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10. Go with the cheapest hosting provider you can find, preferably a shared server that hosts hundreds of other sites, some of which are high-traffic porn sites. Don't check the list of recommended hosting providers.

9. Don't waste time with regular backups. Maybe the hosting provider will help you.

8. Don't waste time adjusting PHP and Joomla! settings for increased security. Hey, the install was brain-dead easy. How bad could the rest be? Worry about those details only if there's a problem.

7. Use the same username and password for your on-line bank account, Joomla! administrator account, Amazon account, Yahoo account, etc. Hey, who has time to keep track of so many passwords? And anyway, since you don't change passwords, it's easier to just use the same one all the time, everywhere.

6. Install your brand new beautiful Joomla!-powered site, celebrate a job well done, and don't worry about it again. After all, if you don't make any more changes, what can go wrong? (Hint: A lot)

5. Do all upgrades and extension installations right there on the live site. Who needs a development and testing server anyway? If an installation fails, you'll just uninstall it again. That will hopefully also undo any damage the installation caused.

4. Trust all third-party extensions, and install all the cool-looking stuff you can find. Anyone smart enough to write a Joomla! extension will provide perfect code that blocks every known exploit attempt, now and forever. After all, almost all this stuff is provided for free by well-meaning, good-hearted people who know what they are doing.

3. Don't worry about updating to the latest version of Joomla!. Hey, nothing's gone wrong so far, and if it ain't broke don't fix it! Same plan for the third-party extensions. Too much work anyway.

2. When your site gets cracked, panic your way on over to the Joomla! Forums and start a new post with a very familiar title: "Help! My Site's Been Hacked!" Be sure not to leave relevant information, such as which obsolete versions of Joomla! and third party extensions were installed.

1. Once your site's been cracked, fix the defaced file and then assume all is well. Don't check raw logs, change your passwords, remove the entire directory and rebuild from clean backups, or take any other overly paranoid-seeming actions. When the attackers return the next day, scream loudly that you've been "hacked again," and it's all Joomla!'s fault. Ignore the fact that removing a defaced file is not even step one in the difficult process of fully recovering a cracked site.

Acceptance
If you're like most of us, you're guilty of a few of these tricks yourself. You'll probably feel much better if you contribute to the Wall of Shame in the related discussion. 


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Keywords: help, hacked, security, faq, got hacked, been hacked, done bin hacked, Joomla!'s fault, fed up