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 296 malicious pages. Your blogged served up malware to 0 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

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Paul Kweton’s Rocking Chair Includes a Cat Nook

With summer on the way, it’s not difficult to imagine the pleasure of sitting in a rocking chair on the porch as you watch the sunset with a beverage in hand.

What would make that even better? Rocking with your beloved companion animal, of course.

Architect Paul Kweton has designed a rocking chair with just that intention. The prototype for his “rocking-2-gether” chair combines a rocking chair with a pet house so that you and your furry friend can enjoy the comfort and relaxation of sitting together.

According to Kweton, the hybrid furniture piece “combines the idea of shelter and body relaxation and pushes its functionality to a different, more personal level.”

Story via Laughing Squid; images via Paul Kweton’s website

Star Wars Cat Condo: The Force Is Strong with This One

Reddit user BillyAppletini wins the award for Best Human and Cat Friend. What endeavored to be just an amusing joke has turned into a phenomenon.

Fulfilling every geeky cat owner’s dream, Billy spent about a month designing, planning, and constructing a “CAT-AT” modeled after the four-legged imperial weapons featured in The Empire Strikes Back. All for his friend, who’s a lover of cats and Star Wars.

But the awesomeness doesn’t stop there. The interior of the CAT-AT features a decadent kitty lounge, complete with disco ball, artwork, and a fully stocked (fake!) bar.

Billy says he was planning on making it look as though his friend’s cats had ordered the CAT-AT on Amazon, but after wrecking his apartment to build the thing, he simply wanted to deliver the cat condo. His friend was thrilled to receive the amazing gift!

May the Furce be with you!

Via Reddit

 

Viral Video We Love: Stressed-out Kitty Gets a Relaxing Massage

It’s not easy being a kitty.

All that lounging around, meowing for affection, chasing anything that moves, and moving from sunny spot to sunny spot can really put a knot of stress in a cat’s shoulders.

 

Good thing this kitty found a moment to paws and enjoy a massage.

Now all she needs is a meow-nicure and a paw-dicure, and she’ll be ready for a new week of doing cat stuff.

What’s the first thing on the agenda? Some cat pranks, of course!

Hello, Kitty! America’s Next Top Model Does a Sanrio-Themed Shoot

You’ve got Catster Mail!

Do you think you’re a fierce feline?

Fierce enough to pose in Hello Kitty couture?

That’s exactly what the contestants of America’s Next Top Model were required to do!

Donning 40-pound architectural Hello Kitty pieces, the models had to work it in a Hello Kitty-themed photo shoot, and it wasn’t easy!

But the cat is out of the bag. No one can smile as wide with her eyes as Hello Kitty can — after all, she’s got no mouth to smile with!

Via Oh No They Didn’t 

Purring Iron: 7 Cats Who Love to Work Out

Arnold Schwarzenegger had better watch out, because these strong cats are doing some serious weightlifting! Dumbbells, weight benches, and yoga mats are all part of their workout routines.

And by “workout” for some of these cats, I mean they have worked out a way to sleep on them. You know cats.

My own cats love to help me work out. Whenever I get on the floor at home to do crunches (not often, but whatever!), Moo has to be involved. He doesn’t actually want to work out himself, but he wants to sit on my chest and “help” by making the sit-up a little harder because he adds weight. So, technically, I guess he’s my workout buddy, right?

Here are seven more cats who would make good workout buddies:

Cat Olympics

Mitty is strong for her size! And she’s doing it wrong, but don’t tell her. Photo by Rooey202.

dumbbells

These two dumbbells, er … um … cats are working out in their dreams. Photo by webwawa.

Day 13

Simon needs a spotter! That’s a lot of weight! Photo by lindymclean.

Weightlifting kitty
 

Arya is only four months old and she’s already working on the purrfect physique! Photo by freebird forever.

 

Dumbbells

Clearly this is either pre-stretching or the cool-down part of this big boy’s workout. Photo by Runs With Scissors.

Stella Weightlifting

Stella appears to be getting ready to lift her own body weight. Wow! Photo by WeLeftBuckley.

weightlifting cat

Tiny kitteh, big weights. RAWR. Photo by nisora33.

10 Fake Headlines for Some Truly Weird Stock Photos of Cats

Stock photos power the Internet. But some of them are so very weird, you have to wonder what was the photographer thinking? Well, maybe he or she was hoping for news headlines like these. (Our apologies to Shutterstock.)

Supercat Saves Fourth Poultry Farm This Week

Related: Has anyone seen our dogs?  

Ballooncat Last Seen Crossing the Horizon

“He’s expected in China,” shrugs owner

More Kittens Enrolling in School

“To what end?” wonders nervous world

Cats Prefer Food to Sex, Study Shows

Study conducted by Dr. Helen Palmer (pictured)

 

John Mayer’s Cat Quits Tour, Cites “Exhaustion”

“I’ve been sleeping only 10 hours a day,” sighs sleepy Wonderland

Cat Kills Owner in Midwestern Occult Shocker

“Stay out of the corn,” warns Puddles

Meet the Richest Cat in the World

And his manservant, Stephan. “I have bread. Would you like bread?” asks Stephan.

Trendwatch: More Kids Cooking for Their Parents

“A terrible, horrible idea,” cites ER doctor. “Just the worst idea on the planet, ever.”

Unexpected Friendship to End Violently Right About Now

No? Okay, how about now! Now! Now?

 

 Buttons Refuses to Eat Boiled Tofu Dog

Must stay at table until she does.

 

Cats Find Life on the Streets Purrrfect

“Screw the condo, this is living,” says General Whiskers. “Hold on, I need to scratch for a few days.”

Setting The Facts Straight About Meow the 39-Pound Cat

Like most of you, I’ve been following the story of Meow, the immensely obese cat who found himself in the care of a shelter in Santa Fe, N.M., after his elderly owner could no longer take care of him.

Of course, with any story about super-obese cats come the demeaning jokes and blame-filled, judgmental comments from people who don’t know the whole story. So when I had the opportunity to interview Marie Stewart, the daughter of the woman who owned Meow, I jumped at the chance.

The first thing I found out is that most of the stories don’t even have the cat’s age correct. Marie told me she met Meow when she visited her mother and sister in 2007. That’s right: Meow is 5, not 2.

On the outskirts of Roswell, N.M., where her mother lived, people often dumped unwanted cats and dogs. And that’s how Meow and Marie’s mother met — she rescued the cat after someone had discarded him like trash, and brought him home to live with her two rescued dogs.

Even back then, he was a big cat. “He looked like he was four to six months old,” she said. But when Marie’s mother and sister took him to the vet for his shots, the vet checked his teeth and shocked everyone with the announcement that this tubby little kitten was only 7 or 8 weeks old.

Six months later, Meow developed a urinary tract infection, so it was back to the vet, who put him on a diet of special urinary tract health cat food. “That has been his diet ever since — not hot dogs and junk food,” Marie said.

Of course, it doesn’t matter what kind of food you feed your cat if you feed him mountains of the stuff, so I asked about mealtimes: Was he free-fed or did he get portions doled out?

“They would feed him half a cup of that dry food, and that’s what he ate,” Marie said. “He didn’t seem to want anything else. A lot of the time he wouldn’t eat even that half a cup.”

Marie’s sister thought the well water may have contributed to Meow’s urinary tract problem — so from then on, bottled water was all he drank.

When Marie came to Roswell for a visit in 2009, she was surprised and concerned about how large Meow had gotten. She asked her sister if Meow had seen a vet. Her sister said yes: they too had been concerned that the cat had diabetes or a thyroid problem. Bloodwork showed nothing out of the ordinary, Marie’s sister said — and the vet said she guessed Meow was just a big kitty.

“He was on that urinary brand food, but I don’t think that came up,” Marie said. “I kind of feel like she should have said, ‘What are you feeding him?’ and that maybe my mom and sister could have been more assertive.”

But even though Meow was a big dude, he could be pretty spry when he wanted to be. The cat was best buddies with Red, the family’s big “Scooby Doo dog,” and they spent a lot of time in the yard frolicking and chasing each other. One day during that 2009 visit, Marie was sitting on the porch, watching Meow, when Red decided he wanted to play. “Imagine my amazement when I saw Meow dart after the dog. I didn’t know he could move that fast!” Not only that but “Meow caught his share of mice and proudly dropped them at Mom and Sissy’s feet.”

When Marie came back the next year, Meow was close to his current weight. Marie’s mother had moved into her sister’s home, and her sister became her full-time caretaker.

Meow adapted pretty well to the move, and he had become her mother’s constant companion. “When she was in the bedroom he was with her; when she was in the living room he was with her — he was always somewhere he could see her,” Marie said. “He even climbed into her bed (by way of a footstool) and sat on her feet, which she loved because her feet were always cold.”

Then, just six weeks ago, the family got terrible news: Marie’s sister had Stage IV lung cancer. Untreatable. The only option was palliative care. Marie rushed down to New Mexico to help take care of all the final details and arrange for her mother’s care — and the care of the animals.

“My niece was taking Cindy the poodle, and I wept as I looked at Meow and Red. Fifteen-year-old Red was so protective, I was afraid he may not be adoptable. And I looked at that beautiful cat, Meow, all 39 pounds of him. He purred as I petted him and looked at me as though he understood. But I didn’t understand — why?”

Marie’s sister died at 5:30 a.m. on April 21. And that’s when Meow’s story took its latest turn.

Meow was first taken to a shelter in Roswell, but that small shelter didn’t have the resources to meet Meow’s special needs. The staff was concerned about Meow’s health, so they called the Santa Fe Animal Shelter & Humane Society, which took the cat into their care.

“They’ve reassured me that he’s healthy; he’s just fat,” Marie said. “They did bloodwork and he doesn’t have diabetes or any of those other diseases.”

Right now, Meow is living in a foster home where he’s on a weight loss program consisting of a diet of low-carbohydrate, high-protein food and as much exercise as he can tolerate. You can keep tabs on Meow’s progress at the Santa Fe Animal Shelter’s Facebook page.

As of Saturday, Meow’s weight was down to 35.7 pounds.

“He was just a godsend,” Marie told me. “He was meant to be out there and touch people’s lives. People are saying to me, ‘I used to look at fat people and make remarks, but now I understand.'”

Marie has set up an e-mail address for people who are interested in talking to her about Meow. “I’d love to hear from people around the world who are following this story and have them send me articles from their local newspapers so I may make a scrapbook for my mother and family.” If you’d like to be in touch, you can e-mail her at meowlovesyou474@comcast.net.

“Their loving support will help my mother find happiness in her last years to know what an impact one little chubby stray kitty has had on people around the world.”

So now you know: Meow was not an abused, neglected and deliberately overfed cat. He was cared for by two women who loved him deeply and who would have done anything they could to make Meow’s life better. They may not have known everything that some of us “cat nerds” do about diet, nutrition, or working with a vet, but that doesn’t make them bad people.

They tried. They gave this unwanted cat a home where he was loved and cared for, where he got to enjoy dog friends as well as human friends. That’s a hell of a lot more than he’d have gotten if he’d been forced to fend for himself in the Roswell desert.

Please exercise some compassion and try to understand this family’s situation. They deserve it — and so does Meow.

Cool Pranks 4 Cats Proves that Yes, They Really Are Laughing at Us

There’s an old saying that “Dogs have owners and cats have staff,” and as their staff, we are sometimes unwittingly the subject of their almost (but not quite!) sadistic sense of humor.

Pooping outside the litter box, “marking” a favorite article of clothing, or napping in your freshly cleaned laundry (oh, did you just wash your darks? Good thing kitty has white fur!): animal accidents or practical jokes?

Illustrator H. Caldwell Tanner seems to have unearthed a collection of Cool Pranks 4 Cats, which may very well be the feline handbook for expertly “enriching” the lives of their human staff.

Rated from “Meowcenary” to “Calic’owned,” these pranks reveal what cats really mean when they leave a dead bird by the front door!

We’ve got you figured out, felines! (At least for now, anyway.)

What pranks have your cats played on you?

Cartoons via CollegeHumor