SpamBot or what

[MrPhil]

It's necessary to turn off EVAL only if you get "Eval" or "Eval (?)" in the message. Otherwise you pay a performance penalty and might forget to reenable EVAL.

[Kindred]

1- the people hitting your site have no effect on the directories. If you have an error indicating an incorrect directory, then you have configured something incorrectly yourself.
2- if your theme is installed incorrectly, you may get strange effects. correct the directories (see #1)
3- See #2 and #1

in other words... your display problems hav enothing to do with people hitting your site.

Also, your error would appear to be related to a mod
it is not related to any "attack"...  as a matter of fact, I would bet that the errors you are seeing are from a) users trying to log in or b) search engine spiders.
You have your forum ste to be visible to members only... which means that ***ANYONE*** who tries to visit your site will hit the login screen.
Since your errors are caused in the login functions, this explains why you have so many errors showing up...
If you posted your link ANYWHERE in the public domain, it means that search engines AND users may be trying to get to your site, but can not...   because you have your site locked down and guests can not view it.

In other words, everything is based on your configuration and no one is attacking your site.


So, I will ask what you should have provided back at the beginning.

SMF Version?
Mods installed?

[Ron G4GWC]

Sure your Correct
My attempts to correct matters have now locked out access to the forum altogether
Visiting the SMF directory Gives: " Unable to load Theme/default/Index.template.php "
I have created this problem by trying to correct  CSS problems but just working as administrator
How do I reset Themes to a default to get back in  I have not changed anything via FTP sofar
all the damage has been done  via the admin account
Hope you can advise

Regards

Ron

1- the people hitting your site have no effect on the directories. If you have an error indicating an incorrect directory, then you have configured something incorrectly yourself.
2- if your theme is installed incorrectly, you may get strange effects. correct the directories (see #1)
3- See #2 and #1

in other words... your display problems hav enothing to do with people hitting your site.

Also, your error would appear to be related to a mod
it is not related to any "attack"...  as a matter of fact, I would bet that the errors you are seeing are from a) users trying to log in or b) search engine spiders.
You have your forum ste to be visible to members only... which means that ***ANYONE*** who tries to visit your site will hit the login screen.
Since your errors are caused in the login functions, this explains why you have so many errors showing up...
If you posted your link ANYWHERE in the public domain, it means that search engines AND users may be trying to get to your site, but can not...   because you have your site locked down and guests can not view it.

In other words, everything is based on your configuration and no one is attacking your site.


So, I will ask what you should have provided back at the beginning.

SMF Version?
Mods installed?

Hi thanks for the response is it normal for them to pesist for 10 days or more I get little info from I.P. lookup no site urls I closed down the directory for 2 days, they are still there trying, they are 99.9% of the traffic to my forum, before I tightened up registration they posted 3000+
Medics ad posts on the site, Mad

[Ron G4GWC]

So far no mods installed, using latest version updated a few days ago.
Regards

[Kindred]

ok...   a few things.
1- "latest" is never a version...     Always give the version number.

2- download and run repair_settings.php that should fix your default theme paths.

3- I do not quite believe that this is a base install with no mods.   SMF runs without any errors with the basic installation. The fact that you have an undefined error indicates that something was changed from the base installation, either manually or by mod.

[Ron G4GWC]

Thanks again, Sure I have caused the problem myself part of the learning process, and working to block suspect attacks.
I was was working with site CSS  problems, not forrmatting the menu items horizontal as should be.
may well have hit a few wrong changes, thanks for the responses I will follow your advise

Regards

[Ron G4GWC]

Thanks again have download the tool and run it
I can now get the forum up but without  login boxes  and no option menus
It shows Admin as current user it fail show options but the topics look intact.
" Unable to load Themes/default/errors.template.php"

Previously it responded with similar but "index.template.php "
I did not see errors template path/address noted in repair_settings.php screen?

Regards
Ron

[Ron G4GWC]

Hi just to confirm, using 2.0.4
regards  Ron

[Kindred]

it sound slike you are missing files

[Ron G4GWC]

Is there a way to reinstall just files without loosing the d/b content?
regards
\Ron

[Kindred]

yes. files are separate form database

take the large upgrade archive
upload the contents, with the exception of the upgrade,php and .sql files
your forum is now reset to default files.

[Ron G4GWC]

OK will do that, but I have just checked and both the reported files are on the server,
will download the archive. regards 
Regards
Ron

[Kindred]

if all the files are present, then your directories are wrong....   plain and simple.

either the files are missing or the directories are wrong and the system can't find the files.

[Ron G4GWC]

OK I am replacing files and directory structure, but all looks fine and the forum has been active for 3 weeks
I will try anything
Best Regards

Ron

[Ron G4GWC]

Copied all files replaced originals,  The symtoms are exactly the same, must be information in the Dbase that is stopping correct
operation,
Any further Ideas
Regards
Ron

[Ron G4GWC]

Copied all files replaced originals,  The symtoms are exactly the same, must be information in the Dbase that is stopping correct
operation,
Any further Ideas
Regards
Ron

Wonder what my next step can be, looks like may have to start again.
Regards    Ron

[Kindred]

well...   at this point, I have reached the end of what I can do for you second hand....    something is obviously very wrongly configured on your site.

[Ron G4GWC]

My plan is to reinstall SMF then restore my last backup of the MYsql before failure occurred I will loose some members and Topics I am sure,
but I have tried everything as this topic replies covers, I'm convinced the DOS / Spam attacks caused corruption  on the default CSS
I tried to remedy this by changing themes, that when everything went ape******??
I have installed other  forums before but they have never been targeted like the SMF I wonder if the Community
has a lot of Hackers getting feedback from the inputs to the forum.
Regards
Ron

[MrPhil]

I can't imagine how a (D)DoS attack or spam could damage your files or database, unless your hosting service is monumentally incompetent (or it's an inside job). More likely you messed up something trying to stem the attacks. Why don't you first try replacing all the files (except Settings.php, Settings_bak.php, and user attachments). If that doesn't work, then you can go to a database backup restore (wiping out recent activity). If you do that, take a backup (via phpMyAdmin) of your current database, so you still have that available.

Before you do anything else, have you emptied out both the SMF cache and your browser cache? The SMF cache has a button in Admin to clear it, or you can go to the "cache" directory and erase all files except .htaccess and index.php.

Bring your host on board for dealing with (D)DoS attacks, and at least try to block those IP addresses in your .htaccess (if on an Apache server). Spam attacks you'll have to handle yourself, via SMF's anti-bot-registration features and mods (CAPTCHA, Questions, BB/honeypot, etc.).

[Kindred]

Mr Phil,

Thank you... I've told him that several times (that "attackers" are not responsible for any CSS or file trouble)
He had tried replacing the files alone...

also, I am fairly certain that there was no DOS attack.
His ASSUMPTION of an attack was due to a filling error log...
He claims that he had no mods, which I don't believe, since SMF, base install runs without any errors.

However, at this point, he is right...  a full backup restore is probably the only way he's going to fix things.