Blogging tips learnt the hard way….

Some time ago my website and blog was hacked, not by a physical person though. It was hacked by a ‘bot’ apparently, a kind of virus trawling the web and looking for vulnerable sites.

Fairly recently I’d decided to take web design into my own hands for a number of reasons. I like the freedom of being able to update my portfolio easily when I’m ready with new contact. Designing my own site was also appealing because I could edit and let the site evolve over time, moving with trends and fashions to make browsing better for my visitors.

After spending hour upon hour populating my website with articles, products, news and much more, suddenly it had vanished. I tried all kinds of things to make it return with no luck. I then got in touch with my hosting provider and was informed that my site had been hacked and malicious software had been uploaded, making it unsafe for visitors.

My first tip, you should most definitely install a security scanner/package  of some kind, there’s so many out there depending on your website software. I personally use the WordPress platform to build my website which means I can easily install plugins to do the job effortlessly. If you don’t use WordPress then do a Google search to see what will be compatible with your hosting company and website platform.

Here’s the link to a great plugin I currently have installed and activated.

All In One WP Security– This is an excellent plugin and i would highly recommend du to the ease of use and ‘complete’ package of tools, it’s also free!

Another great tip is to make sure you back up your website. Seems like an obvious one? When you’re busy and excited about building your online portfolio it’s so easy to forget the most simple and yet effective actions. I now use Backup and Restore to Dropbox. Here’s a link to this great plugin.

Drop Box Backup

In a roundabout, being hacked created a positive opportunity. It’s really helped me to see things with fresh eyes and question myself about the admin side of my Artistic practice.

So to conclude, if you find that your website gets hacked, don’t panic! Contact your hosting company and find out whether they have an automated backup that they can reinstall for you. This will instantly remove the virus/malicious software providing the backup was made before the virus was uploaded.

Before you get to this stage, as a minimal go ahead and install the two plugins suggested above or find their equivalents for your website.

And finally, if you find that you have to start from the ground up, turn it into a positive. Sometimes a fresh canvas is just what you need to move forward.