Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (Full Version)

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rickir -> Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/29/2007 19:25:37)

Hello all,

I'm not sure this is the right forum, so please feel free to redirect me. I am maintaining a website for a dog-rescue organization and know little more than the basics. Someone in the organization decided to search for her cell phone number through Yahoo's search engine and up popped our list of volunteers which is on a password protected page.

We have taken the link down for now, but can someone explain how this happens and (especially!) how to prevent this from happening again?

I'm not sure what other information would be useful, but thanks for any assistance you can give.

Regards,
RR



ou812 -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/29/2007 19:33:55)

The search engine should not be able to get to it. I would say your password protection isn't working correctly if the search engines can get to it. Or this phone number was found somewhere else. An example of the page or something so we can look?



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/29/2007 20:00:03)

SE could have indexed the page before you put the password protection on it.

If that couldn't be the case, we will need to see a link to the page. You can remove the member info for security reasons, and just fill it with some random garbage.



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 13:48:17)

Thank you Bobby and Brian for your replies.

Here is a link to the page in question. I have removed all of the personal information.

http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/postit/roster.htm

RR



coreybryant -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 16:04:06)

How did you protect the page? Did you use a FP subsite / subweb, htaccess, JavaScript, or something else?



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 16:57:12)

This was done long before I volunteered to maintain the site. I'll ask and see if I can find out.

RR



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 17:45:01)

Can you put the password protection back on it? We don't need the password, just the page, exactly how it was when google indexed it, without the personal information.



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 17:49:22)

Also, I just did a Google search within your site, and keyword Volunteers and came up with nothing in Google



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (11/30/2007 23:43:29)

Well, here's a little more information I've just picked up. The "roster.htm" page is not the password protected page. Members go to a page: "http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/postit/passgate.htm" and once they put in the proper login and password, they are redirected to another page.
http://pub19.bravenet.com/passwd/show.php

This is where I my understanding ends. The page to which you are redirected is our roster, but it's not the same url as our website. If one goes through passgate page, then all is well, but the roster is still on our website and quite vulnerable, it seems to me.

Is there someway to more effectively hide the roster on our website?

I hope this is clear enough. Thanks for hanging in there.

RR



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 1:49:41)

So what's the page that the search engine has indexed?



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 9:33:39)

The search engine indexed the roster page.



coreybryant -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 11:51:57)

The best ways to password protect a page would be to use some type of server side language. Check out this forum for an ASP script. I am not exactly sure how it was password protected in the first place. It sounds like some type of JavaScript which explains why it could be picked up via the search engines.



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 12:21:17)


quote:

ORIGINAL: rickir

The search engine indexed the roster page.

- I can access the roster page without having to enter any password: http://www.chihuahua-rescue.com/postit/roster.htm



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 13:31:41)

Yes, that's what I was saying in Post #8.


Although most people wouldn't know that it was there, I still need to find a way to keep it private.

RR



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 13:41:44)

Yeah, I'm not of much help in explaining how it was protected. Are you able to view the code in the passgate.htm page?



coreybryant -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 17:56:45)

Yes I can see the code on passgate.htm.

I am not certain what the bravehost really does but if you can enter the URL (passgate.htm) in the address bar, it's not protected. You need to use some type server side language (or htaccess). I am not certain if you understand PHP (since you are on a *NIX Machine) but that is one option or htaccess. Some hosting companies even have a password protection via their control panel.



rickir -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 19:15:05)

My thanks to you and Bobby! I appreciate the feedback and have a few suggestions to follow up with.

Regards,
RR



BobbyDouglas -> RE: Search Engines Finding Password Protected Page! (12/1/2007 19:47:54)

Create a folder on your website called "protected-roster" and put the file you want protected inside that folder. Then do what Corey said about the password protection via control panel. I am 99% sure that IPowerWeb offers this, if you dont see it inside the control panel, call their support and find out how to enable protection for that page.



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