12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}
12 {{ upvoteCount | shortNum }}

Web host shut down blogs: Is this issue real?

by CathyG
10 replies
I have several Wordpress blogs and all my accounts are on Hostgator.
A few months ago I got a message from Hostgator that spam was associated with some of my blogs and I needed to update them all to the very latest version. I did.
Now I got shut down again. This time they say I have outdated plugins that have to be updated. They say I have to go through site by site and update the plug-ins; if there's no place to do this then I have to reinstall each plug-in. Apparently there is no way to tell which is the offending one.

Is this a real issue or is there something wrong with my web host? And if so, how can I prevent it from happening again?

Thanks VERY much in advance!
#blogs #host #issue #real #shut #web
  • Profile picture of the author webapex
    I'm guessing you have wordpress blogs, if this is the case the Plugins control panel selection should show yellow hilites updates.

    The wordpress 3 the admin control panel Dashboard has an Updates option that shows the number of updates available, this count includes plugins, some and templates. The dashboard has a batch update capability that's faster than going through the plugins section.
    Signature

    “An expert is a person who has made all the mistakes that can be made in a very narrow field” Niels Bohr

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595099].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CathyG
    Yes - I do have wordpress blogs. This is really helpful - thank you! It sounds like what I need to do is check updates every time I go into my blogs.
    Signature

    Copywriter & Online Marketing Consultant
    http://www.CathyGoodwin.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595170].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author CathyG
    Thank you! Currently if I just click on "update" I get a list of everything - plug-ins, themes and WP version. Do I need this too?
    Signature

    Copywriter & Online Marketing Consultant
    http://www.CathyGoodwin.com

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595209].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author revenue27
    If you use shared hosting then it's normal, since most of the web hosting provider limit the use of their share hosting no more than 15% of CPU resources, if you want more resources then you should upgrade to VPS or even better to dedicated server.
    Signature

    ==> Warung Pulsa - Beli Pulsa, Token PLN dan Voucher Games Online 24 Jam !
    ==> Dapatkan Harga Hotel Terbaik Dari Seluruh Dunia

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595221].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author Brian Alaway
    When you open the Dashboard it will automatically show you what plugins need updating with one click to update all of them. I find this quicker but you don't necessarily need it.
    Signature
    How to Configure Secure FTP
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595235].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author SEOFocused
    i hear lot of horror stories about hostgator. it is none their business what version of wordpress or what type of plugins you have. i have wordpress blogs running on wp 2.0 and since couple of by blogs are low traffic blogs and i dont make much money out of them, i never bother to update them. my hosting is with bluehost and they never told me anything. hostgator and godaddy are 2 hosts to stay away from in my view.
    Signature
    SEO Services: We Develop and Promote Your Business Online
    One stop design, development, content creation and link building service
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595276].message }}
    • Profile picture of the author Steve Faber
      Originally Posted by SEOFocused View Post

      i hear lot of horror stories about hostgator. it is none their business what version of wordpress or what type of plugins you have. i have wordpress blogs running on wp 2.0 and since couple of by blogs are low traffic blogs and i dont make much money out of them, i never bother to update them. my hosting is with bluehost and they never told me anything. hostgator and godaddy are 2 hosts to stay away from in my view.
      It is their business if you're running shared hosting accounts and your stuff isn't updated to the point where is poses a security risk. You could cause a problem for others also using that server, which could be a few hundred other clients of theirs.
      Signature
      For Killer Marketing Tips that Will Grow Your Business Follow Me on Twitter Now
      After all, you're probably following a few hundred people already that aren't doing squat for you.....
      {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595680].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author retsek
    With wordpress, you have to keep the core and plugins up to date. It's not hostgator's fault for telling you. Your themes files and DB are probably infected with something.

    If you run hundreds of WP blogs like me, why not use Wordpress Network. You install wordpress once, and with the help of the Domain mapping plugin you can run unlimited top level domains from that single installation. So when you update Wordpress, you update all your blogs at the same time. Added bonus is that all your sites will share the same theme and plugins folder.
    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595295].message }}
  • Profile picture of the author VegasGreg
    This is NOT a Hostgator issue, it is an issue that your sites have been breached.

    You own the sites and it is your responsibility to control what goes on with them. Hostgator is a great host and they need to protect their servers, so if you have bad stuff on them, yes they will bring it up.

    They may be recommending a few solutions, but if they mentioned your sites have spam issues, you need to clear that stuff out of there. Hackers have apparently gained access to your sites and are probably using them to send millions of spam emails out.

    A common entry point for these hackers are outdated Wp versions and outdated Plugin versions, though that is not always the exact answer, but that is why they suggested that, so start there.
    Signature

    Greg Schueler - Wordpress Fanatic... Living The Offline Marketing Dream...

    {{ DiscussionBoard.errors[3595507].message }}

Trending Topics