deus
23rd July 2005, 08:37 PM
The Risks of vBulletin Hacking
The other day I asked Dave to think about a nice thread for our vBulletin fans web site, vBulletin related, 250+ characters .. and to my suprise he ended up with a complete article! Good job, hopefully this is a nice resource to those new to vBulletin or to those who want to discuss vb hacking vs alternatives.
If you don't like to modify your source code, so you can keep your full vBulletin support, you could consider alternative; Is what you want available as a template modification, or as a vBulletin plugin?
Author: Dave Barrikin
Website: Http://www.barrikin.com (http://www.barrikin.com/)
In this article we’re going discuss the negative effects that hacks (AKA; mods, code modifications) have on your vbulletin board. While modifying the default vbulletin code can provide extra features for your users or staff, it could cause database corruption or security vulnerabilities which can allow malicious visitors to disable your site.
Be aware that the use of modify vbulletin can waive your support from vbulletin.com as they don’t support 3rd party code.
There are few things you should do before installing or using hacks on a live board which allows public access to it;
If possible only use hacks from http://www.vbulletin.org (http://www.vbulletin.org/).
Review the author of the hack. Check their reputation/previous hacks
Read the discussions for that hack. You can find out about problems or updates to the code that aren’t in the hack.
Check out the code that’s being used in the hack (PHP knowledge recommend)
Install the hack on a test board that isn’t public (Refer to vbulletin license)After everything checks out and you are ready to install the hack on your live board you should always backup files. If the hack modifies the database in anyway you should close the board temporary to do a full offsite database backup. While installing the hack(s) its wise to keep the board closed to prevent database corruption and if something does go wrong users won’t have made any posts or setting changes they’d use when restoring the database.
As discussed before some hacks could open your board to malicious users which then they could perform such things;
SQL Injections
Execute shell commands
Download root kits to your server
Install backdoors within your board/server
Download your vbulletin board and use your license (Looks very bad on your part)
Some hacks could have a call home function which sends your database password/vbulletin customer id.
Hacks could add a user to the database with administrator access or even change your password.
Harvest user info/emails. This one could be very damaging to your board and your self image on the net…This list could go on and on with all the malicious acts that can be preformed on your board when you run a poorly written hack.
If something goes wrong when installing the hack the first thing you should do is refer to any errors you are getting. Ensure the code you added matches exactly to what the author of the hack as put in the txt file. If it checks out fine, refer to the hacks discussion thread to check for similar errors or problems. If you’re still at a dead end try contacting the author unless they’ve asked not to be contacted. You can also try posting in the same thread asking for help. In the result that nothing has fixed your problem restore the files that you’ve changed and the database if it’s been changed.
If you’re a victim of a malicious user or just have information that there’s vulnerability in the hacks your using there is a few steps to follow, ensuring the least amount of damage is done.
Isolate the hack from the public (If need be isolate your board, security should be your first priority)
Remove the hack and any other backdoors that could have been added to your files.
If you’re on a shared host, notify the support team so they can do a system wide check.
If you own the server, you should run your system wide checks making sure everything is fine. Contact the datacenter support if it’s available.
Make sure to check the database. Restore if needed. (I backup mine every night)
Once everything is cleaned up and fixed you can start to make your board public again.If I have you thinking that adding hacks is a very dangerous, that wasn’t my intentions. I’m merely trying to make vbulletin users aware of the potential dangers of installing hacks from unknown and/or untrustworthy sources.
Copyright ©2005 Dave Barrikin Http://www.barrikin.com (http://www.barrikin.com/) & http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/
You can discuss this article here: http://www.vbulletin-fans.com/showthread.php?t=10429
Floris & Staff
The other day I asked Dave to think about a nice thread for our vBulletin fans web site, vBulletin related, 250+ characters .. and to my suprise he ended up with a complete article! Good job, hopefully this is a nice resource to those new to vBulletin or to those who want to discuss vb hacking vs alternatives.
If you don't like to modify your source code, so you can keep your full vBulletin support, you could consider alternative; Is what you want available as a template modification, or as a vBulletin plugin?
Author: Dave Barrikin
Website: Http://www.barrikin.com (http://www.barrikin.com/)
In this article we’re going discuss the negative effects that hacks (AKA; mods, code modifications) have on your vbulletin board. While modifying the default vbulletin code can provide extra features for your users or staff, it could cause database corruption or security vulnerabilities which can allow malicious visitors to disable your site.
Be aware that the use of modify vbulletin can waive your support from vbulletin.com as they don’t support 3rd party code.
There are few things you should do before installing or using hacks on a live board which allows public access to it;
If possible only use hacks from http://www.vbulletin.org (http://www.vbulletin.org/).
Review the author of the hack. Check their reputation/previous hacks
Read the discussions for that hack. You can find out about problems or updates to the code that aren’t in the hack.
Check out the code that’s being used in the hack (PHP knowledge recommend)
Install the hack on a test board that isn’t public (Refer to vbulletin license)After everything checks out and you are ready to install the hack on your live board you should always backup files. If the hack modifies the database in anyway you should close the board temporary to do a full offsite database backup. While installing the hack(s) its wise to keep the board closed to prevent database corruption and if something does go wrong users won’t have made any posts or setting changes they’d use when restoring the database.
As discussed before some hacks could open your board to malicious users which then they could perform such things;
SQL Injections
Execute shell commands
Download root kits to your server
Install backdoors within your board/server
Download your vbulletin board and use your license (Looks very bad on your part)
Some hacks could have a call home function which sends your database password/vbulletin customer id.
Hacks could add a user to the database with administrator access or even change your password.
Harvest user info/emails. This one could be very damaging to your board and your self image on the net…This list could go on and on with all the malicious acts that can be preformed on your board when you run a poorly written hack.
If something goes wrong when installing the hack the first thing you should do is refer to any errors you are getting. Ensure the code you added matches exactly to what the author of the hack as put in the txt file. If it checks out fine, refer to the hacks discussion thread to check for similar errors or problems. If you’re still at a dead end try contacting the author unless they’ve asked not to be contacted. You can also try posting in the same thread asking for help. In the result that nothing has fixed your problem restore the files that you’ve changed and the database if it’s been changed.
If you’re a victim of a malicious user or just have information that there’s vulnerability in the hacks your using there is a few steps to follow, ensuring the least amount of damage is done.
Isolate the hack from the public (If need be isolate your board, security should be your first priority)
Remove the hack and any other backdoors that could have been added to your files.
If you’re on a shared host, notify the support team so they can do a system wide check.
If you own the server, you should run your system wide checks making sure everything is fine. Contact the datacenter support if it’s available.
Make sure to check the database. Restore if needed. (I backup mine every night)
Once everything is cleaned up and fixed you can start to make your board public again.If I have you thinking that adding hacks is a very dangerous, that wasn’t my intentions. I’m merely trying to make vbulletin users aware of the potential dangers of installing hacks from unknown and/or untrustworthy sources.
Copyright ©2005 Dave Barrikin Http://www.barrikin.com (http://www.barrikin.com/) & http://www.vBulletin-Fans.com/
You can discuss this article here: http://www.vbulletin-fans.com/showthread.php?t=10429
Floris & Staff