Is The Forum Being Worked On? Or is a hacker at work?

[mrdee 1]

I am going to post this here, since it seems te be hot news to me, I only discovered it earlier this morning.

It will also be a good test to see if my post goes through, in spite of what is happening.

When I entered the forum this morning, I was greeted with the following bunch of error messages:

Warning: krsort() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php on line 2533
Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php:2533) in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/sources/classes/output/formats/html/htmlOutput.php on line 109

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php:2533) in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/sources/classes/output/formats/html/htmlOutput.php on line 120

I also noticed that, during the loading (enough time to notice it, given the forum's loading time), the favicon was different, but it changed to the usual Xisto favicon just before the page appeared.

I have had a similar experience before, and posted a question about it, but never received a reply.

I assume that, when the code runs OK and has been tried and tested, the script will usually not generate any errors, unless changes have been meade to iether the script, or the hosting (eg. upgrade PHP version or added/removed functions in PHP or the like).

Unless it is anything of the above, could it be there have been changes made in the script, which would sort of give me a hint one of the admins is doing some work/maintenance on the forun, or could a hacker be at work too?

At first, i though I was not going to get access to the forum, because the list where the subjects are normally shown was blank, but upon scrolling a bit further down, I noticed they were now shown below their usual place.

That is also why I am saying it will be a good test, if this post appears after i have sent it, it shows me that, in spite of the error messages, the forum is still operational.

However, it would be nice if someone could enlighten me, either a PHP expert who understands what those error messages are indicating, or someone who knows what is going on, whatever further information would really interest me.

Thank you in advance to whoever could shed a bit of light on this.

[anwiii 17]

from what i understand, the only one who touches the code is opaque. he was pretty strict with this policy. there is no hacker at work if what you mean by hacker is someone who is maliciously trying to hurt ks. i don't believe this is why you are seeing error messages. i have seen them from time to time, and then they disapear within an hour or so. i've just ignored them. as far as trying to understand where the error messages are coming from, i doubt anyone here can give you a solid answer. i think opaque would be the only person who can inform you on this.also, it's not a FIR. someone else posted about this already about a week or two ago. even the original post shouldn't be considered an FIR because this has been going on for the last 3-4 months every so often.

Edited April 16, 2011 by anwiii (see edit history)

[mrdee 1]

Yes, that is exactly what I meant by hacker, someone malicious trying to mess up things here.I also thought it was FIR, as it is only the second time I have seen it happen, and since I assumed, as I posted before, these things do not happen automatically, I thought I'd try to bring it to someone's attention, but it seems I have to watch over my shoulder when I post here lately.

[rvalkass 5]

When I entered the forum this morning, I was greeted with the following bunch of error messages:

 

 

Warning: krsort() expects parameter 1 to be array, null given in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php on line 2533

 

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php:2533) in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/sources/classes/output/formats/html/htmlOutput.php on line 109

 

Warning: Cannot modify header information - headers already sent by (output started at /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/applications/forums/sources/classes/forums/class_forums.php:2533) in /home/Xisto/public_html/forums/admin/sources/classes/output/formats/html/htmlOutput.php on line 120

 

The first error involves the function krsort(). This is a function that sorts an array in reverse order by the key elements (key reverse sort). It obviously expects to be passed an array to sort, but in this error message it has been passed absolutely nothing to sort. Not being familiar with the latest code for Invision Board, I'm not sure exactly which bit of the code is causing this error. The other two errors are caused by the first error.

 

The Invision forums contain a bit more information: https://www.google.co.uk

 

I also noticed that, during the loading (enough time to notice it, given the forum's loading time), the favicon was different, but it changed to the usual Xisto favicon just before the page appeared.

 

I haven't spotted that. For me the favicon is blank until the forum's specific favicon is loaded.

[mrdee 1]

Thank you for that explanation, rvalkass.So, it was idle hope that someone was trying to do some maintenance here, as my initial thought was that a bulletin board which was up and running and working would normally not generate any script errors, just because of the fact that everything was ok in the script.At least, people still get a polite answer from you, without any sarcasm or flaming, who said ignorance was bliss?Thank you again.

[mrdee 1]

Sorry I have to jump in here again, but I was wondering if anyone has noticed things seem to be getting worse here.

 

My MyCent credits have not updated for five days, although I have been posting every day.

The PHP errors are now constantly appearing at the top.

When I read a certain topic and I come back to the homepage, I seem to be forgotten by the forum and have to sign in again.

Sometimes I have to try five or six times to open a topic for reading.

These are things I have began to notice from today (apart from the MyCents one, of course).

I would really like to know if other people are experiencing similar things, or if I will be the vilain again for posting about problems with this forum.

Another thing I need to mention: as I am typing this message, my cursor is completely invisible in this window, I am not sure whether that has anything to do with the forum, it is happening, nevertheless.

 

How I wish someone would sort this place out so it, at least, works properly, surely Opaque/Xisto must be losing business the way things are going, or don't they see that or don't they care?

 

I thought a web hosting company (or any company for that matter) existed in the first place to make a profit, not to drive customers away.

(Not that I am trying to interfere in the day to day running of Xisto, but I am just pointing out that things the way they are going cannot be good for business, it is obviously their problem, not mine).

 

By the way, as I mentioned in another post, I attached a screenshot of the favicon that appears while the site is loading, before going on to the familiar blue triangle:

 

Edited April 19, 2011 by mrdee (see edit history)

[rvalkass 5]

My MyCent credits have not updated for five days, although I have been posting every day.

That's not something we have any control over unfortunately. OpaQue is the only one who seems to have control over the myCENTs system. If you're worried submit a support ticket and someone should look into it.

The PHP errors are now constantly appearing at the top.

Again, we have no access to the code, so there's nothing we can do. However, it does seem that the problem exists on other forums, suggesting it is a bug with either Invision Board or a common modification to it. The errors don't seem to be affecting the functionality massively either.

When I read a certain topic and I come back to the homepage, I seem to be forgotten by the forum and have to sign in again.

The same thing happens to me occasionally. The forum also likes to ignore the time I last visited the forums, so the list of new topics is often wrong for me. I just keep signing in - so far I haven't found a cause or workaround.

Sometimes I have to try five or six times to open a topic for reading.

Yup. Pages take an age to load, and you're often left with a blank white page when the page has finally finished loading. Nothing we can do - just keep reloading the page and hoping for the best.

Another thing I need to mention: as I am typing this message, my cursor is completely invisible in this window, I am not sure whether that has anything to do with the forum, it is happening, nevertheless.

I had that problem on an older version of the forums. I believe it was a problem with Invision Board that was eventually fixed, but I could be wrong. Try different browsers, disabling extensions, etc. to see if any of those are causing issues.

[mrdee 1]

Thanks again for your reply, rvalkass.I do appreciate and understand where most of (if not all of) the errors come from, I also appreciate that none of us have any control at all over the things that are happening.However, that does not alter the fact that most of those things are incredibly annoying, and the fact that SOMEONE should be able to do something about them (but does not seem interested to do so).I will definitely get in touch with Xisto and submit a ticket if my credits do not get added in the next one or two days, as that is something that SHOULD work properly, how else are we going to get payment for our hosting together?I remember that (in my case anyway) the MyCents system tended to be a bit irregular when it came to updating, but I think five days is a very long time, especially if you have been posting every day during that time.Anyway, we will see how things go, and if I have to submit a ticket, I will see what Xisto have to say for themselves.I really hope things can get sorted and start working properly again for a change.Anyway, rvalkass, thank you for your contributions to the forums, people replying seem to have become an endangered species here.

[anwiii 17]

yes, please write a support ticket as i am getting tired of the same things being posted by you. i wouldn't be surprised if you are earning the most mycents from your repeated posts saying basically the same thing complaining about the forumso yes, i think your best bet is to write a support ticket. if your issues don't get resolved, i would encourage you to move on somewhere else that you can be satisfied with......and i thought *I* complained a lot

[mrdee 1]

You thought you complained a lot?Well, yes, you do.You have not stopped flaming me yet, even for saying things which are 100% true.Never mind, if I have something to say, I will do so, and if things are not working properly I will mention them and no one is going to stop me from doing so.By the way, are you a member of "the powers that be" here now?If I go somewhere else, it'll be my decision, not because you urge me to.

Edited April 19, 2011 by mrdee (see edit history)

[anwiii 17]

i am not flaming you. i am just stating it how it is. you're being a hypocrite. you are complaining about the quality of the forum and how it is being run on multiple threads. i think people get the point by now without you having the need to repeat yourself over and over again. what's the point? it only brings the forum down that much more when new users come. so either complain and be a part of the problem, and be a hypocrite, or listen to some solid advice. obviously it's your choice. i am not here to argue about anyone's freedom of speech. again, i will bet that you have recieved more mycents in the last month complaining and repeating yourself than earning mycents by posting something constructive or interesting.your response was "no one is going to stop me from doing so". what kind of response is that? ofcourse nobody is going to stop you. just like if i DID start to flame you, nobody would stop me either. get my point? we have the power to know right from wrong though and make the wisest choices based on that.yea, i have complained a lot in the past, but i usually get it out in one or two posts in a thread or i just start a topic in the vent where i can vent to my hearts content. you having the mindset that you will do whatever you want wont help. and if your asking the question why i am concerned about this and a lot of my attention is drawn to you, then the answer is really simple. you draw a lot of attention on yourself right now. just write the support ticket and hope they can resolve whatever problem you have here. that was my whole point in my last post. i am surprised you haven't done this sooner. not like it's gonna help any. i doubt it will.....but it's better than repeating yourself over and over again in multiple threads here

[mrdee 1]

Also, in case you missed it, I started this thread to try and ask what I thought was a legitimate question.In my ignorance (not ashamed to admit I am a novice at certain things) I thought the errors I received were an indication something was happening on the forum, which is why I posted to ask a)if work/maintenance was being done on the forum (see the topic title) and b)if a hacker could be at work.I don't see any complaining in that, and I would also like to know if it is still allowed asking a simple question (although the answer might have been obvious to others and although it might not have been a FIR although I assumed it was because this error message experience was new to me).And then, a further thread in the post, I was mentioning errors beginning to occur which I had not experienced before, such as my MyCens not having been updated in 5 days (it have been 7 days in the mean time, this never happened before, which is why I mentioned it) and the forum constantly forgetting my login details, these errors were indeed new to me, but, of course, if it is a crime to mention that, accept my most humble apologies.Anyway, nuff said, if you doubt my intentions for the use of this forum, do a search and look at some of the things I have posted here, you will find there is quite a variety from seeking help and support over taking part in social and political discussions and more, so my MyCents have come from other sources than just repeating myself.But from now on I will obey your command and not ask any questions about the forum anymore, even if it is something like asking how a certain feature of the forum works.At least I will not commit any sacrilege then.

[anwiii 17]

wow. the way you explain things makes you look like an angel. like you don't have any chip on your shoulder with this forum or with me at all. i really love the way you word things hahaanyway, if it's any consolation,i haven't received any mycents in a couple weeks. obviously the script is failing to run. personally i am not worried only because from the past, i can expect to be credited when it does run. also, if it hasn't run in a while and your not being credited, it's as simple as writing a support ticket once. if you don't get it resolved and your hosting is do, put attn: opaque and let shree handle your ticket so you don't have your account suspended.see there? it really isn't as bad as you're making everything seem. heck. if worse comes to worse and you find yourself needing hosting, just pay the $30 a year of hosting and domain. even a teenager without a job can afford that. life doesn't have to be as cruel or complicated as you make it out.

[mrdee 1]

like you don't have any chip on your shoulder with this forum or with me at all. i really love the way you word things haha

Haven't we all got a chip on our shoulder from time to time?Looks like you have a huge one constantly, must be hard to carry.
Glad you like my choice of words, even if you are being sarcastic.

anyway, if it's any consolation,i haven't received any mycents in a couple weeks. obviously the script is failing to run.

Once again proves my point there is something wrong.Didn't know about the script not running so I enquired, if you want to call that nagging or complaining, that is your problem.

see there? it really isn't as bad as you're making everything seem. heck. if worse comes to worse and you find yourself needing hosting, just pay the $30 a year of hosting and domain. even a teenager without a job can afford that. life doesn't have to be as cruel or complicated as you make it out.

Yes, I gathered that.
Forgive my angelic ignorance, oh great oracle, and Patron(ising) Saint of the forum.
It shall not happen again.
End of discussion.

[anwiii 17]

very well said. you keep proving my point. some FIR you created here....