Simple Machines Community Forum

SMF Support => SMF 1.1.x Support => Topic started by: kriscoop on May 26, 2018, 03:58:47 PM

Title: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: kriscoop on May 26, 2018, 03:58:47 PM
hello all

I have an old forum, I believe it is on SMF 1.1.2 that got hacked years ago.

I was *barely* able to figure out how to set up stuff back then (2008-ish) and now my brain is just total mush, so I'm having trouble figuring out *anything* - I even seem to have lost my homepage -- how does that happen?? (I suppose I deleted it, um, duh? - this is called brain fog...).

So now I am wondering if there is any way to pull out the data and have it available in a text-only format or archive of some sort.  I would like to keep the content of the discussions, it an old board from when all of us moms had babies years ago, so there is lots of sentimental information.

I do have a backup of the forum and would make it live again when I switch my site to a new host, but I'm afraid if I upload my backup, the boogeyman hacker stuff will contaminate the site again.

Sorry to babble...if anyone is feeling kindly and feels like helping an old mama out, I'd appreciate it.  I would pay to have the problem fixed if someone is nearby - I'm in central New Jersey...

thanks (and stay cool!)

--skye


Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: Kindred on May 26, 2018, 05:55:30 PM
No. There is no text only version and no way to extract the content to text .

Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: Chen Zhen on May 26, 2018, 09:05:48 PM
Quote from: kriscoopI would pay to have the problem fixed

kriscoop,
If you have a copy of the database itself then someone can likely help you.
You can post your paid help request in the following board: https://www.simplemachines.org/community/index.php?board=50.0
.. or perhaps one of the staff would be nice enough to redirect this topic for you.

With a copy of your database & host/server info, someone can install a fresh copy of the SMF 1.1 branch using those database tables or at least the members & messages tables.
Then perhaps they can do an upgrade to the 2.0.X branch and then lock it down by making it read only (no new registrations or posts).
If you already have a newer forum on the go then they can possibly set all that up in a sub-directory and/or adjust your DNS/BIND settings for how you want the url access.
 
Good luck.
Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: Sir Osis of Liver on May 27, 2018, 12:35:23 AM
I don't recall any hack I've cleaned up that affected the database, just the files.  Do you have a backup of the database?
Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: kriscoop on May 29, 2018, 04:50:10 PM
thanks for your responses folks

I do have a backup of the data thank goodness

I will post in the other forum and see if I can pay somebody to help me...I tried to find a local person (posted in a local FB group looking to hire someone with SMF experience) but the one guy who showed up didn't know SMF ???

--kristin
Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: Sir Osis of Liver on May 29, 2018, 05:56:53 PM
If the backup is good (do you know how it was made?), you can import it into a clean 1.1.2 install, see if it's ok, then upgrade.  If you need help with this, drop me a pm.
Title: Re: site was hacked, can i save the data separately to access in text format?
Post by: Aleksi "Lex" Kilpinen on June 07, 2018, 04:38:09 AM
There have been hacks in the past that reached the database side too, but they are not very common.
In essense the Database contains everything in the forum, except attachments and avatars, and can be opened as text ( Though it is not in a very easy to read format. )

If the database is OK, moving the database contents to a clean install of SMF (of the same version) should not be too difficult.
Restoring a Database (https://wiki.simplemachines.org/smf/Restoring_a_MySQL_Database)