Google searches return "URL not found" error message

[Caruso]

G'day.

Been totally out the loop for ages.

My site got hacked twice after I tried a modernization effort. I located and deleted all the rogue code that was causing redirects to Viagra sites (LOL), but now any and all site searches yield "URL not found" error messages, though the pages are all there.

Try this: Google "hundred percent gambling" and click the top link.

"URL not found", right?

Now click the homepage here (the one the above Google search yielded): http://www.hundredpercentgambling.com/

No problem, right?

So why are my Google searches returning that error message?

(If you want to try another search, "microgaming single deck blackjack" lists me at the top.)

Yeah yeah, I know the site's prehistoric now, I know it's mobile unfriendly and it needs a gargantuan overhaul in order to be relevant to anything. For now I just want it to work as it is.

Thoughts?

[pokermonger]

This probably isn't helpful, but Google has cache of the page, so they can read the page.

[universal4]

SSL

The browser is defaulting to SSL and since your site does not answer on that it is returning a 404.

Anyone on older browsers that do not default to ssl likely wont see that.

Get ssl up as soon as you can, or at least get the server to answer on 443 and there will be a no cert warning but you may salvage some of the traffic.

Rick
Universal4

side note/ since you are seeing this, after the cert is installed you might want to do a redirect in htaccess or web.config (skip plugin)

[Caruso]

Thanks for both the comments.

Try this:

Repeat the same two steps: Google "hundred percent gambling" then click on the result - same error message ("Not Found - The requested URL was not found on this server. Additionally, a 404 Not Found error was encountered while trying to use an ErrorDocument to handle the request.")

Now, simply place your cursor to the right of the URL (www.hundredpercentgambling.com/), which is now highlighted it in blue. You can leave the blue highlight it or click again to remove it, makes no difference.

If you simply refresh, nothing changes.

But now click "enter".

Bingo, page appears.

Is this an SSL issue?

[universal4]

From what I am seeing trying it in different browser it could be a missing ssl.
If that is why its happening adding ssl will fix it.

Regardless, if you add in your htaccess or web.config the http or http check and then force the redirect to one or the other, that should take care of it.

Long term you should just add the ssl, and then do the redirect anyway, since that would take care of 301 for any links you gained over the years that likely pointed at the non ssl version of she site.

As for adding the ssl, it depends on what kind of hosting arrangement you have, but you should be able to get a cert installed free, either by doing it yourself, or a few minutes help from your host.

Looking at you host, I am 100% sure they can help you get the certificate on there.

I now see some changes and that the site answers on https, but you will have to make some sitewide changes to make this all smoother.

Since this is an html site, you have a few options. (make a backup copy of the site folder)

Get the ssl installed if it hasn't been.
The best fix is to perform a search and replace, either using dreanweaver, or your favorite editor like notepad + or whatever. Search for
http://www.hundredpercentgambling.com/ then replace with
https://www.hundredpercentgambling.com/

This should immediately fix the site and image links, as well as the links to your css (which is why layout looks wrong on ssl)

Get a 301 in the htaccess pointing to https

If you are having trouble with some of this, get in touch with a dev you have used or trusted over the years, or send me a pm and I can probably help you get this worked out.

Rick
Universal4

[casinobonusguy]

Wow I thought I see a Ghost it has been so long since I see you on here Caruso!

[Caruso]

Thanks Rick, I'll work on getting my head around all that.

CasinoBonusGuy - close, granted. Not just yet though.

[universal4]

PM sent to see if a possible direct discussion might be helpful.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

Had a brief discussion with another tech friend of mine and we ran some additional tests.

It likely is not strictly related to lack of ssl.

Our tests show it is not likely related to the referrer either.

It could be a config error in the vhosts file, (or routing inside the data center) altho both of those are less likely, appears it might be in your htaccess.

I sent a pm with one of my email contacts, to see if I could help.

Rick
Universal4

[universal4]

I sent a pm with what I think to be four fix.

Give me a shout if you need help implementing it.

Rick
Universal4

[Caruso]

Just to say here that Rick is a genius - he correctly identified htaccess modifications (from a hack I suffered) as being the cause.

Problem is now sorted.


Just the rest of you don't start bombarding him with requests for help, OK?

[universal4]

Nahhh not genius.

I checked with Caruso first to be sure, but we did want to let the community know what had taken place.

He had previously been hacked, and they managed to get some files on his server. (I do not know the details or the how etc)

He had previously cleaned up a portion of the hack and removed the offending pages that contained redirects but had not cleaned up the htaccess.

What was happening was that the htaccess contained a number of conditions for a rewrite.
1st condition was doing a check for the user agents of google, yahoo, msn, aol, and bing
2nd was checking the referrer for google, yahoo, msn, aol, and bing
3rd was then checking for the http host

The it had a rewrite rule that pointed at one of the original pages he had previously cleaned up.

Oddly enough it also had some bogus non threatening useless example rewrite conditions for example .com and a rewrite rule that would have been ignored since the example conditions were not met. Can only guess this was added in hopes to partially disguise the additions.

Then the basic handlers to finish off the file to make it look normal.

Glad to see the fix was simple on the front end, although he should still move toward fixing the https links etc, but at least he can do that over time and the site is serving until then.

Obviously any time any one experiences such situations and suspect or even proven of a hack, the #1 thing to do immediately is always change passwords to site logins, cpanel, phpmyadmin, ftp etc etc etc.

Then get to work on trying to find what happened and how to overcome the problem, or send up site backups etc.

Obviously backups are an important factor, and having them before something happens is key.

Rick
Universal4