Anyone having attempted to visit LAShTAL.COM yesterday afternoon or overnight (British Summer Time) will have received an error message indicating a problem connecting to the database.
My website hosts have emailed me with the following explanation:
We have had to temporarily block the MySQL servers due to a hack attempt. We have now solved the problem and apologise for the down time you have experienced. The MySQL servers have been upgraded during this down time to a more secure server.
We apologise for any inconvenience caused.
This causes me some concerns on several levels, not least being that visitors should be confident of being able to reach LAShTAL.COM as and when it’s convenient for them.
I am seeking clarification of the “hack attempt” reference, but you can rest assured that I’ll be backing the site up regularly.