Hacker Adds Backdoor to WordPress Server

Automattic Inc., creator of WordPress, warned on March 3, 2007 that a hacker infiltrated into one of the servers of the organization to plant a backdoor in version 2.1.1 of the PHP suite. Although the organization has come out of the effects of the attack, it is entreating users to upgrade their program to version 2.1.2 that has minor update features and program files fully verified as precautions.

According to Danish security firm Secunia's report on March 5 2007, the security-vulnerable edition 2.1.1 of WordPress software would've been there on February 25 for users to download. But it had the risk to enable a cyber criminal to send commands to a compromised PC, snatch password and other sensitive information or even modify and erase files.

This is something anybody would pray not to happen, but since it did happen, the organization is fighting it as best as it can, wrote Matthew Mullenweg, the original creator of the software, on the WordPress blog on March 5, 2007.

WordPress is blogging software and its creator is asking users to use the 'highly critical' update for the software just after the attack on its server posted a 'dangerous' version for download.

The company released a fixed WordPress edition, update 2.1.2 on March 3, 2007.

Mullenweg cautioned those users who downloaded WordPress update 2.1.1 during the past three-four days that there is a chance those files included an exploit code that the cracker added. Therefore, Mullenweg asks such users to upgrade all those files to 2.1.2 right away, according to his posting on the developer blog of WordPress.org on March 3, 2007.

It was understood that the hacker had managed to access one of its many servers that hosts WordPress.org and had used the privilege to alter the download file, WordPress reported in a press release. The company brought down the server for investigation.

Ivan Fratric, Security Researcher, University of Zagreb, Croatia, alerted WordPress after he discovered the flaw on March 3, 2007. Fratric told WordPress before putting up his discovery on his blog on March 4, 2007.

Related article: Hacker & Virus in MySpace

» SPAMfighter News - 3/20/2007