Request A Quote

HotOpponents Hack

We have seen this one a few times coming from WordPress but we have also seen it in Google Analytics code or simply in a header.php file. HotOpponents is a simple redirect script but really digs down and makes roots for itself throughout your website files and database.  Here’s how we got rid of it in WordPress. Of course, you can always call us and we can clean this for you!

If you’re on a shared server, ask us about dedicated server support: we get you on a super-secure dedicated server for about the same cost as an insecure, slow, shared server (most common setup).

  1. Locate your wp-config.php file and note the database name.
  2. Open PHPMyAdmin and locate the database.
  3. Open SQL Statements and insert the following

    Remember to replace your table prefix here with the one in your database.
    Also, take notice of the GET variables in the URL, sometimes the tp=2 is different. We’ve seen zzz=3 and jp=88
  4.  That should remove the hotopponents script from your database.
  5. Replace ALL wordpress files with a clean version
  6. Next, log in via FTP and quarantine your plugins and theme files.
    1. download all files and search for malware manually – in obvious spots – header.php, index, etc…
    2. Scan your site with https://sitecheck.sucuri.net/ 
    3. Remove any malware. Many times it’s just better to flush plugins and reinstall them all, then just overwrite your theme files with the latest version or a backup.
  7. Download and install WordFence and do a site scan
  8. Finally, update all your passwords (account, (S)FTP, WordPress)
  9. Backup your site.

Nasty little hack/redirect script from some ridiculously infantile folks.

 

More Web Design Blog Content

Some Homepage Best Practices

Building an effective website begins with a well-designed home page. Because it’s the first thing people see, the homepage must make a nice impression while also pointing the user in the right direction. If you want your homepage to be successful, you should follow these guidelines. Make sure

Javascript called by PHP

Interesting little snippet. What is going on here? Livewire gives you the low down.    if($num_rowvs == 0){ echo ‘<script>// <![CDATA[ alert(“This is an alert message. I’m alerting you that you are totally awesome!”); // ]]></script>’; }   First, we’re creating a simple if statement in PHP.  Not entirely

Why are most government websites so terrible?

The recent debacle with the Affordable Care Act has made headlines but those of us in the development world are just seeing more of the same old thing. Government websites stink! Why is that? I can assure you that their cost structure is very similar to the outrageous

Client Spotlight – Veterans Moving Help

Greg came to us needing a boost in his website traffic. He already had his site running but needs people to be able to find it. We are currently working diligently to make that happen for him. We’ve already made significant progress in his search engine rankings and

WordPress: Capturing Post Author Meta

An easy one here from your local Gainesville Web Designer: How to retreive the author information from a post in the WordPress loop. This assumes you’re in the loop, of course. $meta_field= get_the_author_meta( ‘your_meta’ );   Badda-bing badda-boom. You’re done. It really is that simple. Just use get_the_author_meta,

You get 15 seconds! Web Design Trends for 2016

Mobile is in and users are becoming increasingly impatient. In 2014, 55% of users spent less than 15 seconds on a webpage according to data by Tony Haile of Chartbeat.  This means you only have 15 seconds to capture a users attention and convert a visitor to a customer.

  • EMAIL: web@livewiregeeks.com
Facebook Linkedin Google-plus