RSJoomla! Blog - tutorials, tips & updates about joomla extensions

Whenever you install Joomla! on a server, you must take some measures in order to secure the installation.

Users often tend to leave the installation as it is, thus making the server vulnerable to hackers. That's why, when you install Joomla! on your server you need to change several configuration settings to avoid some major mistakes that will affect the overall site security.

Let's see the most common mistakes and why they are critical for your system:

Mistake #1. NOT TO download or upgrade to the latest Joomla! Version

New versions of Joomla! are released often with various security fixes and the developers are strongly recommending to upgrade to the latest version of Joomla!

It is important to download Joomla! packages from trusted sources or directly from joomla.org, otherwise you may compromise your system (you may download a modified package that could harm your website ). Periodical backups of the whole site are essential, providing a safety net in case something goes wrong caused by the update or some other unforeseen event. Already there are some specialized components that can create backups (files+database) very easily.

Today, we have released a new revision of RSFirewall!, the security scanner for Joomla!

RSFirewall! is updated constantly with the latest known vulnerabilities and updates for Joomla! therefore the new revision comes with some optimization regarding the memory usage, backend control and hash files:

• RSFirewall! has now hash files for Joomla! 1.5.14
• during checking files and folder permissions , RSFirewall! now uses less memory
• also, we have optimized the malware patterns check to use less memory
• you can not lock yourself out anymore if you forget to select an user when you activate "Backend Access Control" ("Backend Access Controll" allows you to control which backend user can login and what components he can use).
• No more stripping HTML from passwords

If you haven't tried yet the latest security tool for Joomla! , you can discover RSFirewall! on RSJoomla! demo server , download the free demo extension or watch our video tutorials for the latest tips regarding security.

That's how one of our clients approached us while seeking for a Joomla! event manager. The request really blend in with RSEvents!. The client was looking for a few weeks to add an event planner to it's Joomla! based biker club, but trying the existing solutions, he didn't find one to solve it's puzzle.

So it was late afternoon when we received a ticket stating somethin

g like: "Guys, I need a Joomla! event extension that has:

• A calendar view to quickly find upcoming bike meetings
• A google maps integration to pinpoint the location of future biker gatherings
• A way of allowing bikers to register to the event, but by filling additional custom fields
• And it would be nice, but not mandatory to have a way of inviting my google contacts to the event

So here you are, looking for an event management extension for Joomla!... one that maybe can let invite people to the concerts that you are organizing?

And maybe you also need to set up tickets with limitation on seats and different prices?

Of course, you'll be looking to enhance the event page with youtube videos, music samples or flickr photo albums.