NS was hacked again last night, so as a security measure I’m taking down all of the network sites (advent calendar, music video awards website etc.). I’m also taking down the Spotlight Party website for the time being to try and make it a bit more secure. I will have it up again ASAP! I will of course extend nomination periods and such once I have everything up and running again.
The hackers gained access by uploading files to NS, most likely through a not-secure-enough PHP file, which gave them instant access whenever they wanted to. All of NS’ network sites (especially the award sites which I’ve coded myself from scratch) run on PHP and vary in security levels. I have spoken to the CEO of NS’ hosting company, Valcatohosting, and they have now identified and removed those malicious files. They’ve also blocked the IPs that used those files.
I’m sorry for all the downtime NS has had over the last couple of days, and the inconvenience caused by this.
