Scrabster Weather Station

[Mizpah]

:~( So sad when I logged on to the site just now and all I found was that it had been "hacked". So sorry for Tugmistress as she puts so much effort into it and I enjoyed visiting it, do hope it is not too long before it is back up and running as I am sure that there were lots of people like me.

[Mister Squiggle]

I just tried to log on to check the weather stats ... who would do this? To what end? Is it terminal? :(
So, how can we help our own weather guru, Tugmistress? I know nowt about these hacking thingys, so perhaps other orgers can offer advice on how it can be fixed (if at all).

[Moira]

I was sorry to notice this earlier too. I can't help with the technical side of things but do hope someone can help Tugmistress get the site back up running soon :)

[Tugmistress]

Hi Folks,
hopefully it isn't terminal, if it is then it is start all over again, but the hosting company are working on it at the moment and have been since this morning.
This is the second time in a week, after the last time i updated security and also changed ftp passwords and then it happens again so i am not a happy bunny at the moment.
it's all in the hands of the hosts for now, but as soon as i know whether or not it is terminal i will let you know.
if you want to see the weather data (albeit wind speed nacked at the moment) the feeder page for my main site url is www.tugmistress.co.uk/weather/weather.php

apologies folks but i am trying to get this sorted :(

[Bill Fernie]

Sorry to hear about your problems Tugmistress. A couple of years back Niall and myself spent a few days over the Christmas perisod reloading hundreds of our pages that had been hacked. Just plain vandalism.

If I can do anything to help by putting up some pages for you temporarily on Caithness.org just let me know.

Some of your front page information is available on the Way Back Machine but probably out of date. Check it here http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.tugmistress.co.uk/

Some of Caithness.org's old pages are here for anyone interested in seeing how our pages used to look a few years back -
http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.caithness.org

We had to upload all of our index pages one at a time and that is what took us along time. Due to the size of Caithness.org we were still finding the odd hacked page a long time afterwards.

Are you able to do a complete reload of your site? We could not do it with ours at that time.

[Tugmistress]

Hi Bill,
Luckily a friend downloaded the database after the last time earlier on last week so if he still has that then when the rogue files have been removed and repairs done i should be able to just upload the database again. if not then it will be a clean start from fresh and just upload what i have on my computer, which is probably most of it so it should only take a couple of days.
am keeping fingers crossed and have just emailed my hosts to see a) if anyone is actually working today and b) if so how they are getting on with the hacked database.

[North Rhins]

Why do people do this? Pathetic isn’t the word I would use. I suppose pre computer days they would have been wrecking telephone kiosks or slashing the back seats of buses.
I salute the tenacity of the Tugmistress, I’m not so sure I would be so resolute.
Best of luck getting it reinstated.

[KCI]

Sorry to hear about this, Tugmistress.

It's so annoying when you have spent so long designing and uploading a website, then these idiots come along and ruin it for everyone.

It's so pointless.

Anyway, I hope you manage to sort it out, and if any of us can help, just let us know.

[highlander]

Sorry to hear this tugmistress i really hope you manage to get it fixed, its a great site.

[pennys]

I don't often post on here but I was really sorry to see what happened to tugmistress. What is the matter with these hackers? Can't they just enjoy the internet without spoiling things for other people?

[Elenna]

Oh, how awful! I hadn't been in today to check the weather, but I do have a look quite often. My sympathies, Tugmistress...it is certainly just mindless meaness that these hackers do. Best wishes that the news from your hosting co. is positive, and that getting things back up and running is as simple as possible.

[JAWS]

Sorry to hear about your site Tuggs, I often look at the weather on it to see if it’s really as bad as it appears to be.

Some people just get a kick out of creating mayhem, it gives them some sort of warped satisfaction, even a sick form of enjoyment. Unfortunately there are a lot of such morons around.
They never grow out of the "Toddler Syndrome". If somebody has a toy then they immediately want it and if they can't have it then they will smash it.
Sometimes they don't even want it, they just smash it so nobody else can have it out of sheer spite.

[dozerboy]

I am sorry to hear of the problems Tugmisstress also!!

Now don't get me wrong,I don't condone this "hacking," but I would imagine that the low life that do it, see it as a challenge. If they can by-pass or get round your security and passwords then they will feel a sense of achievement, which probably gives them a similar buzz to the folk that steal cars and take them for a joy ride - they manage to crack the vehicles ever more sophistacted security system which they will feel very satisfied over.

My own belief is that for every man made system, if there is a man made way of making it "secure" there will be a man made way of getting round it - stands to reason!!

There are similar problems in the road transport industry with the new digital tachograph for truck drivers - supposed to be so it can't be fiddled - I'm sure some clever driver somewhere will find a way round it!!

[North Rhins]

Just logged on to The Scrabster Weather Station, great to see it up and running again, congratulations Tugmistress. It looks like you had a bit of a mini heatwave up there today. :D

[Ricco]

Yup, well done Tuggs. Nice to see you are back in action. :D