New Look NPF Website....

[Keith Jordan]

I am just re-uploading the site and database now from my version on my laptop. This is that happens when you mess around with templates!! I managed to break it and corrupt the database. Foolish boy!

Anyway... should be up and working again in 15 mins.

[Hudini]

Keith, just one hint!

Joomla is a very weak surrounding and it's very easy to break into. Be sure to use all possible ways of protection and especially to make a really strong administrator password, I'm talking about generic, because it's the easiest way to get inside a Joomla powered website and crash it from within.

Now I'm not saying that someone will neccessarily hack NPF but there are people who do such things just for fun. My NGO held a website about youth creativity and manifestations and some prick accessed the Joomla admin panel because we didn't have a password strong enough and completely destroyed it. They really had no need to do such a thing because we had no confident or really important material on site, but these things happen, especially when you're using Joomla.

[Keith Jordan]

In what way is it easy to break into? Dictionary attack on the admin control panel login? I think I would stick the admin stuff as localhost on the server machine so it is inaccessible from the interweb!

[Hudini]

First of all, most of the Joomla powered website's admin panels are accessible by simply typing per instance "www.site-address.com/admin" or "/administrator" in the address bar, and that way the admin login page could be accessed by anyone! I don't really know where in Joomla you can fix that thing because I didn't do that part when we uploaded the website, but I know it's possible and very common. Also, sticking the admin stuff on localhost won't help. We held admin stuff on localhost here in Serbia and the rest of the website was on a server based in UK, and they still managed to crash it.

Perhaps I'm not the right person you should talk to, I'm just an ordinary internet user who had a bad experience with Joomla and then talked to some people who know a lot about programming and learned some stuff. You should find a real programmer and get some advice on Joomla from them.

[Keith Jordan]

Can I ask what version of Joomla you were using? I have the new 1.5.7 version. Or 1.5 something at least. I imagine it has gone through a lot of security updates since version 1.

[Stephen]

I noticed the word hacked crops up a few times on the dedicated FORUM, not that I understand a word of what's being talked about on there.

[Hudini]

Can I ask what version of Joomla you were using?

1.5.6

[Keith Jordan]

I am reading loads about security on the Joomla site. They must have real issues with it if the subject is so prevalent on their forums! There is lots to read. I shall have to crack on with that!!

They say they fixed an iframe code injection issues from version 1.5.6 to 1.5.7 so perhaps that is what was exploited on yours? Iframes are poision!

There are lots of security tips on this page below which I shall read and understand before putting Joomla back on the NPF server...

http://docs.joomla.org/Joomla_Administr ... _Checklist

[Keith Jordan]

Well, the new site is up and running with only a couple of teething errors that I am working on.

http://www.neptunepinkfloyd.co.uk/


If anyone notices anything odd going on, then do let me know!

I am currently working on "search engine friendly" URLs so we dont have massive long links to pages!! Sometimes having a windows server with IIS is not as easy as a Linux with Apache it would seem with its URL_Rewrite options!!

[Duckboy]

looks much better

[snifferdog]

Looking good, Keith. Keep up the good work

[moom]

Nice but you could still make a better design, erm... more colorful

[Hudini]

Most of the Joomla templates are not free and a more colourful one would cost more. You can make it more colourful by changing the original template, but it's really a drag. I like it just the way it is.

[Keith Jordan]

The template can be controlled quite a lot via CSS. I have been playing around with it. I am focising my time on porting all of the site over to Joomla and discontinuing the old files. I have most of the content done. Just working on templates now for the different sections of the site. Should have that lot done today.

It looks a little "boring" at present with the lack of colour. But I sort of like it. Very practical and functional. Very modern!!

[Yucateco]

Better less colour. Sites with lots of colours are just distracting.