DNN Upgrade FAQ (SME)
A security advisory was released last week that affects the technology framework your website is built with. If you've been directed to this page, your website is vulnerable to attack, and we need to take action to fix it.
DNN upgrade options (SME)
You are the owner of a simple DNN website. This FAQ is for you.
What is the security issue?
DNN has advised that the framework has a vulnerability that can infect websites other than itself. So having an out-of-date DNN website hosted on the same server as other websites is a risk to those other sites.
An exploited DNN site can also exploit the other sites even if they are patched and protected. So leaving your site as it is, is no longer an option. DNN recommends moving to their latest version to resolve these critical issues.
My site doesn't require maintenance. It is very simple. Can we just leave it?
Unfortunately no. Having an old DNN website hosted on the same server as other websites is a risk to those other sites.
An exploited DNN site can also exploit the other sites even if they are patched and protected. So leaving your site as it is, is no longer an option. DNN recommend moving to their latest version to resolve these critical issues.
I'm not a big company. Am I really at risk?
You don't need to be a company the size of Optus to be a target. A data breach occurs every 8 minutes and doesn't include hacked or defaced websites. Most of the hacking jobs are automated.
This means they let their code crawl the internet and attack without discretion if it finds a vulnerable target.
Can you upgrade my site to protect it?
Yes, we can. There is an upgrade path from your current version to the latest version 9.11, which addresses all known vulnerabilities.
Can I still host my website with you if I don't take action?
Sorry this is a hard no.
We will only host and support DNN websites on a monthly maintenance plan. Please take a look at our website for details on the plans. The entry-level is $80 ex GST/month. The time and cost of updating your website are included in a maintenance plan, so you don't run into this problem again.
So if you don't want to go on a maintenance plan and take action to protect your site, we can help you find another hosting provider.
What are the costs involved with an upgrade?
Option 1. (RECOMMENDED) Upgrade my site and put me on a maintenance plan so this doesn't happen again.
If you're looking for a long-term solution, the best option is to move to a maintenance plan. The site will be upgraded for free (excluding licensing) and will continue to be patched for $80 ex GST per month. You can continue to do this until October 2024.
Option 2. Upgrade my site and then move me to another hosting provider.
If you're looking for a short-term fix that doesn't involve monthly fees, we suggest upgrading your site and moving it to alternative hosting. The site will be better protected in the short term; however, as time goes on and more vulnerabilities are discovered, it will become less secure.
We can perform the upgrade for $300 ex GST.
There is potentially a licensing cost for some of the modules, but these will be under $100 ex GST in most cases.
We will confirm all costs before proceeding.
The provider we suggest has packages starting at $12 ex GST/month or $120 ex GST p.a.
Option 3. (NOT RECOMMEND) Move me to another hosting provider without upgrading my site.
If you do not wish to upgrade, you will need to find another hosting provider.
We cannot risk hosting a website that can adversely affect our clients that are diligent in protecting themselves. We can suggest a hosting provider, and we can move the site for you for $173 ex GST.
Any unused credit for your Intuitive IT hosting package can be used towards this migration fee. A risk here is that they may also inform you that they will no longer host DNN sites. If and when they do, it is up to them.
The provider we suggest has packages starting at $12 ex GST/month or $120 ex GST p.a.
Can I cancel the maintenance plan at any time?
Yes you can, however you will need to find another hosting provider to host your DNN website as we cannot continue to host you without a maintenance plan.
I might use this as an opportunity to rebuild my site now. Is that an option?
It sure is. For your site, we would recommend rebuilding it in WordPress. However, we're basing that recommendation on your current site. You may have bigger plans for your site that we're unaware of, affecting what we recommend.
Can Intuitive IT rebuild our site for us?
Absolutely. We can chat about your needs and give you a quote.
Can someone else rebuild our site, and Intuitive IT still host it?
Absolutely. We'll just need to ensure the technology they use works in our environment. Be aware, we may require a maintenance plan depending on the technology.
I want to rebuild my site, but that takes time. What happens to the current site in the meantime?
We recommend you move to a maintenance plan. Once we launch your new website, the maintenance plan will be transferred to maintaining the new site.
What is the timeline for this?
We need to start discussing your intentions immediately as we need to coordinate our team to action this plan. Here is our current timeline:
Between now and October 14th 2022 - Understand your intentions and begin planning and upgrading sites that have responded
October 15th 2022 to 31st December 2022 - Upgrading websites or migrating them to alternative hosting providers.
January 1st 2023 - October 2024 - Continue to support and upgrade DNN sites on maintenance plans. Rebuild websites into alternative technologies
October 2024 - Decommission all remaining DNN websites
Let us know what you intend to do?
Please complete the form below to let us know what you intend to do. If you're unsure of anything, don't worry, we won't action anything before getting in touch and answering all your questions.
This form just helps us get our answers in quickly.