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Web host refusing to release data - what can I do?

gshaw

By gshaw
in Web Development

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gshaw

gshaw

Posted
Posted

One of the websites I help to admin is currently stuck on a host who is pretty much holding the site to ransom and I'm wondering what our options are.

 

The original server we had the site on had a control panel and FTP access that we could retrieve files but that server failed (you get the idea of the quality of the host) and the replacement one we were told "we don't provide a control panel as they're insecure" yeah right :rolleyes:

 

We've emailed requests numerous times for FTP access and a database dump but it's gone from "yeah I'll do it soon" to just being outright ignored now.

 

Can Data Protection Laws help us in terms of getting hold of the data we own and pay a fee to have hosted or am I stuck with just spidering as much of the site as I can (it's a forum so lots of dynamic content which makes it more difficult) and accepting the database is a goner once the hosting agreement expires?

bennz

bennz

Posted
Posted

Depends on where the data/company is hosting/registered. Have you got a copy of the terms and conditions from when you first took up the hosting?

 

Sounds like a dodgy reseller, if you have some domains from them may want to do a lookup find out who is hosting them as you should get a better response from the main hosting provider.

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pcstru

pcstru

Posted
Posted
Can Data Protection Laws help us in terms of getting hold of the data we own and pay a fee to have hosted or am I stuck with just spidering as much of the site as I can (it's a forum so lots of dynamic content which makes it more difficult) and accepting the database is a goner once the hosting agreement expires?

IMO highly Unlikely. Even if the site is hosting personal data, I think the best you would get is them removing the site and databases. They are unlikely to be obligated to return it to you as such, that is likely to have been the site owners responsibility and there was presumably nothing to stop them backing up etc when they did have access. That's a lot of assumptions though!

 

If there is a back end database and you have credentials, can't you access the DB directly or is configured only to accept connections from a limited range of IP's?

Geoff

Geoff

Posted
Posted
Data loss is a DPA / GPDR violation btw. Just a thought, depending on the nature of the data (e.g. even a forum user database would be covered by this) you could throw them under the bus with the ICO.
danbuntu

danbuntu

Posted
Posted

if you have the database credentials you could install phpmyadmin and use that to backup the DB

 

whilst they might not have a control panel they must have s/ftp access to allow you to connection and put the files up there.

nottsure

nottsure

Posted
Posted (edited)

What sort of back end is the site using? With wordpress (for example) you have a database export tool, and then you could use a tool like httrack to get the other files.

Do you have SSH access?

Edited by nottsure
pete

pete

Posted
Posted
Where (country) are the servers physically? That'll greatly influence whether escalating to a "you need to hand over the data and here's the legal reasons why" letter from a solicitor is worthwhile.
Geoff

Geoff

Posted
Posted
Where (country) are the servers physically? That'll greatly influence whether escalating to a "you need to hand over the data and here's the legal reasons why" letter from a solicitor is worthwhile.

 

The other end of that scale is 'I've paid Ivan 500 euro and he's coming round with his mates to show you how his Kalashinkov works' (Pro tip - Cheap Ukraine web hosting has unique problems).

FN-GM

FN-GM

Posted
Posted (edited)
If they are based in the UK, send the ICO and email and CC them in. That should give them a kick up the bum. At this stage I see no benefit in legal letters. Edited by FN-GM
Michael

Michael

Posted
Posted

Just curious if there's no back end, how would new customers upload files and a copy of the database? Makes absolutely no sense.

 

At the very least they should provide another method - either ZIP the data and encrypt the file or even burn it to disc and send it recorded post. Either way, it's making a relatively small issue an incredibly difficult one to solve.

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gshaw

gshaw

Posted
  • Author
Posted (edited)

The hosting was taken out way back in 2003 by someone else, this story actually has a few twists and turns in it too...

 

  • original hosting company no longer exists
  • a few years back the original server went down, new one came back with control panel and phpMyAdmin busted, still had FTP access
  • our site went offline end of last year without warning
  • found domain records for old host were registered to a different company
  • found owner of the new company via domain records, company check etc
  • found contact details of the owner of said new company via another web design agency they'd done work for
  • owner replied we hadn't paid, in fact the invoice contact details were out of date so we agreed on a settlement to get site back online
  • host said server needed to be migrated as it was a 2003 box, fair enough (runs an ancient ASP based forum that I've now replaced with phpBB on new hosting elsewhere)
  • new server comes back with no control panel, no database web control panel access and FTP details no longer work
  • host explained it away with the security excuse above
  • since payment all contact has now ceased despite numerous requests for the backup archives

I set WinHTTtrack on it the other week, it ran for 5 days solid at max threads then eventually gave up once the number of links to fetch went over 100,000. Mainly due to the fact it downloads all the images hosted on Photobucket and other external sites that are embedded in posts. I've got 6GB of data which is pretty good but I know it's incomplete. Basically a last resort if all else fails.

 

From what I can tell the company is registered to an address in Ireland, which is interesting in terms of whether ico has governance there. GDPR would definitely cover it but I think our hosting expires before that law comes in and I don't think anyone is willing to pay the renewal again as it's very pricey for what the service we get.

 

No doubt if anyone applied as a new customer they'd get different treatment or the business wouldn't be taken on in the first place. Strikes me as holding onto existing business through force more than anything.

 

If ico governs Ireland then it'll be the next port of call along with name and shame I think.

Edited by gshaw
gshaw

gshaw

Posted
  • Author
Posted
I know of ways to work around this using tools depending on the forum software if you are really stuck.
@ZeroHour I think we're probably at that point, the forum software is MegaBBS (very retro!)

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