Site Compromise Fixed

I’m sure some of you have noticed odd behavior here the last few days –  especially those using Google’s Chrome browser or those with certain anti-virus or malware scanners active. I’ve been working on it the last couple days and today can say with confidence that the malicious code has been removed. I do take many precautions and proactive security measures to prevent malware attacks and other abuses against this site, but apparently, I missed something (though I now believe I know what it was).

It may take a day or two for third-party sites who track these things to give the site a clean bill of health.

Malware

The malware didn’t likely infect you simply by visiting (unless you are browsing the web using an old browser, an un-patched system or both), but as always, due diligence when it comes to computer security is always important.
You should always have an anti-virus application installed and active (yes, for Apple computers, too). You also need dedicated anti-malware security. These differ from anti-virus applications because malware looks and functions much like legitimate software and may not be picked up by a virus scanner.
Here are some recommendations if you don’t have any of these applications or wish to try/add others:

Anti-virus

  • Windows Defender (free)
    Windows Defender, formerly Microsoft Anti-sypware, is part of Windows 7, but can be downloaded for other Windows operating systems.

I used to use and recommend AVG’s free AV software, but I discontinued that due to some data/privacy policies I take issue with.

Anti-malware

I recommend two different malware scanners, but it’s often very problematic if you try to install/run two anti-virus programs, so pick one.

I apologize for the downtime and the malware scare, but in these times, you risk such things almost anywhere online since even the largest sites become compromised at times due to the ever-evolving world of cyber crime.