My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
ramshackleglam.com
My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
1–10 of 159 posts
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#2I am curious: does anyone here on HN have a registrar to recommend who they know (preferably from experience) would actually be more helpful in this circumstance?
Because from the sound of it, the unwillingness of the registrars (both of them) to take action here without being compelled to by a lawsuit is the root of the problem. The FBI's willingness to be helpful is nice, but doesn't solve the root problem, and as a law enforcement agency they can only really help in cases where they manage to "catch the criminal". And paying off the criminal just isn't an acceptable solution (although stopping the payment immediately is cool and all).
I would be willing to select a registrar on the basis of their policies, not their prices. Policies like this sort of dispute resolution and policies about how they handle DMCA notices or government subpoenas (and non-subpoenas), if only I knew which registrars had the best reputations for these things.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#3How was it hacked? I find that info in the article except that they used HostMonster's email confirmation system somehow?
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#4I am curious: does anyone here on HN have a registrar to recommend who they know (preferably from experience) would actually be more helpful in this circumstance? Because from the sound of it, the unwillingness of the registrars (both of them) to take action here without being compelled to by a lawsuit is the root of the problem. The FBI's willingness to be helpful is nice, but doesn't solve the root problem, and as…
I second this. I'm beginning to hear more an more of this problem, and while this is anecdotal, it does seem to be increasing.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#5How was it hacked? I find that info in the article except that they used HostMonster's email confirmation system somehow?
Sounds like it was just social engineered out of HostMonster. Almost all of the EIG hosts (HostMonster, BlueHost, iPage, HostGator, etc) use awful outsourced support that are only rated on amount of tickets closed/solved. They are very lackadaisical with customer information and verify accounts based on the last four digits of the card used. I'm guessing the "hacker" in this case guessed the last four of the card via livechat or a support ticket and then got in and moved the domain over to GoDaddy.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#6How was it hacked? I find that info in the article except that they used HostMonster's email confirmation system somehow?
My guess is that the author's home computer was compromised or their gmail password was guessed. They mentioned that they ignored a warning that someone logged into their account remotely.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#7I am curious: does anyone here on HN have a registrar to recommend who they know (preferably from experience) would actually be more helpful in this circumstance? Because from the sound of it, the unwillingness of the registrars (both of them) to take action here without being compelled to by a lawsuit is the root of the problem. The FBI's willingness to be helpful is nice, but doesn't solve the root problem, and as…
Look at it from the GoDaddy's point of view: This woman is claiming she has rights to a domain in one of their customer's accounts. As far as they know it was legitimately transferred in by one of their paying customers. Her real issue rests with HostMonster and the ICANN dispute resolution system.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#8How was it hacked? I find that info in the article except that they used HostMonster's email confirmation system somehow?
Sounds like it was just social engineered out of HostMonster. Almost all of the EIG hosts (HostMonster, BlueHost, iPage, HostGator, etc) use awful outsourced support that are only rated on amount of tickets closed/solved. They are very lackadaisical with customer information and verify accounts based on the last four digits of the card used. I'm guessing the "hacker" in this case guessed the last four of the card via…
"I remembered the notification from YouTube that someone had accessed my account from a different location – a notification I had ignored, assuming that I had logged in on a mobile device or that my husband had accidentally logged into my account instead of his own."
All of her accounts were compromised - seems more likely to be malware than social engineering.
Also the hosts you mentioned use in-house support.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#9I am curious: does anyone here on HN have a registrar to recommend who they know (preferably from experience) would actually be more helpful in this circumstance? Because from the sound of it, the unwillingness of the registrars (both of them) to take action here without being compelled to by a lawsuit is the root of the problem. The FBI's willingness to be helpful is nice, but doesn't solve the root problem, and as…
Namecheap offers two-factor-authentication.
Re: My website was stolen by a hacker and I got it back
#10So apart from the 4 pretty much "how not to happen", try using a host that supports 2FA.