Author: megan

Gootloader infection cleaned up

Dear blog owner and visitors,

This blog had been infected to serve up Gootloader malware to Google search victims, via a common tactic known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) poisioning. Your blog was serving up 294 malicious pages. Your blogged served up malware to 47 visitors.

I tried my best to clean up the infection, but I would do the following:

  • Upgrade WordPress to the latest version (one way the attackers might have gained access to your server)
  • Upgrade all WordPress themes to the latest versions (another way the attackers might have gained access to your server)
  • Upgrade all WordPress plugins (another way the attackers might have gained access to your server), and remove any unnecessary plugins.
  • Verify all users are valid (in case the attackers left a backup account, to get back in)
  • Change all passwords (for WordPress accounts, FTP, SSH, database, etc.) and keys. This is probably how the attackers got in, as they are known to brute force weak passwords
  • Run antivirus scans on your server
  • Block these IPs (5.8.18.7 and 89.238.176.151), either in your firewall, .htaccess file, or in your /etc/hosts file, as these are the attackers command and control servers, which send malicious commands for your blog to execute
  • Check cronjobs (both server and WordPress), aka scheduled tasks. This is a common method that an attacker will use to get back in. If you are not sure, what this is, Google it
  • Consider wiping the server completly, as you do not know how deep the infection is. If you decide not to, I recommend installing some security plugins for WordPress, to try and scan for any remaining malicious files. Integrity Checker, WordPress Core Integrity Checker, Sucuri Security,
    and Wordfence Security, all do some level of detection, but not 100% guaranteed
  • Go through the process for Google to recrawl your site, to remove the malcious links (to see what malicious pages there were, Go to Google and search site:your_site.com agreement)
  • Check subdomains, to see if they were infected as well
  • Check file permissions

Gootloader (previously Gootkit) malware has been around since 2014, and is used to initally infect a system, and then sell that access off to other attackers, who then usually deploy additional malware, to include ransomware and banking trojans. By cleaning up your blog, it will make a dent in how they infect victims. PLEASE try to keep it up-to-date and secure, so this does not happen again.

Sincerly,

The Internet Janitor

Below are some links to research/further explaination on Gootloader:

https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/03/01/gootloader-expands-its-payload-delivery-options/

https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/08/12/gootloaders-mothership-controls-malicious-content/

https://www.richinfante.com/2020/04/12/reverse-engineering-dolly-wordpress-malware

https://blog.sucuri.net/2018/12/clever-seo-spam-injection.html

This message

General Updates for 10/14/12 – Blog Remodel, Off-Site Forums, etc.

[dropcap]I[/dropcap]t’s been a long time since I’ve given a proper update on things. Let’s start with the two most obvious: I’m back, and the blog is redone. However, there’s quite a bit more as well, including a good few plans for the next few months. Curious yet?

I’m back, where was I?
Well, the Megan was on a long deep thinking hiatus where work tried to devour her very soul.  Also, I couldn’t find my tablet. Also, also, I was having a horrid time racking my mind over things like how to manage the Mag’Ud. More on that in a bit.

Hey, the blog is all brown like!
I decided to continue with the browns to be reminiscent of not only nature, but an old story book. This project isn’t at all about fake money, and not really about the real stuff. It’s about coming together, writing, and exploring.  I may have the role of page-master, and often overlord, but we’re all the writers to spin the story. Yeah, granted, writing about lion-bear-tigr-goat things isn’t most folk’s cup o’ tea. On the other hand, there’s a wonderful chance of a rich and varied world with a life all it’s own. Also note that many of the pages got content added to them. There’s even an easy (yet through  description of all the clans.

So, what else?
As I was saying before, the Mag’Ud finally have a system that’s easy enough for just about anyone to remember, and flexible enough to create a unique and  in-depth character. And yeah, they’re still rare and pretty much RP required. There’s a good few of you who have one though, and I highly suggest you get to registering them soon!

We’re also skipping any notion of a Halloween event. Yes, there’s still two weeks and I could probably put something together. I’m opting, however, to take a bit more time working towards a winter festival. (By the way, you will have to have your Mag’Ud registered before the festival to be able to roll or receive bonuses) It also let’s me get caught up on growing before then as well.

The rules page has also been updated. Don’t steal, beg, or be a general dick, and you’ll be perfectly fine. Figured it was a good time to clarify the basics a bit.

Hmm… thinking that’s about it for this round…

Oh! the forums. I’d like to encourage everyone to go try them out for a bit. Do some roleplay. Let me know how it’s working. Trying to offer not only a non-gaia alternative, but something I can keep a bit cleaner and control a bit more than the guild. This mainly means that for people who are only interested in this project and nothing else on gaia, they won’t have to log in to gaiaonline at all. You will have to register to be able to view many of the boards (including RP). It will stay like that for a while to keep away spammers and evil bots. Have had issues with them in the past.

 

And to leave you with a few things to eyeball. A preview of one of the pets for the winter sale, as well as some sketches I did for line practice. It’s been far too long since I picked up my tablet.

 

 

 

Freebie Raffle

I’ve been busy in the shadows recently working on growings, backed custom orders, and preparing for  some sort of Halloween event. So to take a break from all of that and add a touch of fresh blood to the pot, a freebie raffle seemed a great idea.

It should be noted now that this fella’s genetics are a little unstable. No, it’s not due to the fact that he has no horns. Just expect his adult coloring to be the same theme but several hues and such to be a little different. ^^ He could get darker or lighter, or even spring a few new edits if he’s roleplayed a good bit. Who knows what’s in store?

To enter, please visit the main gaia thread, here.