Site hacked – cannot access database message

  • janbecket

    (@janbecket)


    7 years, 11 months ago

    Hello,

    I have lost access to my WordPress site at http://www.malamahalawa.org

    I have a site hosted at Arvixe with C-Panel access to routine maintenance tasks. It is running MySQL version 5.5.44-37.3. My site was hacked and the password changed by a jerk named Ahmed in Tunisia four days ago. Not kidding.

    I had been running five MySQL databases and lost access to all of them, although the files were still there. I was able to regain use of two of them – including a WordPress installation – by restoring the site from a point a week earlier. Two others were Piwigo image galleries on sub domains and I have re-installed and re-populated them.

    I made the http://www.malamahalawa.org site for a non-profit I work with, and created a place for it as a sub-domain on my own site (www.janbecket.net). C-Panel at Arvixe does not recognize or list it as an existing MySQL database, and the MySQL utility on C-Panel does not list it either (although the restore utility did recognize it and supposedly restored it back to a point a week ago). The WordPress files are all there – I think – and everything appears intact. I get the error message “error establishing a database connection” when I try to go to the site, however.

    I found the WordPress config file in C-Panel but do not know enough to make sense of it. Help much appreciated.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
  • 7thcircle

    (@7thcircle)

    7 years, 11 months ago

    2 easy options, contact your host and see if they can help. They may have an override password they can use.

    Another option is sucuri. They have a service that will repair a hacked site and will give you a year of their firewall when you are done.

    Thread Starter janbecket

    (@janbecket)

    7 years, 11 months ago

    Thanks – I did not know about sucuri & will check them out.

    I did regain control of my site fairly quickly w/ help from the Arvixe support guy, which is how I could repair the other databases. I have a support ticket in now at Arvixe related to this WordPress installation but I suspect they will regard it as a WordPress issue, not a hosting issue.

    I could have mentioned that I have a full backup of the site on my hard drive from a year ago. Not ideal, but still workable. I am hoping that someone can give me a short list of files to replace / overwrite on the dysfunctional site.

    7thcircle

    (@7thcircle)

    7 years, 11 months ago

    Many hosts have db backups they can restore for you, as for restoring individual files, that depends on just what was changed. Many times they will put a payload that recreates a backdoor so they can come back in.

    I’ve been very happy with Bulletproof security https://wordpress.org/plugins/bulletproof-security/. I use the free version, but they do have a premium version too. They have been great about keeping things locked down.

    Thread Starter janbecket

    (@janbecket)

    7 years, 11 months ago

    I think I need that plugin. Looks good.

    I am still hoping that Arvixe can restore that database, although they are taking their time getting back to me. It is not a good thing that the database does not appear on the list at phpmyadmin. The other four databases appear – just not that one.

    What if I 1) move the WordPress files to a new folder on my malamahalawa.org directory, 2) Re-install WordPress and 3) migrate the old pages and posts? Is there a reliable plugin that will migrate/import data on a localhost?

    7thcircle

    (@7thcircle)

    7 years, 11 months ago

    I know a lot of people swear by backup buddy.

Viewing 5 replies - 1 through 5 (of 5 total)
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