Being hacked means that your online presence is disturbed, your brand reputation is tainted, and your website performance may be affected. While such an experience may be difficult, a systematic recovery plan ensures you regain your site efficiently and know how to prevent future problems. This long guide covers each step that needs to be taken to find, recover, and secure your WordPress website.
Identify Signs Your WordPress Website Is Hacked
The damage will be so minimized if the signs of hacking come to your knowledge earlier. Below are some signs;
1. Website Redirection or Pop-Ups
When hackers inject scripts for redirecting site visitors to spammers or phishing web pages, redirection is evident, but sometimes an annoying pop-up might occur while annoying the people and discrediting your webpage
2. Warnings from a Search Engine
Google and other search engines may display messages like “This site may be hacked” or “This site contains malware” below your website in search results.
3. Changes in Website Appearance
Hackers may deface your homepage or other pages with unfamiliar content, malicious ads, or threatening messages.
4. Unauthorized Access Issues
You are locked out of your WordPress admin dashboard, which is a clear indicator of a compromised account.
5. Unusually High Server Traffic
An extremely high server traffic can be a reason for malware activity or a bot attack on your WordPress website.
6. Security Plug-in Warnings
If security plugins are present, they must show warnings about untrusted activities such as file and/or login attempts to your website’s files.
Methods to Recover A Hacked WordPress Website
Step 1: Act Instantaneously
Takedown: Take down your website as a measure of mitigating. Utilize the maintenance mode plugin or temporarily take off access from your site by accessing your hosting account. It will save your visitors from spamming and further loss.
2. Scan for Malware
There are security plugins to install that would scan malware or vulnerabilities, and some are listed below:
- Wordfence Security – provides in-depth scanning of malware as well as firewalls.
- Sucuri Security: Scans for malware files, and cleaning services are provided.
- iThemes Security: Scans for vulnerabilities, hardening your site’s defenses
3. Change All Passwords
Ensure all accounts associated with your website have a strong, unique password. Such includes;
- WordPress admin accounts.
- Database login credentials.
- Hosting control panel access.
- FTP/SFTP accounts.
To further secure, use a password manager to create and store complex passwords.
4. Restore from a Clean Backup
The fastest way to revert the damage is by restoring a backup. Use these plugins:
- UpdraftPlus
- BackupBuddy
If you do not have any backup, refer to your hosting provider and see if they are carrying out automatic backups.
5. Manual Deletion of Malware
If no clean backup is found, delete the infected files manually. Keep your attention in the following sections:
- Themes and Plugins: Remove unwanted and old files
- Uploads Folder: Scan and uninstall unidentified files
- Home Directory: Scan and delete files such as wp-config.php, .htaccess, index.php.
6. Update Software
The commonly used invasion points for hackers include outdated WordPress core files, plugins, and themes. Always:
- Update to the latest version of WordPress.
- Update all your plugins and themes.
- Delete all unused or inactive themes/plugins.
7. Audit User Accounts
Open your WordPress dashboard and go to Users > All Users and check all the accounts. Remove all suspicious or unauthorized users, especially those with admin access.
8. Harden Security Measures
Secure your site by:
- Installing a Firewall Plugin: Prevents unauthorized access and protects against brute force attacks.
- Enabling Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adds an extra layer of security for admin logins.
- Switch to HTTPS: Install an SSL certificate to encrypt data exchange between your site and visitors.
9. Tell Your Host
Most hosting providers have technical support that can help in the removal of malware. Contact them to clean your site and secure your server.
10. Request a Google Review
After fixing your website, use Google Search Console to request a review. This step ensures Google removes warnings about your site and re-indexes it in search results.
Tips to Prevent Future Hacks
1. Regular Backups
Create regular backups of your website using tools like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy. Store backups on secure cloud platforms or offline storage.
2. Implement Security Plugins
Install reputable security plugins to monitor, scan, and defend against threats.
3. Limit Login Attempts
Deny login attempts on multiple hacking attempt failures. In addition, for plugins, utilize Login LockDown or WP Limit Login Attempts
4. Get Secure Hosting
Use a highly rated hosting platform that provides more or less security against DDoS attacks, autobackup capabilities, and detection of malware programs.
5. Monitor Website Activities
Keep the logs going through your activities in your websites either using Jetpack or WP Security Audit Log.
Conclusion
This is a multi-step process that requires attention and timely action. Once the hack has been found, malware is removed, and proper security practices have been put in place, then your site will be back to its normal functioning and secure against future breaches. Remember that regular maintenance and backup remain essential to keeping your WordPress site secure and reliable.
