Learn how to take control of your Joomla website's redirect plugin! In this tutorial, I'll guide you through the steps to prevent junk URLs, often generated by malicious bots attempting to find and exploit vulnerabilities (especially WordPress-related ones), from cluttering your redirect suggestions.
By filtering out these unwanted URLs in Joomla's built-in redirect component, you can streamline your workflow and potentially improve your site's efficiency by reducing the load caused by these hacking attempts. Stop the bot spam and keep your Joomla redirects clean!
00:00 – Introduction to Junk URL Problem
00:31 – About Maintenance Monday & Services
01:07 – Redirect Plugin Overview
01:37 – Identifying WordPress Bot URLs
02:15 – Creating a Rewrite Rule for wp- URLs
02:54 – Editing .htaccess Safely
03:23 – File Manager Setup
03:58 – Why Use URL Rewrite vs. 403 Error
04:32 – Adding the Rewrite Rule
04:57 – Creating a Custom no.html Page
05:34 – Testing the Rule
06:11 – Blocking Bot Traffic Efficiently
06:49 – Bulk-Deleting Junk Redirects
Summary
- Introduction & Purpose –
Tim Davis introduces the video, explaining how to reduce junk suggestions in Joomla’s Redirect Plugin. - Understanding the Redirect Plugin –
The plugin logs broken URLs, including those from bots trying to hack websites. - Identifying Junk URLs –
Tim reveals that his site has over 41,000 redirect suggestions, with 2,300 containing "wp-". - Using .htaccess to Block WP- URLs –
Instead of manually deleting them, he demonstrates creating a rule in the .htaccess file. - Accessing File Manager –
He explains why modifying .htaccess via file manager is safer than using Joomla’s file manager. - Creating the Rewrite Rule –
A rule is added to redirect URLs containing "wp-" to a different page instead of allowing them to be logged. - Why Not Use a 403 Error? –
Some server configurations still process blocked URLs, so redirecting them ensures they are ignored. - Setting Up a "No" Page –
A simple HTML page ("no.html") is created, where all wp- requests will be redirected. - Testing the Redirection –
A sample "wp-" URL is tested, successfully redirecting to the "no.html" page instead of appearing in the redirect log. - Final Cleanup & Customization –
The existing junk URLs can now be deleted, and users can modify the rule to block other unwanted patterns.
Please send any feedback or bug reports or queries to;
Contact Tim Davis ►
Joomla Training Cohort ► https://cybersalt.com/jtc
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