Gootloader infection cleaned up

Dear blog owner and visitors,

This blog had been infected to serve up Gootloader malware to Google search victims, via a common tactic known as SEO (Search Engine Optimization) poisioning. Your blog was serving up 335 malicious pages. Your blogged served up malware to 586 visitors.

I tried my best to clean up the infection, but I would do the following:

  • Upgrade WordPress to the latest version (one way the attackers might have gained access to your server)
  • Upgrade all WordPress themes to the latest versions (another way the attackers might have gained access to your server)
  • Upgrade all WordPress plugins (another way the attackers might have gained access to your server), and remove any unnecessary plugins.
  • Verify all users are valid (in case the attackers left a backup account, to get back in)
  • Change all passwords (for WordPress accounts, FTP, SSH, database, etc.) and keys. This is probably how the attackers got in, as they are known to brute force weak passwords
  • Run antivirus scans on your server
  • Block these IPs (5.8.18.7 and 89.238.176.151), either in your firewall, .htaccess file, or in your /etc/hosts file, as these are the attackers command and control servers, which send malicious commands for your blog to execute
  • Check cronjobs (both server and WordPress), aka scheduled tasks. This is a common method that an attacker will use to get back in. If you are not sure, what this is, Google it
  • Consider wiping the server completly, as you do not know how deep the infection is. If you decide not to, I recommend installing some security plugins for WordPress, to try and scan for any remaining malicious files. Integrity Checker, WordPress Core Integrity Checker, Sucuri Security,
    and Wordfence Security, all do some level of detection, but not 100% guaranteed
  • Go through the process for Google to recrawl your site, to remove the malcious links (to see what malicious pages there were, Go to Google and search site:your_site.com agreement)
  • Check subdomains, to see if they were infected as well
  • Check file permissions

Gootloader (previously Gootkit) malware has been around since 2014, and is used to initally infect a system, and then sell that access off to other attackers, who then usually deploy additional malware, to include ransomware and banking trojans. By cleaning up your blog, it will make a dent in how they infect victims. PLEASE try to keep it up-to-date and secure, so this does not happen again.

Sincerly,

The Internet Janitor

Below are some links to research/further explaination on Gootloader:

https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/03/01/gootloader-expands-its-payload-delivery-options/

https://news.sophos.com/en-us/2021/08/12/gootloaders-mothership-controls-malicious-content/

https://www.richinfante.com/2020/04/12/reverse-engineering-dolly-wordpress-malware

https://blog.sucuri.net/2018/12/clever-seo-spam-injection.html

This message

Dreaming of Indonesia

For a long time I already thought about going to Indonesia. And not to Bali where everyone goes to, but to the other islands in the region. The Mentawai, Sumatra and Java.

I booked my flight to Jakarta already a while ago, but my whole trip was still a bit of blur. There are so many islands in Indonesia. How do you decide where you want to go? How do you know where it’s good to go to and which places you should avoid?

The travelling itself is of course a nice journey, but the planning of this surf trip is an adventure itself.  A journey with ups and downs. With excitement about all the beautiful places where I want to go, but a few times I also got scared. I am going by myself and will it be safe to go there?

How can a blond girl from Holland find her way around Indonesia? Without being hassled or getting into trouble?

First, I bought the stormrider guide of Indonesia. Well, there are some beautiful pictures in there, but there are also so many spots to go to! Which spot is good and which is not? I don’t want to surf 8 meter high waves, because then I’ll just die. And a little bit of water instead of surfing at dry coral reef would be good as well. The storm rider guide is an amazing book, but there are too many options.

Second, I asked my Dutch and other international friends about the places that I should go to. Patrick Schmitz, a Dutch singer (you should check out his music: Pat Smith) and a former pro surfer, spent many winters in Indonesia and over a coffee he gave me a few tips about Indonesia. The few places on Java he mentioned were Batu Karas and Pacitan. Hmm, exciting! The photos look amazing. But he also warned me to be careful. Are you sure that you, a blond girl from Holland, want to travel there by yourself? Oh, he scared and inspired me on the same time.  Planning a surf trip to Indonesia can be difficult.

Yannick de Jager, another Dutch surfer who was surfing the WQS, said that I should go to Sumatra and then more specific to Krui. Krui, is a small town in the south of Sumatra, where not many people go to. That sounds great. That’s the kind of place where I want to go. Not too crowded, not too many tourists, but still fun. I am going to put that place on my list!

Then I started to talking to Alycia, an Australian friend of mine and she gave me another good idea. I should go to the Mentawai! Wow, can I afford that then? Aren’t those places crazy expensive? Well, she found a place called Southern Mentawai Outpost that I couldn’t resist. On the most southern island of the Mentawai there is a place called Sikakap and that’s where I will go though. No crowds, a wooden cottage on the beach and only a few people around. Wow, that’s looks amazing and I can’t wait to go there!

 Second, Emerald of Balisurfergirls got in contact with the Mahi Mahi surfresort on the Simeulue islands. Wow, this trip suddenly got better and better. A bounty island with palm trees, dolphins and the most amazing waves that you can ever imagine. I am already surfing for 16 years but I haven’t been to a place like that. Okay, I learned to surf on Kauai (Hawaii), but still. This looks amazing! I am going to be the luckiest girl in the world and have the best trip of my life.

I got really excited from seeing all those photos and videos and I can’t wait to pack my bag and fly to Indonesia. After that I got my vaccinations and my medicines of course. It’s nice to travel to remote places like that, but you also need to take care of yourself.

See you in the ocean!

Natasha

 

 

9-16 dec 2016 Surfsafari Morocco

surfvakantie marokko

Warm, exotic and exciting. That’s this surf camp in Morocco! Eat tagine, surf the Moroccan waves and get spoiled in the hammam. We are going roadtripping along the coast near Agadir, Taghazoute and Imsouane from the 9th until 16th of december. Natasha Smit, your experienced guide will show you the beautiful surf spots like Banana’s, Mysteries and the ultimate longboard wave in Ismouane.

Improve your surfing with the surf classes of Tasha’s Surfcamp. Improve your surf skills, when your are surfing in Morocco. Our surf guide Natasha Smit has been to Taghazoute and Imsouane about ten times, so she knows exactly where to be to catch the good waves. To get a better experience we will work together with local surf schools

Join our surf camp! We are going surfing on famous surf spots like Killer Point and Banana’s. Enjoy the harbour, the Moroccan habits and the brownies of the auberge. And enjoy the quietness of Imsouane.

3-10 march 2017 surfsafari Morocco

surfvakantie marokko

Warm, exotic and exciting. That’s this surf camp in Morocco! Eat tagine, surf the Moroccan waves and get spoiled in the hammam. We are going roadtripping along the coast near Agadir, Taghazoute and Imsouane from the 3th until 10th of march 2017. Natasha Smit, your experienced guide will show you the beautiful surf spots like Banana’s, Mysteries and the ultimate longboard wave in Ismouane.

Improve your surfing with the surf classes of Tasha’s Surfcamp. Improve your surf skills, when your are surfing in Morocco. Our surf guide Natasha Smit has been to Taghazoute and Imsouane about ten times, so she knows exactly where to be to catch the good waves. To get a better experience we will work together with local surf schools

Join our surf camp! We are going surfing on famous surf spots like Killer Point and Banana’s. Enjoy the harbour, the Moroccan habits and the brownies of the auberge. And enjoy the quietness of Imsouane.

Never too old to learn

Although I grew up with the believe that you’re never to old to learn. I must say that, as your age increases, it does become more difficult to make certain things just that easy, that it becomes comfortable. Do you see more dangers as you become older? Is it that it is more difficult to remember stuff? Maybe it is because you become less and less flexible with the years? I do think (as I already pointed out in earlier columns) that our mind can play develish tricks on us. Maybe its because we become more aware of our surroundings, and with that more aware of our own toughts and minds, more aware of what can and can’t be, and therefore think out our actions before we actually do them. When we are ageing we tend to pay more attention to what other people may or may not think of us. But isn’t it more important what we think of ourselfs and do the stuff that makes us more who we want to be. That makes us more happy then we are already are?

For a couple of years now I try to do those things that normally you might think you should have done or learned in your earlier days. I went on my first snowboard trip when I was around 20. And I just began my journey to become a surfer. Or actually I’d like to call myself a surfer already, altough I’m getting more whipe outs then I can actually ride those waves. And do I feel insecure every now and then? Do I think that other surfers or snowboarders ever think that I maybe don’t belong in their world. Oh yes, but thats my mind playing games again. And I never experienced a better feeling of being alive and feeling free then when I took my chance in doing the things I like to do most. So lose all those fears and thoughts that might hold you back. As you are older, it might become more difficult to learn new skills, but it is definitely not impossible. Feel free and enjoy! The saying is there for a reason. You really are never to old to learn!

Kim Goed