I Got Hacked

Do you have security style? I don’t.

Late last week I discovered my personal site here had been hacked. Because I am the dumbest website administrator ever, the hackers were then able to gain access to the site at Homofactus Press and the site at Transgender Cartoon Gallery. Homofactus Press and Transgender Cartoon Gallery were defaced.

Defacing is electronic vandalism. They destroyed image folders and my theme at Homofactus Press, and essentially destroyed every entry at Transgender Cartoon Gallery.

My personal site got hijacked by spammers sending links to bogus Tiffany websites.

I thought I could take care of it myself; clean out the infected files and restore the vandalized sites through backups I had. Which I did. Then the hacks got worse. I lost sleep and time.During one 24-hour-period I slept only 20 minutes.

But I gained a sense of how important website security it is. Without good security, I had treated my websites as if they were homes in which I left all the doors and windows unlocked. Maybe I locked a window or two and an occasional door.  Sure. The net result was the still the same, though. Open windows and doors are still open, even when two others are closed.

I had three websites which were vulnerable in toto. I was not responsible for my websites. In fact, I was completely irresponsible.

As a writer, I care deeply about how I archive my work. Backups ensure there will always be a copy of my work available to me. I care about my money and watch how I spend it. Financial responsibility gives me time freedom, something very important to me as a creative person. Marketing my brand is also important to me.

Website security? Not so much. The sad fact remains I had no security style. None.I simply did not care enough about my websites - and the hours and hours and hours of time and money I invested in them - to do the right thing for myself.

To be continued.