollar or so per month really worth the hassle of using a bargain host?  Not only do you lose performance and  top notch support, you also get hit by attacks like this one.  If you are reading this and are affected by this outage feel free to contact us here.  We will get you up and running very quickly.

Update

Turns out it was internal problem and not an attack.  Updated title appropriately.

Posted in: Server Outages

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Proudly Supporting the United Way of Randolph County

We hope everyone had a great Labor Day weekend, with good food, good people, and good times! Hungerhost LLC celebrated Labor Day 2012 by giving a little. We donated web hosting and email storage to the United Way of Randolph County WV, helping out their cause with what we do best … hosting.

You can find out more about the United Way and how you can help at their website:  http://www.unitedway.org/

Posted in: Uncategorized

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New Site Launch – LS Mayer Studio

LS Mayer Studio

LS Mayer Studio is now live!   Leslie, a New England artist, creates adorable greeting cards, note cards, and prints.  Just in time for the upcoming holiday season, these cards are sure to warm a heart or tickle a funny bone.  Our personal favorite is the “Family Tree” series, featuring saplings and other tree entities living and enjoying life.

You can see some  examples of  Leslie’s art below:

  

Visit LS Mayer Studio

Posted in: New Site Launch

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Welcome Rosa Vera!

Rosa Vera

Peruvian-born and now living in San Antonio, Rosa Vera is an award-winning artist who paints in acrylics, collage. watercolor, mixed media and oils. She has exhibited in national shows including the National Watercolor Society Show, Watercolor USA, and the National Arts Club. She won First Place in the 2012 Over 60 Competitions …

Posted in: New Site Launch

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