WordPress Hacked? How to Determine If a Website Has Been Compromised and Steps to Protect Your Site from Being Hacked

Finding out your WordPress website has been hacked can be a nightmare for any website owner. Unexpected changes, strange redirects, or a complete site shutdown can confuse you. In this guide, I’ll help you identify the signs of a compromised site and provide clear steps to protect your website from future hacks so you can regain control and keep your data safe.

How do you tell if your WordPress site has been hacked?

If you’re wondering whether or not your WordPress site has been hacked, there are a few telltale signs to look out for. One of the easiest ways to check is using Google’s Safe Browsing Site Status tool. The tool will show you if Google currently marks your WordPress hacked.

Another indication that your site might have been compromised is if you’re having trouble logging into the admin panel. If someone has stolen your login information, this could be why you can’t gain access to the back end of your website.

Hackers can also infiltrate a WordPress site by redirecting visitors to other websites or pornographic sites, conducting malware attacks, or engaging in phishing schemes. If you see any suspicious activity on your website, it’s best to take immediate action and investigate further.

One way to determine whether your WordPress site has been hacked is to run a security scan. The scan will help identify any malicious activities on your website and allow you to take appropriate steps to address them.

If you notice a sudden traffic spike on one of your pages, it might indicate that it’s being used as a front for other malware-ridden websites. In these cases, it’s best to look at the page and run a malware scan to determine if it’s been compromised.

Make a backup of the WordPress hacked site

If you suspect your WordPress site has been hacked, taking immediate steps to secure it and prevent further damage is essential. One of the most important things you can do is make a backup of your website and database. This will give you a copy of your site that you can use to rebuild your website if necessary.

A backup of the hacked website helps you compare files and folders and file contents using file compare tools.

How to clean a hacked WordPress site?

Log in to your hosting provider.

Once you have determined that your WordPress site has been hacked, the first step is to log in to your hosting provider. Go to file manager (CPanel) or access the data with FTP. However, I don’t recommend using FTP at this stage. You need to check the files listed below. It is also a good idea to check your files’ timestamp (last modified).

Check the htaccess file

The htaccess file is often targeted by hackers as it is used to change the way your website works or add security measures. However, you can protect your website by checking the htaccess file for any changes and restoring it if it has been hacked. You should also make sure that you have a backup of your website to restore it in case of an attack.

Change user password

To change your WordPress site’s user password, you need to log in to the WordPress admin area and go to Users > Your Profile. Under the User Role heading, select Administrator from the drop-down menu and then click on Update Profile.

Now enter your new password in both the Password and Confirm fields and click on Save Changes.

It would help if you also changed the credentials of your FTP user. You should also switch your FTP user to an SSH or SFTP account, which is more secure.

Check the wp-config file and PHP file

If you see strange or extra code in your WordPress site, your site may have been hacked. To check for this, open the two files mentioned above and look for any odd codes not present in the default wp-config file. If you find any, remove them and change the passwords for the correct database user and file.

Compare the file contents.

To remove malware and restore a site when it has been infected, it’s essential to identify which files were infected. One way to do this is by comparing the file contents of a clean wp-config.php, php.ini file, or htaccess file.

Beyond Compare is the file contents comparison app. It is available for MAC and Windows and has a 30-day free trial, so you don’t necessarily need to buy it.

The most common WordPress hacks.

There are several WordPress hacks, but the most common are malware, injection, and defacement.

Malware is malicious software installed on a site without the owner’s knowledge or consent. Injection occurs when hackers inject code into a site’s files to gain access or control. Defacement is when hackers damage or change a website’s appearance without gaining access to its files.

The most common symptom of a hacked WordPress site is the presence of malicious code. If you notice any unexpected changes to your website–like strange text or images appearing on your pages, distorted menus, or broken links–your site has likely been compromised.

If you think your WordPress site has been hacked, take immediate action to clean it up and secure it. The best way to do this is by using an automated plugin like Sucuri Security or WordFence Security (both are free). These plugins will scan your site for malware and other signs of infection and help you fix them quickly and easily.

WordPress security vulnerabilities.

WordPress is not a secure platform. It is vulnerable to hacking, and your website could be compromised without your knowledge. To protect your website, you need to be aware of WordPress security vulnerabilities and take steps to mitigate them.

One common way hackers gain access to WordPress websites is through exploits in the software. They exploit these vulnerabilities to inject malicious code into your site, allowing them to steal information or take control of your site. You can protect yourself from these exploits by keeping your WordPress software up-to-date and using security plugins like WordFence or Sucuri Security.

Another common way for hackers to access WordPress sites is through stolen passwords. They may try brute force attacks against your login page or use malware to steal your password information. You should use strong passwords and two-factor authentication to protect yourself from password theft.

Finally, hackers can access your site by infecting it with malware. This malware can damage files on your server, redirect traffic away from your site, or even hijack users’ browsers and turn them into bots that spam other websites.

To protect yourself from malware infections, keep your computer’s antivirus software up-to-date and use malware removal tools like Malwarebytes or HitmanPro.

How to prevent a WordPress site from being hacked?

WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS), and as such, it frequently attracts hackers. However, there are several things you can do to help prevent your WordPress site from being hacked.

First, be sure only to use plugins and themes that the developers have recently updated. If you’re unsure whether a plugin or theme is still being supported, check the developer’s website to see if they have any information about updates. If you don’t see any recent updates, finding an alternative plugin or theme is best.

An excellent way to check the plugin’s reputation is to go to the official WordPress repository. There, you can find useful information like the latest updates or ratings with reviews.

Another thing you can do is reset the passwords of all users on your WordPress site. This helps ensure that potential hackers cannot access your site using weak passwords.

You can also improve security to use a Webhosting company with Web-Application-Firewall (WAF)

Lastly, but very important, backup your WordPress website daily to an off-site location. I don’t recommend relying only on the backup plan included in your hosting package. See my article on WordPress Backup.

How to secure your WordPress site.

2FA authentication is almost a must nowadays to protect your WordPress website. Be sure to use strong passwords and keep them confidential. Please do not share them with anyone else, and log out of your account when you’re done using it.

WordPress security plugins.

WordPress security plugins are a helpful way to keep your site secure. These plugins will notify you of any suspicious activity on your WordPress site and suggest actions you can take in response.

These recommendations aren’t necessary if Siteground hosts your site since they already include all the security features you need. Siteground has an excellent free Security plugin.

The WordPress security checklist.

You can do a few things to help secure your WordPress site. Some of these are:

• After the breach, run a security scan to ensure everything is good.
• Contact your hosting provider and let them know about the breach to get it fixed on their end.
• Talk to your hosting provider to get your site back online or remove it from blacklists.
• The good news is that implementing security best practices isn’t as hard as you’d imagine.
• The WordPress 2FA plugin can be implemented in minutes and helps prevent attackers from accessing a website, even if they steal user credentials.

Installing and configuring a WordPress security plugin is easy by following the publisher’s recommended settings.

Keeping a WordPress activity log is a great way to track site changes, such as failed login attempts.

If you’re looking for more comprehensive protection, MalCare and Sucuri are popular website security plugins.

Lastly, remember that keeping your WordPress software up-to-date is one of the most important steps you can take toward securing your website!

Implementing the above WordPress security practices will help prevent hackers from attacking your website.

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