This article is not the usual subject matter for SassySavvySuccessful, but it’s important. I know a number of my readers have their own websites or are thinking about having their own websites.
Being online is getting more and more complicated as spammers and hackers and all sort of cyber-baddies do their dastardly deeds.
He Gave Me what-For!
Some time ago an uber-techie friend gave me what-for for logging into my website dashboard with “Admin” even though I had a pretty good Password and a good security system. Not wanting to bear his wrath a second time, I went to each of my websites and created two unique user names and complex passwords.
This past weekend, one of my websites was battered with log-in attempts. On Saturday alone, there were no less than 40 lockouts and it takes three failed log-in attempts to get locked out. The attackers used all the usual log-in names: Admin, admin, user, Editor, even the site name but because my log-in names are unique and unrelated to the site name or content and my passwords are complex, none of these hackers were successful.
My security system tracks where the attackers are from and, this weekend, they were from all around the world. I get an email each time a ‘user’ is locked out and the emails were non-stop all weekend. It was almost frightening.
It’s Just a Fun Site
The website they attacked? It’s a fun site I bought for my grandson – who is 8 – to play with and learn web design and a bit of coding on! It is amateur and childish and of no use to anyone that I can see.
It was such a strange, and unpleasant, experience to have I decided I needed to share the important lesson I learned. My techie-friend insisted I create two users with unusual names and my passwords are really long and complex. I have a good security system and thank goodness! Whenever I set up a new website for myself or a client, I may get it going with ‘admin’ but that gets changed and deleted as part of my initial security set up.
Please Make It Difficult
So, dear reader, if you have a website of your own, please make sure you make the log-in as difficult as you can because, as I learned this past weekend, no one is immune to cyber-bullies!
and… techie-friend, thank you for giving me what-for when you did!
Please use the Comments to relate any hacking attempts you’ve heard about or experienced – it’ll help drive this message home!
I don’t understand why these things happen to innocuous websites. A fan fiction page I once wrote for got hacked a few years ago. What did they hope to gain? Practice? I don’t know. But thank you for sharing these wise words!
Darla, the innocuous sites are perhaps the easiest sites to hack as the owners think they’re unimportant. Apparently, however, there are reasons for hacking other than gaining info – they use your bandwidth for illegal activities and “anonymous” distribution of illegal content. It really is the ugly underbelly of the worldwideweb. We need to be safe rather than sorry these days!
We don’t trouble anyone, then why do they do so? What pleasure do these people get?
Last week I got four messages in one of my blog posts as anonymous. By passing through them, I could understand that none of the posts were read by them.
Anyway, it is a useful tip for readers, Pradeep. Thank you for that.
Hi, Sarala, spam filters are an important part of security too, that’s for sure! The reason you couldn’t see your comment immediately is because my spam filter holds new commenters for my approval before posting. I’ve seen some blogs with so many spam comments it was ridiculous!! Thanks for visiting!
Excellent advice! We try to be as secure as possible. A dear, sweet blogger got hacked and still hasn’t recovered from the emotional upset. Be well! And thanks for the comment on my blog. I’m glad that road rage you experienced didn’t cause an accident. Be well!
Hi, Darla! I often call my website my online home so I fully understand the emotional upset of a break-in. It’s sad that such security is needed for labours of love as many of our websites are. I’m glad you take your security seriously!!
Important info! Thanks! #MLSTL
Thanks, Janet! and thanks for stopping by!!
Hacking is very common. A lot of that is done just for the nuisance value, and some for gain. Online is no different from offline. Just as we ensure our houses and valuable are well secured, we need to do the same for our online resources as well.
Ah, Pradeep, you have given me my new favourite oxymoron: nuisance value. You are completely right about security. I hear many friends say “I’m too small and unimportant to hack!” Considering what’s on my grandson’s site, apparently no one is too small and unimportant! Thank you for the reminder!
Thanks so much Agnes for this advice and I’m sorry to hear about your recent experiences. We have to be so careful these days and I notice that my spam filter on my website has been a lot fuller over the last few weeks. I don’t sign in as Admin but I’ll be certainly taking on board your advice. Thanks for sharing at #MLSTL and enjoy the rest of your week. xx
Maybe it just seems worse because I’m watching a series on British Castles… the battering ram analogy came instantly to mind – might have heightened my feeling of vulnerability! 🙂 Have a great weekend, Sue!
Ugh. What a pain in the neck! I have a great app called 1Password that helps me create complicated and long passwords. I’ve been using it for years. Knock on wood, I won’t ever have to deal with a hacker. I wish those people could get a real life.
Hi, Jean, thanks for visiting! I use LastPass for passwords and I have Wordfence on all my websites. As I said to Patrick, these hackers have to have some smarts to do what they do – if only they could channel it into something more positive!
That really sucks – fortunately in 4 years of blogging I haven’t had any problems – I’ve never bought a website or had hackers trying to access my blog – maybe blogging for free on Blogger has other side benefits?
MLSTL and I’ve shared on my SM 🙂
I’ve never had any real problems either, Leanne, but watching those emails come in this past weekend was a little unnerving. I don’t know about Blogger, but I’m sure they’ve battened down the hatches for the sake of their many clients! Thanks for the share!
This is good advice to us all, so thanks for sharing! I hope it is now sorted for you and wish you well. #mlstl
All is well now, thanks, Debbie – it sure hit home though how diligent we all need to be!
Oh my goodness, the same thing has been happening to me for several days. After two years of blogging, this is the first time this has happen. They get locked out after 3 tries.It is really worrying. Thank goodness for security!
I agree about security, Leah! They seem to go in cycles at all my websites but this weekend, with this one website, I felt like there was a battering ram at the gate.
Thanks for this great advice. I’m sure a hacker would work out my username very quickly.afyer hearing your story I will change to something more complex #MLSTL Shared on SM
So important, Jennifer, and this morning another tech friend who heard my story suggested I actually block log-in attempts immediately when “admin” or”user” is used – that’s a good idea too!
I am so sorry to hear this. I have been lucky. There are too many morons with too much time on their hands. #MLSTL
I escaped unscathed, Patrick, so I too am lucky. The trouble with these hackers is they have to be bright to do what they do… if only they could channel their energy into something more positive!
Very useful information,Pradeep. When we don’t trouble them, why do they do so. What fun in it! Last week three messages loomed in one of my posts as anonymous. None of them were read by that person because the comments didn’t touch anything related to my content. I just deleted them.