Joomla!® CMS Security

Example: An unexplained file

We were recently contacted by a customer for whom we provide website hosting.

We had previously transferred their Joomla! website from one web hosting company to another.

The customer had noticed an unusual file in the root of the public_html directory when browsing their website in the File Manager screen of their hosting control panel.

The file was called:

799C39A9F3D0D3B9AA47B70C73F93EC4.txt

and contained the following text:

comodoca.com

We were able to confirm that the file:

1. was the result of an automated routine run by the new web hosting company,
2. did not pose a threat, and
3. could be safely removed from the public_html directory. 

Of course, the file could have been something more sinister!