Given that WordPress powers millions of websites worldwide, it’s no surprise that it’s a prime target for malicious activities ranging from brute force attacks and hacking attempts to unauthorized access — all of which can wreak havoc on your site’s functionality, damage reputation, or even result in lost revenue and sales. A common entry point […]
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Tampered OpenCart Authentication Aids Credit Card Skimming Attack
Using out of date software is the leading cause of website compromise, so keeping your environment patched and up to date is one of the most important responsibilities of a website administrator. It’s not uncommon to employ the use of custom code on websites, and spend small fortunes on software developers to tailor their website […]
Shifting Malware Tactics & Stealthy Use of Non-Executable .txt & .log Files
The malware landscape is constantly evolving — and bad actors are always devising new techniques to evade detection. Our analysts most commonly find website malware nestled within JavaScript or PHP files, which can be directly executed by browsers or servers. However, we’re encountering more and more instances of malware that use code from non-executable files […]
What is HSTS: HTTP Strict Transport Security
HSTS or HTTP Strict Transport Security is a protocol that can make it more difficult for attackers to modify or intercept traffic between a user and your website. Understanding what HSTS is and how it functions is crucial for anyone keen on protecting their site, as proper implementation can help to ensure that your website’s […]
Password Security & Password Managers
In the spirit of National Cyber Security Awareness Month (NCSAM), let’s talk about a security basic that many people overlook: passwords. These are one of the most fundamental aspects of website security, yet we too often see webmasters taking a lax approach to their sensitive credentials. Weak passwords make it easier for bad actors to […]
Balada Injector Targets Unpatched tagDiv Plugin, Newspaper Theme & WordPress Admins
In the middle of September 2023, vulnerability advisory resources disclosed the details of an Unauthenticated Stored XSS vulnerability in the tagDiv Composer (the companion plugin for the popular tagDiv premium themes Newspaper and Newsmag). Shortly after that, we started noticing new waves of Balada malware injections on websites that were actively using tagDiv themes. This […]
Optimizing WordPress: Security Beyond Default Configurations
Default configurations in software are not always the most secure. For example, you might buy a network-attached home security camera from your friendly neighborhood electronics store. While these are handy to keep an eye on your property from the comfort of your phone, they also typically come shipped with a default username and password. And […]
WordPress Vulnerability & Patch Roundup September 2023
Vulnerability reports and responsible disclosures are essential for website security awareness and education. Automated attacks targeting known software vulnerabilities are one of the leading causes of website compromises. To help educate website owners on emerging threats to their environments, we’ve compiled a list of important security updates and vulnerability patches for the WordPress ecosystem this […]
What Is ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection’ & How To Fix It in WordPress
Experiencing the ‘Error Establishing a Database Connection‘ on your WordPress website? This common error indicates that your site is unable to connect to its database, rendering it inaccessible to users — and potentially impacting your visitors, user experience, and sales. In this blog post, we’ll explain what the database connection error means, common reasons for […]
How to Find & Fix Japanese SEO Spam
Japanese SEO Spam, also known as “Japanese keyword hack” or “Japanese SEO poisoning,” is a spammy search engine optimization technique used by black hat SEO artists to make a website show up in search engine results for spam keywords in Japanese language when they shouldn’t. In this post, we’ll detail what Japanese SEO spam is, […]
