Dns Server Migration :: Dns4.totalchoicehosting.com / Dns4.snhdns.com

Mike FordGeneral

We were just informed that the data center where our DNS server dns4.totalchoicehosting.com / dns4.snhdns.com is located is going to discontinue the facility. Since we are being forced to move our server, we are taking this opportunity to move the server into our own Data Center.

This migration is scheduled for May 25, 2013 after 11 pm.

If your domain is pointed to us using the above DNS Host Name you will need to take NO action. Your domain will continue to work after our migration to our new server. If you are using the DNS Server IP Address to point your domain name to us then you will be required to update the IP at your DNS registrar.

The new IP for this nameserver will be 208.76.83.140.

We will be updating the forum thread located here as this process gets going. As always, our techs are available to attend any queries you may have.

Update on Network Upgrades

TCH-BillGeneral

Hello TCH Gurus!

I would like to update everyone on the current status of our network upgrade announcement noted here. https://blog.totalchoicehosting.com/?p=816

We are proud to say that we have completed an estimated 60% of all our planned upgrades. There was a brief pause in our upgrade path as we stumbled on a coding
issue with our internal software.  The nasty critter has been fixed and we are going to start rolling out upgrades effective next weekend.

Once we determine the next upgrades, you can be assured we will follow our protocols and make the proper announcements.

Thank you for your support and it is a great day to be a TCH Guru!

Update: CISPA

Roberto AbbasiGeneral

Last week, on the same day that we blogged about what CISPA is, The House Of Representatives passed the bill (288-127) for the second time. Because of the huge amounts of lobbying money thrown at congress by corporations in favor of this bill, such as Google, it was expected to pass in The Senate. After it passed The House, CISPA was expected to go to the Senate, however to the surprise of most, The Senate said that they will not even consider voting on CISPA which dealt a huge blow to the bill and its supporters. However, Sen. Dianne Feinstein (D-Calif.), chairwoman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, left us with this statement: “We are currently drafting a bipartisan information sharing bill and will proceed as soon as we come to an agreement.”

STOP CISPA

As we mentioned in our last CISPA blog post, TotalChoice Hosting is against CISPA and all related bills because they would forever change the internet for the worse. This is why people need to continue to fight for internet freedoms without opposition and bills like PIPA and SOPA. Such bills would infringe on not only our rights, but our privacy. For everyone that advocated against the bill, whether it was through signing a petition, calling your local congressman, or spreading awareness, we here at TCH would like to thank you for protecting the internet as we know it! Through the power of the internet and by strength of numbers, we the people can be heard!

CISPA: What Is It And Does It Affect Me?

Roberto AbbasiGeneral

CISPA  (pronounced “sis-puh”) also known as “The Cyber Intelligence” and “Sharing Act” may sound familiar, and that’s because it’s been the center of a huge debate on Internet freedoms and privacy in the past months. CISPA was first introduced to the house on November 30th, 2011 by republican Michigan house representative Mike Rogers. On April 26th, 2012 it passed the house (248-168). However, the senate vetoed it and thus it didn’t become a law. But, it saw the floor of the house once again when on February 12th 2013, Mike Rogers reintroduced it to the house. Following suit, it was put up for vote late last Thursday night, early Friday morning. As expected, it passed the house and now it is getting ready to be voted on in the senate.  Many are conflicted on this matter, on the good side it could be a big help to investigating cyber crimes and cyber attacks on companies from groups of malicious hackers. But with the good, there’s always the bad, and in this case very bad. Essentially, the main problem with CISPA is that it not only allows for the government to monitor Internet activity without permission or a warrant, it also allows for search and seizure without a warrant if you are under suspicion of cyber crimes without hard evidence. Many also will tell you that it plainly violates Internet privacy because provisions in this bill will allow for companies such as Facebook, Twitter, Google, and Yahoo to track and sell your information without your permission. Most also see this bill as the second attempt at increasing digital piracy laws after SOPA (stop online piracy act) and PIPA (protect intellectual property act) largely met vicious opposition from groups on the Internet such as Reddit, 4chan, and even communities on YouTube. If this bill is passed, internet privacy as we know it will change forever, unfortunately adversely.

TotalChoice Hosting takes our customers privacy very seriously. When CISPA was first introduced we were against it because of the blatant disregard for privacy. Not much has changed, we are still against CISPA and would like to spread awareness to our clients that this bill is on our doorstep and we, regular users of the internet, have a voice. Let’s stand together against CISPA and tell the US government that we value our privacy and do not want our information readily available to any individual, corporation or conglomerate. Our privacy cannot and will not be sold and TCH does not support any internet bill that will erode our internet freedom! Use the links below to be heard!

Links:

WordPress Brute Force Attack

Mike FordGeneral

Hello TCH’ers,

I would like to inform everyone that a large distributed brute force attack against sites running WordPress is occurring throughout the entire internet. There are dozens of reports coming from various web hosts, both large and small, that a very large botnet with close to 90,000 servers is trying to log into random WordPress Dashboards by cycling through various usernames and passwords, otherwise known as a Brute Force attack.

Here’s What We Are Doing:

We have been battling this attack for the past 3 days and have had to block all requests to wp-login.php. We realize this may cause minor inconveniences for some clients, but we ensure you that we feel it is in the best interest of keeping your site and our servers safe. We also see that this is the current recommended solution throughout the internet for this issue.

Edit: April 12, 2013 – 5:10 PM (EST) – We have now enabled access to wp-login.php.

If you are currently having issues accessing your WordPress site, please submit a support ticket at our help desk so our technicians may investigate it further. You can access the help desk at http://support.totalchoicehosting.com

Here’s What You Can Do:

We would like to remind you how important it is to use strong passwords throughout all of your accounts. It is very important to change your password regularly to help protect yourself against these sort of attacks.

We also urge you to make sure you are using the latest and most updated stable scripts available. If you are using an older version of WordPress, Joomla, Drupal, etc., you should update immediately.

Limit Login Attempt: We recommend limiting login attempts to your WordPress Dashboard. There are various plugins that can help accomplish this. Here is an example of one: http://wordpress.org/extend/plugins/limit-login-attempts/

Install Google Authenticator: Thanks to a fellow TCH’er, we can recommend installing Google Authenticator. It enables a 2 part authentication process to add an extra layer of security to your blog.

Bad Behavior Plugin: Another TCH’er recommended looking into the Bad Behavior Plugin.

Thank you for your patience and understanding and remember, don’t hesitate to create a support ticket if you need help!

Edit: The attack is so widespread and well known that even magazines are covering it! http://www.pingzine.com/wordpress-admin-accounts-targeted-by-botnet-23840/