Update Global List sends me to the blackhole site

BTW, I’m on shared hosting, recently upgraded PHP version to latest and my WP is the latest version too. Thanks.

Hello, i have checked the source code of that plugin you mentioned and i don’t see a connection here. The plugins can’t affect each other. My plugin only handle scripts and styles, that are included via WordPress’s enqueue functions. That other plugin only prints, whatever you type into the backend fields, directly into the HTML code of your site.

But you say this is happened every time you click the update button, so there is most likely a problem with your bot trap (blackhole). My plugin uses AJAX to retrieve the scripts and styles data from your frontpage and store it into a database table. I assume that this remote AJAX call triggers your bot trap. Maybe it was a one time error and you only have to remove the entry from the list of bad bots. Otherwise you have to whitelist your own server to prevent blocking.

I hope this is helpful.
Best regards

Hi Hendrik, Many thanks for your information. Last night I recalled another instance of a possible source for this issue. Before this problem happened I attempted to install another plugin – which seemed normal until it finished. It indicated a “successful install”, but I couldn’t find any headings or evidence of the plugin showing in my control panel. No new items, no new settings etc. In surprise I went back to the plugin site, which then informed me that I already had the “latest version” of this plugin installed. That site was seeing some sort of behind-the-scenes evidence of the disappearing install.

Since it just disappeared, I continued to work and installed another plugin, “Head and Footer Scripts Inserter”… Which failed to work correctly and it sent me to the black hole the first time. Then I went back to your plugin and the “update list” sent me to the blackhole.

The problem now appears to have been started by the plugin that disappeared, which is not normal behavior. I’ve narrowed the problem down to two possibles, neither of which now show evidence of having been installed, as happened right after it disappeared. The black hole issue however continues to be an issue.

You’ve identified where that problem arises, though I’m not familiar with the “bot trap” or where to look for the “bad bots list”. The plugin that “disappeared” is one of these two possibles, “CM Header & Footer Script Loader, or Scripts n Styles.”

Thanks, Larryqd

Hello Larry,
i thought you mean something like this with “blackhole”. My bad ??

Have you tried to uninstall that “invisible” plugin? I don’t know what kind of plugin it is, but some plugins only run in background without appearing anywhere in the control panel.

An uninstall should generally solve any problem with a specific plugin, except if it has create or modified files of your wordpress installation.

Hi Hendrik, After your mention of the “bad bots” I looked and found that plugin. There is a website out there called a blackhole… webpage blackhole test or blackhole.org or something similar. That’s where the “problem” was sending me except that the website in question seems to not exist anymore so I got an error page. It was not a link I have anywhere that I know of, though I had heard from others that such a site existed. Using it for bad bots is a good idea! Also good for other bad guys who attempt invading and tampering with sites…

I would uninstall, except there is “NOTHING” visible anywhere to uninstall. On reading those two possible plugins, I suspect neither of them is supposed to just disappear into the background. The whole experience ‘felt’ like getting a virus from a bad software package. Nothing else seems broken. It’s been at least a week or so since I’ve attempted to reinstall your plugin… If I reinstall, it may work or it may continue to send me to that non-existing blackhole site again. If it does that still, then some residual something has changed and still exists. I will test it again soon.

BTW, the “bad bots” plugin does show me a list of bots (only 1 so far) which are on a blacklist, and your script is not there.

Thanks for your response!
Larryqd