Your Guide to Hacked WordPress Repair
If you run a website, you have to be prepared for the reality that it could be hacked at some point. Dealing with a hacked website can be stressful, and when it’s a WordPress site specifically, it can be even more frustrating because repairs won’t be the same as they would for a standard website.
Fortunately, this guide will help you learn the basics of hacked WordPress repair, including what you can do and when to call for help.
Hacking Can Cause All Kinds of Damage
If your WordPress website (or any other site, for that matter) is hacked, it can affect a lot of different things. If you run an e-commerce business or have customer payment information on file, you could expose them to security risks. You can lose your rankings in search engines, and even be blacklisted if the infection is serious enough.
Being hacked can expose visitors to viruses and malware, cause you to lose site data, and even ruin your reputation due to the security breaches or by the virus redirects to bad websites. It’s bad news in a lot of ways, but there is something you can do.
How to Repair Your Hacked WordPress Site
Step One: Find the hack and its source. Check to see if you can log in to the admin panel or if there are links popping up that you didn’t put on the site. Maybe you realized there was a problem because of malware redirects or that Google started flagging your site as unsafe. Either way, you have to find the source.
Step Two: Change your passwords immediately. If you can, put your site into maintenance mode so that it’s not continuing to cause damage. You may be able to restore your site from a backup, but you could risk losing fresh content so you’ll have to consider this in your decision.
Step Three: If you use hosting services, check to make sure they didn’t have a breach that’s bigger than your own WordPress site. They may have more information about what happened or how to fix it. In some cases, they might even clean up the mess for you.
Step Four: Find and remove the malware, bad code, or other infection. With WordPress, you’ll often find backdoors for hackers hiding in inactive plugins and themes. Delete any of these to ensure they’re not the problem. You can use any number of free plugins to do security audits and help with hacked WordPress repair.
Protect Yourself for the Future
If you don’t already, invest in a reputable WordPress hosting service. If the budget allows, consider using managed hosting services for the best security and hacking prevention. Also, make sure that you have a backup option for your website so that you can back everything up before you begin the repair process.
While you might be able to manage most of the process, you should really call in the professionals for hacked WordPress repair. Hacking repair specialists will ensure that you get the results that you deserve and that your WordPress site is better protected against future threats.
Need an expert to repair your website? Contact us today by calling (833) SITE-FIX.
Resources
https://www.tripwire.com/state-of-security/security-awareness/fix-hacked-wordpress-site/
https://www.wpbeginner.com/beginners-guide/beginners-step-step-guide-fixing-hacked-wordpress-site/