OMG – I was hacked!

I haven’t posted for several weeks because I was busy transferring files from my old computer to my new one.  You know — it takes awhile whenever you switch computers.

So yesterday morning I was at a point where I thought I should post something new to my blog — and when I attempted to login and do so — I got a really nasty surprise.  When I typed in my url — what came up was this very blunt warning message that my site had suspicious activity and was now considered a dangerous site.  OMG — I’d been hacked! 😮

And that ominous warning page wasn’t going to let me get anywhere near my login page.  A bit of a problem, since one of the things I needed to do was go in and change passwords and update WordPress.  So I started by notifying my Webhost that I had been hacked.  I use IX Web Hosting and I have to tell you their response was great!  By this morning, they had located the malware and removed it from my site.  I was not expecting this because everything I had read about how to clean up your site after a malware attack indicated that I would have to do this myself.  Thanks, IX Web Hosting!

So then the challenge was to get Google to remove its warning page — and to do that you have to go to Google Webmaster tools and request that they re-review your site.  It took an hour or so — but then my site starting coming up without that dire warning.  Whew!

I’m still having issues with Firefox on my new computer — it pulls up the warning page every time I try to access this site, but Internet Explorer and Safari are fine.  I can access the site using Firefox on my old computer — so it has to be something with Firefox on my new computer.

In the meantime — if this ever happens to you, dear reader, go immediately to Google Webmaster Tools — it will tell you what the problem is.  Then go to your Webhost and alert them to the hack.  May this advice never have to be used…

Related Post

While I was away…While I was away…

Charlotte in Her Purple Hat
from this blog, a truly wonderful event occurred in my life — My DS and DIL had their second child!

A wonderful little baby girl that they named Charlotte Grace.

I, naturally, have fallen head over heels in love with this sweet babe. 😉

The little purple hat with the pink flower is one of several I knit her while awaiting her arrival.

She’s already making a fashion statement — don’t you think?

Pattern is a basic beanie with a rolled brim. I used “I Love That Cotton” from Hobby Lobby.

More on knits for Charlotte in my next post.

First PostFirst Post

Just set up this blog. I am new to blogging. I have read about blogs, read blogs — but never blogged myself. Decided it was time to give this a try.

I plan to use this blog to recreate the website I had several years ago. The website was “Lindy’s Knits and Laces” and I took it down because we bought a new house and in the process of moving from one house to the other — we changed internet providers. I just never seemed to have time to work through setting the website up with the new provider. So while I have wanted to re-establish the website, I didn’t get to it and about 3 years have past since I took it down. In the meantime — blogs came into being and with the typical speed of internet innovations — really took hold.

As I thought about re-establishing my website, I began to realize that I needed to look into this “blog” thing. It seems that this is a “must” if you want to be connected through the web. So — I have now made my preliminary move into the blogosphere.

I’d appreciate constructive feedback as I work on getting this blog established.

Nebraska Knit & Crochet GuildNebraska Knit & Crochet Guild

NKCG_logo
I recently joined the Nebraska Knit & Crochet Guild. It is a wonderful group of knitters and crocheters who meet at various locations in Omaha, Nebraska about three times per week. I have attended six “meet ups” so far and have found the women in the guild to be very friendly, supportive and willing to share their expertise with any and all.

It is a delightful experience to be able to meet up with a group of women who share my love for both knitting and crocheting. And the social interaction adds a wonderful new dimension to my pleasure at participating in these crafts. It does, however, pose some challenges as I find it difficult to concentrate on my knitting while busily chatting away with the other women around the table.

The Guild meets Wednesdays at Whole Foods from 5:00 – 8:00 PM. Saturdays at Willa Cather Library from 1:00 – 4:00 PM and at Panera on 78th Street on Sundays from 4:00 – 6:00 PM. I have been going to the Wednesday and Sunday meet ups. Saturdays are just too busy for me, so I probably won’t do any Saturday meetings.

Many of the Guild members are on Ravelry – so this is a good way to communicate with them. There is also a Yahoo group and I now get email updates periodically. If you are in the Omaha, Nebraska metro area and are interested, here’s a link:
http://www.nebraskaknitandcrochet.org/