{"id":41364,"date":"2022-11-11T15:00:31","date_gmt":"2022-11-11T14:00:31","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/?p=41364"},"modified":"2023-01-09T11:46:54","modified_gmt":"2023-01-09T10:46:54","slug":"what-to-do-when-your-wordpress-site-gets-hacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/what-to-do-when-your-wordpress-site-gets-hacked\/","title":{"rendered":"What to Do When Your WordPress Site Gets Hacked"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"wpb-content-wrapper\"><p>[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Is your website on WordPress hacked? It can happen to anyone. It can happen to people who are extremely careful, who don\u2019t use <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/most-vulnerable-wordpress-plugins\/\">vulnerable WordPress plugins<\/a>, to people who have dutifully <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/best-firewall-plugins-for-wordpress\/\">installed a firewall<\/a>, it can happen to people who proudly use <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-security-plugins\/\">the latest in security plugins<\/a>: websites get hacked. But <strong>what can you do if your WordPress website gets hacked<\/strong>? This is exactly what we\u2019ll be talking about in this article.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]However, there is a lot you can do to avoid your website getting hacked, and a lot you can do before a hack to mitigate the damage. We will also cover some of those topics. <strong>Don\u2019t panic<\/strong>, and get stuck into the article. Here\u2019s what we\u2019d like to talk to you about:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#how-to-tell-if-your-wordpress-website-was-hacked\">How to Tell If Your WordPress Website Was Hacked<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-to-do-when-hacked\">What to Do When Hacked<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#what-to-do-if-problems-persist\">What to Do If Problems Persist<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;5px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\"><a href=\"#how-to-avoid-getting-hacked\">How to Avoid Getting Hacked<\/a><\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][vc_widget_sidebar sidebar_id=&#8221;new-top-picks-banner&#8221;][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;80px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"how-to-tell-if-your-wordpress-website-was-hacked\"><\/a>How to Tell If Your WordPress Website Was Hacked<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"970\" height=\"554\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/How-to-Tell-If-Your-WordPress-Website-Was-Hacked.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"How to Tell If Your WordPress Website Was Hacked\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/How-to-Tell-If-Your-WordPress-Website-Was-Hacked.jpg 970w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/How-to-Tell-If-Your-WordPress-Website-Was-Hacked-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/How-to-Tell-If-Your-WordPress-Website-Was-Hacked-768x439.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/How-to-Tell-If-Your-WordPress-Website-Was-Hacked-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 970px) 100vw, 970px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Not every website issue means that your website has been hacked. Here\u2019s a breakdown of some of the most common warning signs:<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Login Issues<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]If you can\u2019t log in, that may mean that a malicious hacker deleted your user account or <strong>changed your password<\/strong> in order to prevent you from reversing the consequences of the hack. If you suspect you have been locked out of your website, try resetting your password. If you can\u2019t reset your password, it is pretty much a telltale sign. However, even if you succeed in <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-reset-wordpress-password\/\">resetting a password<\/a>, there is still a chance your website has been hacked.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Browser and Search Engine Warnings<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Sometimes, a search engine such as Google or the browser developer will have tools to determine whether <strong>your website is exhibiting strange or suspicious behavior<\/strong>. If that is the case, your browser will display a warning when you attempt to access a website, while a search engine may display a warning to a user looking for the website specifically. In the case of Google, your website may have ended up on the <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/what-is-google-url-blacklist\/\">URL blacklist<\/a>. In either case, the warning will likely contain steps you can take in order to fix the problem.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Changes on the Website<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Hackers often change the website itself, for whatever reason. If you find <strong>your website looks different<\/strong>, or that your theme has been changed, it is likely that the website has been hacked. Deliberate changes to the website, especially if they are very obvious, are called <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/website-defacement-in-wordpress\/\">website defacement<\/a>. Basically, somebody who doesn\u2019t like your content intervened, or maybe they just did it for a laugh.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Changes to the website may be much subtler: perhaps nothing is gone, but your website now contains pornographic or otherwise unsavory content, or links to suspicious websites. A common practice is to inundate the navigation areas of the website with links which appear to have been added by you. Check the footer and the header and remove any suspicious content.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h3 class=\"qodef-h5\">Unexpected Redirects<\/h3>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]Sometimes <strong>a hacker will redirect users<\/strong> who want to access your website to a different website, most likely unrelated to anything your users wish to see, or else a website you don\u2019t want your users being funneled off to. If that happens, this likely means that a redirect script has been added to your website, and that the problem is in your website\u2019s code. This also likely means that you will need professional help, you don\u2019t have strong technical skills.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;72px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-to-do-when-hacked\"><\/a>What to Do When Hacked<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Types-of-Malware-Are-There.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"What Types of Malware Are There\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Types-of-Malware-Are-There.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Types-of-Malware-Are-There-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Types-of-Malware-Are-There-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/What-Types-of-Malware-Are-There-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If you suspect your website has been hacked, the first thing you need to do is put your website in maintenance mode. You don\u2019t want your visitors accessing an unsafe website \u2013 it will hurt your reputation and bottom line. So, first, <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/enable-wordpress-maintenance-mode\/\">put your website in maintenance mode<\/a>. If you can\u2019t log in, you won\u2019t be able to do this. Still, there is no room for panic. You need to put your website in <strong>maintenance mode<\/strong> as soon as you can. There are things you can do <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/cant-access-wordpress-admin\/\">if you can\u2019t access your admin area<\/a> that can give you back control.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]If you are using any kind of antimalware software, now is the time to do so. <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/scan-wordpress-for-malware\/\">Scan your website for malware<\/a> and follow any steps your software suggests.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]To prevent hackers from regaining access to your website, <strong>change all your passwords<\/strong> and <strong>remove any users<\/strong> you are not familiar with.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Also, <strong>update everything<\/strong>. Obsolete software is a huge risk. <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-update-a-wordpress-theme-without-losing-customization\/\">Update your themes<\/a> and plugins if you have any updates pending.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Finally, regenerate your <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-sitemap\/\">website\u2019s sitemap<\/a> and use a tool such as IndexNow to <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-use-indexnow-to-improve-seo\/\">get your website reindexed<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"what-to-do-if-problems-persist\"><\/a>What to Do If Problems Persist<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]The steps described in the above section will get rid of most problems. However, a particularly pernicious hack may mean you need to<strong> reinstall your plugins and themes<\/strong> and\/or <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-reinstall-wordpress\/\">reinstall your WordPress core installation<\/a>. It is also a good idea to <strong>clean up your database.<\/strong>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]This is why having a backup is indispensable. You have to be prepared for restoring a website from backup if worse comes to worst.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\"><a id=\"how-to-avoid-getting-hacked\"><\/a>How to Avoid Getting Hacked<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;21px&#8221;]<div class=\"qodef-single-image-holder    \">\n    <div class=\"qodef-si-inner\" >\n                                    <img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"969\" height=\"553\" src=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-to-Protect-Your-WordPress-Website-from-Malware.jpg\" class=\"attachment-full size-full\" alt=\"How to Protect Your WordPress Website from Malware\" srcset=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-to-Protect-Your-WordPress-Website-from-Malware.jpg 969w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-to-Protect-Your-WordPress-Website-from-Malware-300x171.jpg 300w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-to-Protect-Your-WordPress-Website-from-Malware-768x438.jpg 768w, https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/02\/How-to-Protect-Your-WordPress-Website-from-Malware-620x354.jpg 620w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 969px) 100vw, 969px\" \/>                        <\/div>\n<\/div>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;38px&#8221;][vc_column_text]The majority of the article concerns such situations when you have already been hacked. However, there are a good number of things you can do in order to <strong>avoid getting hacked<\/strong>. To summarize:[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;22px&#8221;]<ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">keep your passwords safe<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">keep your website up to date<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">trim the dead weight<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">use best practices in terms of security<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">make regular backups<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul><ul class=\"qodef-unordered-list-item qodef-toc\">\n    <li>\n\t        <div class=\"qodef-ul-title-holder\">\n            <span class=\"qodef-ul-title-content\">use adequate security software<\/span>        <\/div>\n            <\/li>\n<\/ul>[vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]But let\u2019s break this down a little.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Firstly, there are <strong>passwords<\/strong>. Use best practices when creating passwords for your users, avoiding using names, dates, and dictionary words. We also strongly suggest using <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wordpress-two-factor-authentication\/\">two-factor authentication<\/a>.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Secondly, <strong>update everything<\/strong>. Always use the latest version of whatever software you\u2019re using to run your website. This means themes and plugins. Additionally, make sure the plugins and themes you are using are tested with the version of WordPress you are using and that they receive regular updates.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Next, <strong>don\u2019t keep anything installed that you don\u2019t need<\/strong>. <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/deactivate-vs-uninstall-wordpress-plugin\/\">Deactivate and remove<\/a> all unused themes and plugins.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Use <strong>SSL<\/strong>. SSL means an additional layer of security for your website. Your hosting provider will likely have a solution for you. If they don\u2019t, consider <a href=\"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/how-to-choose-wordpress-hosting-provider\/\">switching hosting providers<\/a>. Besides, there are many cheap SSL providers who can offer you different types of SSL Certs like RapidSSL, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.clickssl.net\/cheap-comodo-positivessl-wildcard-certificate\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Comodo Wildcard SSL<\/a>, ThawteSSL123, etc.. However, an insecure server is a liability, and you shouldn\u2019t be paying for it.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Make<strong> regular backups<\/strong> in case you need to revert to a previous version of your website.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;28px&#8221;][vc_column_text]Finally, <strong>use security software<\/strong> if you can. Security plugins, firewall plugins, and various security services can mean a world of difference.[\/vc_column_text][vc_empty_space height=&#8221;68px&#8221;][\/vc_column][\/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]<\/p>\n<h2 class=\"qodef-h4\">In Conclusion<\/h2>\n<p>[\/vc_column_text][vc_column_text]As it is so often the case, there is a lot to be gained by paying forward. The best thing you can do against hacking is not to get hacked in the first place, but the only thing to be completely sure that it won\u2019t happen is more or less to live in a cave. The next best thing? Prepare for the worst, and don\u2019t make it easy on the hackers with a rookie mistake.<br \/>\n[\/vc_column_text][\/vc_column][\/vc_row]<\/p>\n<\/div>","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Having your website or blog hacked is everyone&#8217;s nightmare. Hacking can cause privacy issues, legal issues, data loss and other nightmarish scenarios. In this guide, we&#8217;re walking you through all you need to know about hacking: how to tell if your website is hacked, what to do about it and how to prevent it from happening<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":16990,"featured_media":41382,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[34,4,13],"class_list":["post-41364","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-resources","tag-security","tag-tips","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41364","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/16990"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=41364"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/41364\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/41382"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=41364"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=41364"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/qodeinteractive.com\/magazine\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=41364"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}