Yep, you read it right! My blog was hacked! Just, in case you were wondering where I’ve been for the past week, I wanted to give you a quick update on what’s been happening behind the scenes with the blog!
Last week, I received a notification from our security team that the website was affected by malware. Immediately, I tried to access the website, and could not. After getting into contact with the company responsible for website security, I found out that this hack was one of the worst a company could possibly get. Just my luck right?
Our team moved quickly to clean the site and patch up any vulnerabilities and weak spots; to say this was an exhaustive process would be an understatement, but after a few days and angry conversations, we’re back….somewhat!
Due to the nature of the hack and fix, a lot of things went haywire. While I am back, I’m by no means operating at the standard I’m used to. I’m still working with the team to ensure that the site’s functionality is restored 100%…
The reason I wanted to share this experience was to remind businesses and entrepreneurs of the importance of web security. We are living in a world where everything you’ve worked for can be immediately wiped away in the blink of an eye.
Here are some important lessons I have learned from having my blog hacked are:
- Pay For Web Security: While there are free options for protecting your website, I advise you to not skimp on this. I had a very basic web security plan. You may think “I’m a nobody, why would anyone want to hack me,” but it happens. Unless someone is targetting you as competition, bots don’t research you and look at your web traffic to see if you make a good fit, they just do it because they can. Always have a good security team that you can depend on, on standby. I will not utilize companies who do not allow me to speak to a human being. In this type of emergency, email and chats simply don’t do it for me.
- Back Up Your Website: This goes without saying, always have a spare copy of all of your files; plugins, images, customizations, everything! If someone decides to delete your website, that backup will save you a lot of heart attack, my friend! Think of it as not having a spare key and getting locked out of your house but much, much worse.
- Educate Yourself: When I first built the first SHESOMAJOR blog, I did it myself. I have learned just about every single aspect of running a blog, including the technical aspect. Yes, there are some things that I do not know how to do, i.e, remove malware from the website, I can do enough. The reason this is important is, you are always working on someone else’s time and if you want something done, NOW, you’re probably going to have to do it yourself, unless you have someone on staff already to do it. There are many, many times I’ve solved technical problems quicker than the people I’m paying. *shrugs*.
- Take A Break: I should probably say, don’t freak out, but if your website is ever compromised, just take a deep breath and take a break. Even though my anxiety was at peak, I simply stepped away (as much as I could!) and let the professionals do their job. I joked and told one of my girlfriends, I had a forced vacation. We can’t control everything and to try to is fruitless. I wish I could say I was more productive during the hack, but I simply chose to spend the time hanging with family and friends. I had an amazing time!
So, yea, I see this blog hack as nothing but a minor setback, for a major comeback! They say when you are so close to your goals, the devil begins to attack, well I’m ready for war! If you are reading this and you do have an online blog, website, or business protect your investment. It may cost a little bit more initially, but I assure you it will cost a lot more if you do not!
