WESH UK Company news!

CUSTOMERS USING PHP4 NEED TO BE AWARE OF THIS!

This announcement is to provide notice to all clients that we have now disablabled the PHP setting register_globals. As script exploits increase which rely on this setting we have now made the change to make our servers more secure.

In addition, it has now become commonplace for hosts to have register_globals disabled and for script makers to use code which doesn’t rely on it being set to “On”. We recommend that clients who code their own PHP scripts read the following page where the security issues with register_globals are detailed.

http://uk.php.net/register_globals

We understand that some clients will still be using scripts which rely on register_globals being set to “On” and we are still able to provide hosting for these.

Firstly, it’s recommended that anyone affected looks to see if an updated script is available which uses secure code (and doesn’t require the setting to be On). If this is a custom made script we recommend altering the code to make it secure with regard to register_globals.

If any client really needs register_globals to be “On” this can be done by adding the following line to a .htaccess file in the accounts public_html directory

INSERT THIS INTO A .HTACCESS FILE: “php_value register_globals 1″

Any client making this change should be aware of the security implications of doing this (see link above) and be prepared to take responsibility should a script comprimise occur as a result of the setting. Also, clients are asked only to make the setting when absolutely necessary and not carry out the change on each and every account when not required.

It has come to our attention that some customers have recently been the target of Domain name theft and invoices for services that they have not requested from other companies.

The companies to be VERY aware of are:

The Domain Registry of America

This company sends out invoices to registered domain owners requesting a fee to renew their domain name and payment for the renewal and arrives in very “American” stationary with the American flag/logo on the front of the envelope.

We would advise customers that receive such letters to discard them immediately otherwise you will find yourself signing your domain name over to this company and facing much higher charges for your renewals and in some case’s, domain name theft.

Internet Listing Service Corp

This company will send you out what appears to be an invoice but you should be aware that you are under NO OBLIGATION to send them any money. They claim to want to submit your website to 20 major search engines and offer you ranking reports by email but you can gauge there own success buy the simple fact that the only listings for them in google are complaints and forums about domain name scams.

If you do receive any letters in the post about your domain name or asking for money for services you have not ordered then please do feel free to contact us if your not sure.

All .uk domain owners may get a letter from Nominet within 6 months of their domain registration but again, if your not sure what to do then please ask us about it. If you wish to have your domain name registration information witheld or you would like us to put our address as the registered address for you to avoid junk mail and scam attempts then please just ask as we can do this for you FREE.