12-10-2009, 11:32 AM
Dear Customer,
Please be aware that a number of our servers have been victim to an advanced hacking technique, which has resulted in a number of webpages being replaced by the hacker group's protest page, with a further possible escalation of privileges on some servers.
Hence whilst we can restore websites from our backups and try and patch up existing servers, it is far more prudent to start with fresh operating system installs, and then restore data onto it. Therefore all affected servers will be taken offline one by one, re-installed and then data restored from our last set of backups which were run last weekend. This work will take place over this weekend, and you should expect a few hours of downtime whilst the work is done on your server.
One suggestion we have for customers who are on reseller plans or host multiple sites or important websites, is to migrate to your own VM(Virtual Machine), because operating within your own isolated environment offers greater protection for your websites in comparison to a shared hosting environment. Please contact us if you are interested in pursuing this solution.
A number of other web hosting companies have been hit with this hack recently, some of which have ended up going out of business. Whilst we will try our best to prevent this from happening again, it is the unfortunate reality of the online world that hackers will always find new and innovative ways to breach server security. A key action point for all customers is to ensure they always keep local backups of their data in the event of disasters.
So please sit tight and be patient as we try and overcome this situation. Everything should hopefully be back to normal after the weekend.
To discuss this issue or report a generic problem CLICK HERE
To submit a support ticket for a specific problem CLICK HERE
Please be aware that a number of our servers have been victim to an advanced hacking technique, which has resulted in a number of webpages being replaced by the hacker group's protest page, with a further possible escalation of privileges on some servers.
Hence whilst we can restore websites from our backups and try and patch up existing servers, it is far more prudent to start with fresh operating system installs, and then restore data onto it. Therefore all affected servers will be taken offline one by one, re-installed and then data restored from our last set of backups which were run last weekend. This work will take place over this weekend, and you should expect a few hours of downtime whilst the work is done on your server.
One suggestion we have for customers who are on reseller plans or host multiple sites or important websites, is to migrate to your own VM(Virtual Machine), because operating within your own isolated environment offers greater protection for your websites in comparison to a shared hosting environment. Please contact us if you are interested in pursuing this solution.
A number of other web hosting companies have been hit with this hack recently, some of which have ended up going out of business. Whilst we will try our best to prevent this from happening again, it is the unfortunate reality of the online world that hackers will always find new and innovative ways to breach server security. A key action point for all customers is to ensure they always keep local backups of their data in the event of disasters.
So please sit tight and be patient as we try and overcome this situation. Everything should hopefully be back to normal after the weekend.
To discuss this issue or report a generic problem CLICK HERE
To submit a support ticket for a specific problem CLICK HERE