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  1. #1

    Exclamation Huge trouble with Hostgator and now I'M in huge trouble.

    I've got an email in to Brent and "Joseph" on the phone. Haven't heard back from Brent yet and have Joseph on the phone as I type.

    The problem is this:

    For some reason – all of a sudden my Rewrite (within .htaccess) commands are NO longer working. All of my Google URLs point to clean URL (written from dynamic) and now none of them work (returning 404 Errors)…

    I’m dead in the water without them and I can’t seem to get beyond “Joseph” for help.

    Please Please Please help. I have nowhere else to turn.

    It looks like the last time Google indexed the page was March 31, 2012... so something had to have changed between then and now...

    Any thoughts?

    Please help,
    Pete

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Miami, Florida
    Posts
    20,777
    Hello,
    Have you checked the "Error Logs" in cPanel to see what is causing the issue
    Keith I Myers
    KMyers.me The rantings of a lunatic
    Join me on Technical.chat

  3. #3
    It comes back as file not found...

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Mar 2009
    Location
    Miami, Florida
    Posts
    20,777
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    It comes back as file not found...
    Which file not found? Can you paste part of it (remove any personal items)
    Keith I Myers
    KMyers.me The rantings of a lunatic
    Join me on Technical.chat

  5. #5
    Here is what happens...

    You take a link like this:
    http://www.mydomain.com/shop_pageloop.html

    it is actually rewriting something like this:

    http://www.mydomain.com/webstore/web...sion_id_place=

    for each html file there is a "sister" file called whaterthefilenameis.cgi

    for example:

    pageloop.cgi

    in this .cgi file there is the same exact code that looks like this:

    #!/usr/bin/perl

    $0=~s/\/usr\/home\/pmt\/webstore\///;
    $0=~s/\.cgi//;
    $ENV{QUERY_STRING}="page=$0.html";
    $ENV{CONTENT_LENGTH}=length($ENV{QUERY_STRING});
    #print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
    #print "page=$0.html";
    #exit;
    system("/home/pmt/public_html/webstore/web_store.cgi");

    On March 30-31 Google indexed it and all was fine. Now they are ALL coming back as 404. I finally gave up with "Joseph" from Hostgator - NASTY, RUDE, and VERY condescending. Just a HORRIBLE HORRIBLE HORRIBLE rep. I don't say this about too many people, but if he lost his job tomorrow I'd be ok with it. He didnt' care ONE BIT that I'm going to lose MY job over this. Totally Horrible.

    NOTHING has changed on my side, I pleaded with him to help me, and I could here him "sigh" over the phone. He could care less.

    This is a HUGE problem.
    Last edited by CrazyPete; 04-10-2012 at 10:41 AM.

  6. #6
    Here is my htaccess file:

    Code:
    Options +FollowSymLinks ExecCGI FollowSymLinks +Includes
    
    DirectoryIndex webstore/web_store.cgi index.cgi index.htm index.html
    
    RewriteEngine on
    
    
    #ScriptAliasMatch ^/shop_(.*)\.html /home/pmt/public_html/webstore/$1.cgi
    
    
    #Browser shows old url
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/store/Html
    RewriteRule ^store/(.*)$ /webstore/web_store.cgi?product=$1 [L]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} /store/Html/Images
    RewriteRule ^store/(.*)$ /webstore/$1 [L]
    
    #Sree 26 May 2006
    #http://www.mydomain.com/shopitem/pic1430lg
    #http://www.mydomain.com/webstore/web_store.cgi?keywords=pic1430lg&detail=yes&cart_id=6462826A24791&session_id_place=
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !/shopitem/Html
    RewriteRule ^shopitem/(.*)$ /webstore/web_store.cgi?detail=yes&keywords=$1 [L]
    RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} /shopitem/Html/Images
    RewriteRule ^shopitem/(.*)$ /webstore/$1 [L]
    
    #Browser howes new URL
    RewriteRule ^stores/(.*)$ /webstore/web_store.cgi?product=$1 [R,L]
    #Alias /store/Html/Images /home/pmt/public_html/webstore/Html/Images
    
    # -FrontPage-
    
    IndexIgnore .htaccess */.??* *~ *# */HEADER* */README* */_vti*
    
    <Limit GET POST>
    order deny,allow
    deny from all
    allow from all
    </Limit>
    <Limit PUT DELETE>
    order deny,allow
    deny from all
    </Limit>
    AuthName mydomain.com
    AuthUserFile /home/pmt/public_html/_vti_pvt/service.pwd
    AuthGroupFile /home/pmt/public_html/_vti_pvt/service.grp

  7. #7
    Get this...

    if you look at the htaccess file...

    "shopitem" works fine and so does "Store"

    It appears that only the one that works with the .cgi file I mentioned above (shop_) does not work...

    Yet there is a # in front of the only code that deals with shop_ ???

    I tried removing the # to see if somebody at HostGator made the change for some reason, and that didn't fix the problem either... except this time it returned an Internal Server Error...

    Ugh. Help.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5,849
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    The only thing that looks like it could rewrite that url is this:
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    Code:
    #ScriptAliasMatch ^/shop_(.*)\.html /home/pmt/public_html/webstore/$1.cgi
    but it's commented out. Have you tried just removing the initial # from that line?

    On a more general note, your whole system looks like a nasty outdated insecure mess. A more thorough cleanup by an experienced developer would be highly recommended...

    Edit: Ok, that sounds like progress. You'll find the reason for the 500 (internal server) error in your error log.
    Last edited by foobic; 04-10-2012 at 10:56 AM. Reason: +
    Chris

    "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter

  9. #9
    foobic... I'm interested in how it can be made into a non-outdated insecure mess... thoughts?

    Pete

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    4,721
    Have you made any .htaccess changes recently, do you have a backup of a .htaccess file from prior to the errors?
    Hyperconfused (™)

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5,849
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    foobic... I'm interested in how it can be made into a non-outdated insecure mess... thoughts?
    I guess that would depend on whether the website has been built on a sound script that's been hacked around (the SEO-friendly links etc.) or if the underlying program is ancient / unsupported / insecure. A quick Google for web_store.cgi finds eXtropia web store - is it based on that?
    Chris

    "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter

  12. #12
    Yes. That webstore... please keep in mind all the "Issues" that it "had" are not an issue here.
    Last edited by CrazyPete; 04-10-2012 at 11:21 AM.

  13. #13
    Loon, I found a very old version of .htaccess and that #ScriptAliasMatch is still commented out... so that's not the trouble...
    Ugh.

  14. #14
    It appears that there was something done beyond my account that worked with the .cgi file and has now stopped working... The problem is I don't know what it was that was done in order to tell HostGator that this is the change they made... and they don't seem to know the change that was made in order to change it back or tell me how to make it so that it will work. I'm keeping this thread updated as things change with the hope that Brent will be along and see it... hopefully before search engines get hit with all the 404 errors that are being created.

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5,849
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    Yes. That webstore... please keep in mind all the "Issues" that it "had" are not an issue here.
    Right. Were they fixed by the same guy who devised that great system you described in post #5?

    TBH, I'm wondering how this would ever have worked:
    Code:
    #!/usr/bin/perl
    
    $0=~s/\/usr\/home\/pmt\/webstore\///;
    $0=~s/\.cgi//;
    $ENV{QUERY_STRING}="page=$0.html";
    $ENV{CONTENT_LENGTH}=length($ENV{QUERY_STRING});
    #print "Content-type: text/html\n\n";
    #print "page=$0.html";
    #exit;
    system("/home/pmt/public_html/webstore/web_store.cgi");
    If your home directory is /home/pmt (should be something like that on most cPanel hosts) then why is the first line trying to substitute "/usr/home/pmt/webstore" out of the script filename?

    To answer the earlier question I'd suggest abandoning this and migrating to something a little more current, unless you have a really good perl dev on standby.

    Good luck...
    Chris

    "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Apr 2003
    Location
    London, UK
    Posts
    4,721
    Just to add to that, there are publicly available exploits for that script more recent than what I assume is the last date that file was developed.

    #Sree 26 May 2006
    If your backup .htaccess that worked is identical, there's a good chance the errors are being thrown up by some code that lies outside your .htaccess file.
    Hyperconfused (™)

  17. #17
    Loon: Thank you very much for your concerns. The exploits that you speak of have been resolved (and then some). This isn't about that... this is about something totally different. I really appreciate your help!

    Thanks!
    Pete

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2005
    Location
    Australia
    Posts
    5,849
    One other thought. Are you sure that this is actually what's meant to happen?
    Quote Originally Posted by CrazyPete View Post
    Here is what happens...

    You take a link like this:
    http://www.mydomain.com/shop_pageloop.html

    it is actually rewriting something like this:

    http://www.mydomain.com/webstore/web...sion_id_place=

    for each html file there is a "sister" file called whaterthefilenameis.cgi

    for example:

    pageloop.cgi
    Given that the scriptalias line was commented out and pageloop.cgi looks like it shouldn't work, I wonder if that isn't all just an old, abandoned system that was subsequently replaced by a single rewriterule sending shop_pageloop.html directly to webstore/web_store.cgi without ever touching the pageloop.cgi file. If that were the case then you're just missing a few lines of .htaccess mod_rewrite code. Perhaps there used to be a higher-level .htaccess file, maybe even in the /home/pmt directory, above public_html.

    Try looking for that in your backups. I guess it would look something like
    Code:
    RewriteRule ^shop_(.*) /webstore/web_store.cgi?page=$1 [QSA,L]
    Chris

    "Some problems are so complex that you have to be highly intelligent and well informed just to be undecided about them." - Laurence J. Peter

  19. #19
    foo:

    !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    RewriteRule ^shop_(.*) /webstore/web_store.cgi?page=$1 [QSA,L]
    I'm not buying you any beer yet. But something THAT simple seems to have worked. STAND BY!

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    texas
    Posts
    1,333
    Hello,


    What is your ticket number on this issue? I'm quite confident this isn't a hostgator problem but an issue with your coding. If it was working fine and then all of a sudden stopped working it's highly likely it was hacked as a result of insecure coding.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Nov 2004
    Location
    Switzerland
    Posts
    1,307
    Question that comes in my mind: are you using a kind of dedicated hosting? Either of VPS or dedicated or are you on shared hosting?

    If you are on a shared hosting with your unorthodox script, they may have changed something in their environment that break your script.
    Enterprise Consultant
    CCNP Enterprise - CCNP Security
    .:. Travels From West to East .:.

  22. #22
    You guys are relentless. The site worked perfectly and then it stopped working. It has been concluded that HOSTGATOR modified an .htaccess file that was above a directory that I could access causing things to not work.

    Funny that you are STILL insisting that it was my fault. I know you like to think that all users are id10ts -- but what part of WE DID NOT CHANGE ANYTHING do you not understand. There are only two sides that could have made a change. Me and You. And I didn't change anything. That leaves YOU.

    Ugh.

    It is now fixed. If you really care send me a PM and I'll send you the ticket numbers.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    texas
    Posts
    1,333
    It's possible we made a config change that affected your site. (I'm not aware of us doing any changes recently)

    It's also very possible that we did not make any changes, and this issue had nothing to do with us. We definitely didn't modify your sites code in any shape or form so considering the problem was solved without us making any config changes says a lot, at least to me.

    Either way I'd like to have our CTO take a look at it and find out what exactly happened so we don't continue to blame each other without any evidence.

    I'm messaged you for the ticket number. Thanks!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    texas
    Posts
    1,333
    Thank you for sharing the ticket number with me. Our cto wasn't able to find anything new that we hadn't shared with you in the ticket, nor does he believe this is a result of anything we did. The only reason your site would have been modified by us is if you had RLimitMEM in your htaccess file. Did you have this in there? We weren’t able to find any evidence of you having it.

    What we did find was logs of you editing your htaccess file from your ip at about the same time the problem started. This supports the problem being caused as a result of a change you made to your htaccess.

    You are using poorly written scripts as well as outdated technologies such as FP, and because this I’m confident you’re going to continue to run into issues. We are happy to help but after reading your ticket history I don’t believe you’ll ever be happy with us. We went above and beyond in your transfer ticket fixing all our your issues that weren’t hostgator issues and instead of a thank you we got a negative review. http://www.webhostingtalk.com/showthread.php?t=1042760

    I’m going to recommend you find a new hosting provider at this time. We can’t continue to be your web developer as well as be blamed every time something goes wrong with such horribly coded scripts.

  25. #25
    I can't believe you folks! The reason you see action in the .htaccess file when I found the problem was because we were trying to FIX the problem.

    Saying that you can't find any issues beyond the ticket is too funny too, since right IN the ticket you explain how you DID change things and how it COULD have been something that was done by HostGator.

    I know you want to save face here in the pubic arena, and I can understand that. I'll drop it as it appears that we now understand what happened. I only hope that in the future you won't be so quick to blame the customer and you'll dig deeper and not say that nothing on your end changed... when in reality, in HostGator's words,

    "At around 2:30 am CDT on 4/10/2012 an upper tier administrator began an architecture migration on this server. This involved switching the server from a 32 bit over to 64 bit architecture which has many clear benefits, though I believe is likely the cause of this issue."

    Threatening to extinguish the livelihood of fellow Americans and their job is pretty horrible.

    This is how people earn the money they need to feed their family!

    Geesh.
    Pete

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