Hi there,

I'm looking for somebody to teach me Linux / Ubuntu system administration and help me migrate likely infected Wordpress installations from my current Linode to a new one. I've already tried doing the migration myself once, but the new server soon started sending out Spam again. I'm planning to create another server from scratch again. And this time do it right.

I will pay $40 per hour. It would be great if you could be available for these sessions some time during 9 AM and 7 PM ET on weekdays (I'm flexible). If we could on occasion add an hour or two during weekends, that would be great. Initially, I'm envisioning 5-10 hours for our initial work together. But I'm sure there'd be on-going opportunities.

I have intermediate skills in Linux system admin. I'm looking for somebody with good command of the English. I am eager to learn, so I envision us using Teamviewer to share an SSH screen and Skype (to hear one another's voices) to work on the box together.

If you are interested, please send me some information about your experience in Linux, and in dealing with bot-infected boxes, and a bit about your professional background. You can contact me directly at mail@messagehouse.org.

There is some information about me at http://www.marcfest.com/about/

I'm looking forward to hearing from you.

Cheers,

Marc.


--
Marc Fest
Founder
The Message House ®
marc@messagehouse.org
Phone: (305) 604-9500
http://www.messagehouse.org

I always promote getting together with people in person - a great way to learn and meet people is to attend a conference. There are quite a number around; since you are in Florida, there will be FOSSETCON in Orlando in November. You can also search for a local Linux User Group such as the South Dade LUG. Good luck!

For the malware bit, we use Configserver Exploit Scanner (CXS) for our servers and it has been doing a fantastic job at notifying us whenever the website of a customer gets infected - so we can take action before it starts sending out spam. The biggest disadvantage is that a lot of malware infects legit / critical Wordpress scripts, so you can't just let it automatically be quarantined. You'll have to manually go through all the infections and remove the malware from it. Luckily it's very obvious most of the time and it'll be a string on the very first line of the script, that simply has to be removed and replaced with <?php

If you do decide on getting CXS (it's $60/IP/lifetime) I can explain to you how to set it up, though you'll have to do the actual cleaning yourself

EDIT:

Also, with the above scanner, you'll get an e-mail notification whenever new malware is detected. When that happens, search through the webserver logs for a POST request happening around the time the malware is placed. It will help you out to determine how they're actually placing the malware on the server. Usually by abusing out-of-date plugins.

@vance, that's a great idea about connecting with those groups you mention. Having my server infected is a nuisance but the positive side to it is that I enjoy learning about server administration.

@nuvini, thanks so much for your advice as well. I'd definitely be willing to pay the $60 for CSX. Thanks for your offer to help me set it up. I would want to pay you for that help, of course. Might we be able to talk on the phone, briefly?

Again, thanks a lot for your responses, guys.

Marc.

Unfortunately I'm unable to talk with you over the phone/skype, sorry - but I am around on the Linode IRC channel that we could use to chat. It's on the OFTC network, the channel name is #linode . It's the community chat channel, but there's also some staff hanging out in there.

If you do not have an IRC client there's a webbased one here: http://irc.lc/OFTC/linode/marcfest