If your WordPress website has been hacked, don’t panic. You can take some simple steps to clean up the mess and secure your site. Take a backup before you start any work.
The first step is checking if your WordPress site has been hacked. There are a few signs that you can look for:
Once you’ve confirmed that your WordPress site has been hacked, it’s time to take action. Here are the steps you need to take:
First things first: change all your passwords. This includes your WordPress password and any FTP or control panel passwords. Choose strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess.
Next, delete any suspicious files from your server. If you’re not sure what’s suspicious, you can compare your list of files to a fresh WordPress install. Any files that don’t belong should be deleted.
If you have a recent backup of your site, now is the time to restore it. This will overwrite any infected files and get your site back up and running quickly.
Once you’ve cleaned up your site, run a security scan to check for any remaining malware. Wordfence offers a free scanner that will check your site for many known vulnerabilities.
Finally, take some preventive measures to secure your site and prevent future hacks. Install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri, and keep your WordPress installation up to date. By following these steps, you can quickly fix a hacked WordPress website and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Sometimes you will also need to complete a manual cleanup, which we will discuss next.
In some cases, a simple security scan and plugin update isn’t enough to clean up a hacked WordPress site. If you suspect your site has been hacked, you can check for malicious code by looking at your source code.
If you find suspicious code in your files, delete it immediately. You may need to manually edit some of your core WordPress files, like wp-config.php or .htaccess. Be very careful when editing these files, as a single mistake could break your site.
WordPress is designed to have certain permissions set on files and folders. If the wrong permissions are set, it can create a security vulnerability.
The correct permissions for WordPress are as follows:
– Folders: 755
– Files: 644
– wp-config.php: 600
You can check and change file permissions through your FTP client or your file manager in your hosting control panel. If you’re not sure how to do this, contact your host for assistance.
Sometimes there are unused WordPress installations on your server that hackers can exploit. If you have any old WordPress sites that you’re no longer using, delete them from your server to reduce the chance of being hacked.
Once you’ve cleaned up your site, it’s important to change all your passwords. This includes your WordPress password, as well as any FTP or hosting control panel passwords. Choose strong, unique passwords that are difficult to guess.
After you’ve taken measures to clean up and secure your site, install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri. These plugins will help protect your site from future attacks.
One of the best ways to secure your WordPress site is to keep it up to date. WordPress releases new versions regularly, and each new update includes security fixes. By keeping WordPress up to date, you can help prevent future hacks.
You can keep WordPress up to date by enabling automatic updates or by manually updating it yourself. To enable automatic updates, go to your WordPress dashboard and click on Updates. Under the Automatic Updates section, select the option to enable automatic background updates.
If you prefer to update WordPress manually, you can do so from your WordPress dashboard. Go to Updates and select the updates you want to install.
No matter how well you secure your WordPress site, there’s always a chance it could be hacked. By following the steps in this article, you can quickly fix a hacked WordPress website and make sure it doesn’t happen again.
We have a great blog called 10 methods to protect your WordPress website. Have a read and find out how you can keep your website secure.
If your WordPress site keeps getting hacked, don’t panic. Follow the steps in this article to clean up your site and secure it against future attacks. By taking these measures, you can quickly get your site back online and reduce the chance of being hacked again. If you prefer Hosted WP to manage your site for you or need malware removal services. We’ll clean up your hacked WordPress site and secure it against future attacks. Contact us today to get started.