Author Archive

Website blocked or blacklisted by Google?

January 3, 2013

Happy new year! I get questions about still being blacklisted after removing malware infections all the time so I figured I would share this to help people regain their reputation on the web.

If Google crawls your site and finds malicious code they will blacklist the site. Then Google will display a warning to users when they attempt to visit your pages from Google search results. Hopefully you are able to remove the malicious code (maybe by using this WordPress Plugin) but then you will also need to get Google to take down that warning and get you back on the search results.

You can check the status of any site on Google's Safe Browsing Diagnostic page:
http://safebrowsing.clients.google.com/safebrowsing/diagnostic?site=http://gotmls.net
(replace "gotmls.net" with yout domain name at the end of that link ;-)

If you see the following message at the top then this site has been blacklisted:
Site is listed as suspicious - visiting this web site may harm your computer.

You can wait for Google to crawl your site again and this warning may eventually go away, or... you can login to Google Webmaster Tools and "Request a review" on the "Malware" page under the "Health" section.

It usually doesn't take more than a few hours and you can come back to that page to check on the status. Hope this help you all to a speedy recovery.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in How To No Comments »

Best Buy Award for 2012 by reviewboard.com

November 22, 2012

This plugin was just reviewed by reviewboard.com and given 5 Stars and their Best Buy Award for 2012. This is a great honor and I really appreciate them spreading the word about my plugin. They also wrote a nice review on WordPress.org which you can do to if you would like to help.

Donations also help as I am constantly working hard to push out updates with improvements and new features. The more donations I get, the more time I can spend on it.

A big "Mahalo!" (thanks) to those that have already donated.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates No Comments »

New scan engine that works better on large file systems

October 6, 2012

I released the new scan engine in version 1.2.10.05 today. This is the scan process that I've had available as a BETA for a couple months but it was not ready for release until now. It take longer because it breaks the scan into smaller processes that complete independently of the scan initiation process. This has a better success rate (especially on server with lots of files or minimal memory) and allows for better error handling.

So there are now two types of scans:

  • Quick Scan - Good for small file systems, fast servers, or sites that have post restriction.
  • Complete Scan - Good for large file systems, servers with irregular permission issues, or low memory allocation.

The Automatic Fix process and File Viewer have been improved too. It loads nicer now and you can move this new pop-up window around on the page :-) .

Please give me feedback on these new features and scan options.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates 1 Comment »

File Viewer and Fix Button Improvements

September 21, 2012

I just released an update that makes the file view easier to use and the Fix Threats process much faster. I also added back the feature to revert your changes if the Automatic Fix ended up breaking your site. There were also a few other minor bug fixes and error handling improvements.

Stay tuned for more improvements and new features coming soon.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates No Comments »

Updated the update of definition updates to keep you up-to-date

August 31, 2012

I just released a new update that supports encoded definition update. This solves the issue of posting over-sized arrays to servers with post limitations. I also added a button to abort the scan and fix the infections already found. That way you can fix the threats that are found even if the scan process is not finished.

I am still working on a new scan engine that leverages JavaScript includes to distribute the scan job over multiple server processes. This is working well in the BETA version 1.2.07.30 but it does take a really long time on large scans.

I could also use some more donation :-) ... In the 5 months that this plugin has been in the WordPress Repository it has been downloaded over 12,000 times. I've had over 4,000 people register more than 5,000 sites on GOTMLS.NET and yet I've only received 141 donations (many of them are only one dollar, of which PayPal takes 34 cents in fees). Now, I'm not complaining. I am very grateful to those who have already made generous donations to support this project. I am just hoping to see a higher percentage of people who use my plugin contributing to it's future. This is an ever-changing field and it is a lot of work to keep this program up-to-date and capable of removing the newest variants of infectious scripts.

As always, thanks for reading and thanks for your support, and don't hesitate to contact me if you need help.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates No Comments »

New Scan Process for Large Filesystems in BETA Release 1.2.07.30

July 31, 2012

I have written a new scan engine to address the problem of hanging on large scans. This new process leverages dynamic JavaScript includes to break the scan job into smaller pieces that your server can handle more easily. For most people with the hanging scan problem this new version works great but I have seen one site with over 100,000 files where the heavy JavaScript caused the client's browser to crash. So, this update is not for everyone. This plugin now has over 10,000 downloads and I don't want to release a questionable update on so many people. I will continue to work on it for a future release but it will only be available upon request until I have it working better. If your scans are hanging up before reaching 100% then contact me and I'll get you the BETA.

Keeping this plugin cutting-edge with new features and up-to-date with the latest definitions for removing new threats is a lot of work. Please make a donation to support my continued development and enhancement of this plugin.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates 1 Comment »

I need your help!

June 28, 2012

Well, this Plugin has been out for three months now and has been downloaded over 7,200 times. I've received loads of great comments and email about how well it has done removing real threats from people's servers. However, some people have had trouble getting it to do a large scan on servers without much memory. I have tried many different way of around this but there seems to be no easy way around this problem on some servers.

So, I have decided to take a different approach. I have started rewriting the scan engine and breaking down the scanning process into multiple executions of smaller processes. This will make for a more accurate progress bar, allow for better error handling, and run more efficiently on servers without much memory. So far I have stayed clear of charging out right for this plugin but, to be perfectly honest, I need to start getting more financial support for all the work I am putting into this project. I don't want to turn anyone who need help away because of their inability to pay. However, I have a family to support and this project doesn't pay the bills (but I believe it can). If everyone who has registered donated $12 dollars then I could devote myself to this project full-time and everyone will benefit from better protection for their site. I know some of you cannot do this but others can donate even more. Think of how much this plugin is worth to you and donate accordingly.

I will be contacting all of you who have registered, asking for your support, over the next month or so. I feel certain we can make this project a success without blocking access to those who don't have the means to pay. I've already gotten a fair few donations from ecstatic voluntary donors. One such donor I'd like to mention is Graeme Morris of socialidentitydesign.com who not only gave a generous donation but also designed my new Gravatar/Logo. He said: "Your plugin really saved my site, I really want you to develop it more."

Thank you all for your generous support!

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates 7 Comments »

Register multiple sites/keys to a single user/email account

May 26, 2012

Almost two months in the WordPress Repository and already more than 5,000 downloads. There are still many upgrades I would like to work on to enhance functionality and add features but my time is limited and donations have not been sufficient to retain my full attention for this project. However, due to popular demand, I have just released an update to support the most requested feature. It is now possible to register more than one of your sites, with it's unique Installation Key, under a single email address. So all the site administrators who manage lot of sites don't have to register each site under a unique email address. You can also view and remove your Keys/Sites on the Members page of GOTMLS.NET when logged in.

I would like to encourage all those who are taking advantage of this Plugin to make a donation. I can't tell you how much it would help me devote more time to improving the software and releasing even more helpful updates.

Aloha,
Eli Scheetz

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Posted in Updates 3 Comments »

Now available in the WordPress Repository

March 26, 2012

I just released my new Anti-Malware plugin for WordPress. It is still in BETA but I think it will be very helpful in removing malicious scripts and patching security vulnerabilities.

Please feel free to leave feedback and donations are always appreciated.

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Posted in How it all started 4 Comments »

A WordPress plugin is born

February 16, 2012

I made my PHP scripts into a WordPress plugin and installed it on a couple of different servers to test it. Over the next few weeks I will be testing, refining, and improving the plugin to get it ready for release to the WordPress community. Anyone interested in testing it on their WordPress site should contact me and I will set you up with a pre-release version.

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Posted in How it all started No Comments »