Is your website truly safe from hackers? Many people don’t even give this a second thought until their website is compromised in some way.
Hackers are the website underworld pros. Like car thieves, they are online prowling for any open door to infiltrate your unprotected website and install malware, exposing you and your visitors to computer viruses, worms or harmful programs.
Were you on the receiving end of a recent cyber-attack? Don’t expect your web host to help you fix this serious issue. Contacting a professional as soon as possible to restore your website is highly recommended.
Is Your WordPress Website or Hosting Server Compromised?
There are typically two primary reasons a WordPress website or its server may be compromised. A hacker found a way to access secure areas of your website undetected by finding a backdoor through an unsecured server or an outdated theme or plugin. Another way a hacker can gain access to your website through site login credentials or FTP access is to simply guess your user name and password.
Once on your website, some of the malice they can cause is disabling sites features so you can’t login, creating a redirect so pages go the hackers URLs instead or installing malware to trick users into sharing their private and personal information.
Signs Your WordPress Website Has Been Hacked
It’s important to keep your website updated at all times. There are evildoers in the world who are lurking in the shadows just waiting for a way to gain entry to websites to steal private information or to spread online viruses.
Web Browser Warnings About Malware On Your Website
A quick way to visibly see that your site has been hacked is to open the domain name in your browser. When your website has been hacked, you’ll get a warning message or a popup dialog pop notifying you the website has been flagged for malware, ransomware or phishing software.
Hosting Company Reports Suspicious Activity On Your WordPress Server
Another way to find out a website has been hacked is to get a dreaded email or phone call from your web host company informing you to take steps to fix the problem(s). If this occurs, you are more than likely on your own. Your website hosting company will not be able to do much to your website because they did not build it.
How To Check If A Website Has Security Issues
Just because Google Search Console or your hosting company has not reported any hacking activity or malware on your server, it doesn’t mean it hasn’t been attacked. Your website could be hacked and exploited to deliver ransomware and other malware to site visitors.
It’s easy to double-check your website to find out if it has been hacked by using one of these recommended hack detection tools which work on all websites, not just WordPress.
- Google Safe Browsing – A blacklist service provided by Google providing an updated list of website URLs that have been flagged for containing malware or phishing content.
- Firefox Phishing Protection – A built-in browser malware protection feature to help keep you safe online when using Mozilla Firefox
- Is It Hacked? – An online tool that checks your website for signs of hacker intrusion and malware compromise.
How To Fix A Hacked WordPress Site
There are a few things you can do to attempt fixing your website. While these are site restoration tactics we use, we do suggest you have a knowledgeable and well-trained developer doing the work to fix your hacked site.
Here are some suggestions for fixing your website:
- Update WordPress To The Most Current Version – Themes and Plugins Also
- Remove Viruses, Malware and Ransomware Files From Website
- Restore A Previous Version Of Your Website From A Back-up
- Ask Your Hosting Company To Update PHP or MariaDB
- Add An SSL Certificate To Secure Your Server and Website
- or… Build A Brand New Website To Replace The Version Your Can’t Restore
If you can do it yourself, great!
If you can’t, get your web developer to assist or hire us to fix your hacked website.