Today’s topic is How to Fix Malware on WordPress Site. Designing a website on the WordPress content management system is very convenient. But what if the website is hacked? Well, it is not uncommon for a hacker group to have access to a WordPress website.
You can feel safe if you know how to remove malware from WordPress sites. Moreover, it is not as complicated as most people think. There are tools and solutions that you can use to regain the accessibility of your website.
In this blog post, I am going to show a detailed method of removing malware from WordPress sites without any complications.
What is Malware for WordPress Sites?
Malware means malicious software that can affect a WordPress website and break the entire website. Malware runs malicious software and infects entire websites. It works on the backend of the website and constantly changes the functionality of the site. As a result, your visitors will not be able to browse the website.
Symptoms of a Malware Infection on a WordPress Website
It is difficult to understand if a WordPress website has received a malware infection. But some signs indicate that your website may be under malware attack. Here are some indicators you should know:
- If you cannot access your existing account for the website, there is a good chance that someone else has gained access to your account
- If you see everything is fine in the backend but your visitors are unable to browse the website
- Major changes to your website’s files, databases, and functionality
- If you get huge bot traffic to a particular page, that means someone is sending it intentionally
- When someone tries to visit your website but is redirected somewhere else, it means your website may be under malware attack.
Remove malware from the WordPress website
There are several steps you need to follow to remove malware from a WordPress website. Follow the steps below:
1. Back up your website
All you need to do is keep a backup of your website. Because when you are trying to remove malware from a WordPress website, you may need to install some plugins. These plugins can change the entire website and it will be difficult to get back to the original site. Having a backup will protect you against data loss.
You can use UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup Plugin to back up your website. So, it will save all the data and when you fix the malware problem, you can recover the data with the same plugin.
2. Scan your website
Now that you have a backup for your website, you can scan the entire website to find malicious files You can use the Wordfence Security WordPress plugin to run scans on your website. Install and enable the plugin from your WordPress dashboard.
You will see scan options in the plugin dashboard from where you can run a scan. Make sure to select Custom Scan for your site. After selecting Custom Scan, you can select the path to scan.
Now run the scan and it will take a few minutes to detect the corrupted files. For each file, you can take separate steps.
Click on the files you got after scanning. This will show the details. You need to delete the file from Cpanel.
Repeat the process for each file one by one and delete the corrupted files.
3. Consult your hosting provider
For some minor issues, you can remove malware from WordPress sites by consulting the hosting service provider. For example, if it is a DDoS attack on your website, the hosting company will take the matter seriously and resolve it.
Ask directly on the hosting provider’s live chat and ask them to check if anything suspicious is happening on the site server. Then they can take the next steps to resolve the issue.
4. Install the latest version of WordPress
WordPress comes with regular updates with new features. If you are using an older version of WordPress, there is a good chance of several malware attacks on the website. That is why it is always recommended to use the latest version of WordPress.
For existing websites, you can upgrade to the latest version from WordPress dashboard. WordPress recently released WordPress 5.9 version with many improved features. The website will be more secure if you upgrade to this version.
5. Update the themes and plugins
You are using a premium WordPress theme, right? But if you are not using the latest version of the theme, hackers may have some chances to gain access to your website.
If you are using a cracked/nulled plugin for your website, it can be the biggest reason for malware attacks. In most cases, nulled plugins contain a lot of malicious code that can easily infect your website. So, avoid such plugins. Or, if you’re using an older WordPress plugin, upgrade to the latest version. This will ensure better security for the site.
Always consider the best WordPress plugins that are trustworthy and ensure website security
6. Reset the WordPress password
Once you have removed all malicious files from your website, it’s time to reset the password. Especially, if you find that one of the members is unable to log into the WordPress account.
I would recommend resetting passwords for all accounts. This time, be sure to use a strong password that no one can guess.
How can you prevent future malware attacks on WordPress websites?
You may have removed the malware from your website this time, but what about future attacks? Well, your website may be infected by malicious code again. Take the following steps to future-proof your website.
Always update your plugin
Everyone uses plugins for their WordPress websites. But sometimes plugins become outdated and this causes security issues. Also, older versions of plugins are usually not supported. So, it is always best to upgrade your plugins to the latest version.
Avoid nulled plugins
The nulled plugin is a copied version of the original plugin. nulled is used to make a change and comes with some additional features. But there is a huge risk in using such plugins. Hackers can easily gain access to your website through nulled plugins. So, every time go for the original version of the plugin.
Use two-factor authentication for the site
Maybe you have added multiple users or members to your WordPress website. This is fine, but sometimes it can be a security threat to the website. If a hacker gains access to one of the accounts, he can gain access to the entire website. So, it is better to use two-factor authentication for all your WordPress sites.
Conclusion
Now that you know how to remove malware from WordPress sites, you can finally rest assured that your site is safe. Note that sometimes it becomes very difficult to restore the site once it gets hacked. To avoid this, secure your site before it becomes a security issue. Buy WordPress Hosting for your website.
