jfmxl

I fixed it. The problem was that I overwrote the original .htaccess specifying the rewrite rules with my ‘new improved’ .htaccess denying access to the ip address of the spammer. I copied an old version of the .htaccess back and everything looks good once again.

This is the domain returned by whois for the IP address of the spammer :

% This is the RIPE Database query service.
% The objects are in RPSL format.
%
% The RIPE Database is subject to Terms and Conditions.
% See http://www.ripe.net/db/support/db-terms-conditions.pdf

% Note: this output has been filtered.
% To receive output for a database update, use the “-B” flag.

% Information related to ‘188.143.232.0 – 188.143.233.255’

inetnum: 188.143.232.0 – 188.143.233.255
netname: INFERNO-NAME-NET
descr: net for dedicated Client
country: RU
admin-c: AJ2256-RIPE
tech-c: AJ2256-RIPE
status: ASSIGNED PA
mnt-by: MNT-PIN
mnt-lower: MNT-PIN
mnt-routes: MNT-PIN
source: RIPE # Filtered

person: Agnes Jouaneau
address: A Little Denmark Complex, 147 Main Street, PO Box 4473
address: Road Town, Torola, VG1110
address: British Virgin Islands
phone: +44 20 81333030
fax-no: +44 20 81333030
abuse-mailbox: abuse@bergdorf-group.com
nic-hdl: AJ2256-RIPE
mnt-by: aint-mnt
source: RIPE # Filtered

% Information related to ‘188.143.128.0/17as44050’

route: 188.143.128.0/17
descr: Petersburg Internet Network LLC
origin: as44050
mnt-by: MNT-PIN
source: RIPE # Filtered

My server support has just got back to me saying

‘I was unable to locate the directory ~/www/robinlea.com/wordpress/2011
(~/www/robinlea.com/wordpress-3.1/2011) nor was I able to locate such a directory withing any of our available backups, are you sure this was the correct file path for the 2011 directory? ‘

So… the url is not referencing a ‘real’ directory structure, but rewriting the url into a database query? and in fact I can see the ‘missing’ posts in the database. And in fact, I cannot even ‘retrieve’ the posts that are visible on the front page by clicking on them under ‘Recent Posts’.

Has a cracker somehow messed up the rewrite rules or the mechanism that does the rewrites?

I fixed it. I just used an existing user account with appropriate permissions to populate the database. Something was wrong with the user account being created by phpmyadmin… the user I had created had no global permissions, but full permissions over the relevant database. Perhaps that was the problem? Whatever, as they say. It works now.

http;//www.robinlea.com/wordpress

I do notice a place for a picture in the user profile… but no way to upload an actual picture to fill it? Is that right?

Thanks for all your help.

No cpanel.

The wpadmin user I’ve created is a database user, no?

Or are you telling me that I have to create a system user wpadmin in order to run wordpress?