Website Security
Frequently asked questions about the website security services we offer to fix hacked websites
If you have noticed a big drop in traffic from Google to your website or maybe your WordPress website is running really slow or is displaying a white screen or showing strange popup advertisements from websites you do not recognize then your website may have been hacked by cybercriminals. Every year, hundreds of thousands of WordPress websites get hacked. The question is how do I know if your WordPress site is hacked?
Big Drop In Traffic
When a website is hacked, one common warning sign is a sudden drop in traffic. When you look at your Google Analytics report, you’ll see that your site’s traffic has significantly decreased over a short period of time. If you notice a sudden drop in traffic, it may indicate that hackers have gained access to your website and infected it with Malware If your website is infected with Malware Google will automatically block website visitors from visiting your website.
Google Warning “This Site May Harm Your Computer”
Google actively monitors all websites it includes in its search engine results for hacked, malware, or phishing activity to protect its users. If your website has been hacked a warning will appear in the Google search engine results under your website showing “This site may harm your computer” or when a visitor tries to visit your website a big red message will appear in the Chrome browser with the message “Deceptive site ahead”
This will essentially stop all traffic and sales coming to your website from Google. This does not just affect the Google search results this will also affect all your website visitors who use Google chrome which is the most popular web browser used by millions of people around the world. You will need to act quickly to fix this issue as you will lose your search engine rankings, website traffic, and sales overnight.
Your Website Is Redirecting To Spammy Websites
A redirection hack is a common hack by cyber criminals that involves redirecting your website visitors to spammy or malicious websites when the visitor attempt to visit your website. Redirection hacks have also become more advanced over the years. Hackers can infect your website in a way that only your customers are redirected and you’d see your website working perfectly fine. This is one of the cleverest tricks used by cyber criminals to hide the hack from the website owner. Then, there are redirection cases in which only the people accessing your website from a certain browser will be redirected to spammy or malicious websites.
Hosting Company Suspends Your Hosting Account
Hosting companies have strict policies in place to suspend accounts or disable websites if they find malware on a website. This step is necessary to protect other websites on the server, especially if it is shared hosting as a hacked website can have a serious impact on the overall CPU, memory, and network resources on the server.
If your website has been compromised some hosting companies may help you repair the hacked website however a lot of hosting services will not help as the website is your responsibility to ensure its managed and is running the latest version of WordPress, themes, and plug-ins. You will need to clean up and secure the website yourself or hire a security expert to resolve this issue for you. The hosting company will not enable your hosting service until your website is malware-free and running the latest versions of WordPress, plug-ins, and themes. You will also be asked to take other security measures to ensure this does not happen again. The bottom line is you will your reputation, website traffic and sales, Google search engine listing, and much more.
Slow and Unresponsive Website
If you have noticed that your WordPress website has become really slow to load or it takes forever to make changes via the WordPress admin area of the website then this may suggest your site has been compromised. This is due to the fact that the malware is using up most of the CPU or memory resources allocated to your hosting account and you no longer have any CPU or memory resources left to run or manage the website so it basically comes to a standstill and you can no longer do anything.
Pop-up Advertisements
Cyber Criminals normally hack websites for profit and one way to make money from your website is to display popup advertisements for porn, casino, payday loans, or pharmacy websites. If you notice these types of advertisements on your website or your visitors notice the ads then your website has been hacked.
Phishing Website Activity
Another common warning sign that your website has been compromised is that your site is involved in Phishing activity. This is where scammers or cyber criminals will hack your website or page at your site so they can send visitors to it via emails or SMS text in order to obtain their credit card or bank details. If your website is involved in phishing activity Google will ban your site from the search results and in Google Chrome plus you may also get contacted by the police or a government agency and the hosting company will also suspend your hosting service.
Website Sending Spam Emails
Another common warning sign that your website has been compromised is that it’s sending spam out from your email accounts. The hackers will basically take control of your email accounts and send emails to all your contacts or send general spam emails out to random email accounts. The hosting company will normally make you aware of a email spamming issue, they may also suspend your hosting account until its resolved.
White Screen Or 500 Internal Error Message
If your website displays a white screen with no error messages or a 500 internal error this may suggest that your website has been hacked. A standard hack by cybercriminals is to inject code into your website index.php file or .htaccess file. The server will attempt to read, and process the code and will be unable to do this, therefore, it will show a 500 error message or a white screen if error reporting has not been enabled
Customers Complain That Their Credit Cards Have Been Used
If you get multiple complaints from customers saying their credit cards have been used without their permission, it may suggest a credit card hack on your website. Unfortunately, card skimming, fake payment scripts, and fake checkout forms are a reality today. Especially for the e-commerce industry. Financial data is sold for thousands of dollars on the dark web which is why cybercriminals target websites in order to obtain valuable credit card data.
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) in the world, with over 40% of all websites on the Internet powered by it. While its popularity and flexibility make it an attractive platform for website owners, it also makes it a prime target for hackers.
One common way that WordPress websites get hacked is through vulnerabilities in the software itself. WordPress is open-source software, which means that anyone can view and modify the code. While this can be a good thing for improving the software and fixing bugs, it can also make it easier for hackers to find vulnerabilities to exploit. Outdated or poorly maintained versions of WordPress are especially vulnerable, as they may not have received the latest security patches or updates.
Another way that WordPress websites get hacked is through vulnerable plugins or themes. WordPress plugins and themes can add new functionality and enhance the look of your website, but they can also introduce new security risks. Just like with WordPress itself, plugins and themes can contain vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. If a plugin or theme has not been updated in a long time, or if it has a poor reputation, it may be wise to avoid it, or to find an alternative.
A third way that WordPress websites get hacked is through weak passwords. Many website owners use simple or easily guessable passwords, or they reuse the same password across multiple sites. Hackers can use automated tools to try thousands of passwords until they find the correct one, making it crucial to use strong, unique passwords for your WordPress website and all other online accounts.
Finally, WordPress websites can also get hacked through phishing scams or social engineering. For example, a hacker may send an email to a website owner claiming to be from WordPress support, asking for login credentials or asking them to install a malicious plugin. To prevent this, it’s important to be cautious of any unsolicited emails or messages and to only download plugins or themes from trusted sources.
In conclusion, there are many ways that WordPress websites can get hacked, and the consequences can range from a simple annoyance to a complete loss of control over your website and its data. To prevent hacking, it’s important to keep WordPress and its plugins and themes up-to-date, use strong and unique passwords, and be cautious of any suspicious messages or emails. By taking these precautions, you can help ensure that your WordPress website remains secure and protected.
Read the following article we have created on the website which includes lots of useful information to help you fix a hacked website How To Fix A Hacked WordPress Website
WordPress security is a critical aspect of any website built on the popular open-source content management system. With millions of websites powered by WordPress, it is essential to implement best practices to prevent cyber attacks and keep your site safe from hackers.
The following practical security tips will help you to protect your WordPress website.
The first step in securing a WordPress website is to use a strong password. Passwords should be at least 12 characters long and include a combination of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. It is also recommended to use a password manager to generate and store strong passwords for each of your online accounts.
Next, it is essential to keep WordPress and all of its plugins and themes up-to-date. Updates often include security fixes for known vulnerabilities, so it is important to install them as soon as they become available. Additionally, it is recommended to regularly scan your website for vulnerabilities using a security plugin, such as Wordfence or iThemes Security.
Another important aspect of WordPress security is the use of a secure hosting provider. A good hosting provider should have secure servers, backup and recovery options, and a team of experts who can help you secure your website. They should also have a solid track record of keeping their servers and customer data secure.
It is also important to limit access to your WordPress administrative area. This can be done by using two-factor authentication, which adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of authentication in addition to a password. Additionally, limiting the number of users with administrative access to your site and regularly monitoring user activity can help prevent unauthorized access.
It is also recommended to use a security plugin to help monitor and protect your WordPress website. These plugins can help you detect and prevent common security threats, such as brute force attacks, malware infections, and unauthorized access to your website. Some popular security plugins include Wordfence, iThemes Security, and Jetpack.
Finally, it is important to regularly backup your WordPress website. This will ensure that you can quickly recover your site in the event of a security breach or other disaster. Backups should be stored off-site, such as in the cloud, to prevent data loss in the event of a local disaster.
In conclusion, implementing best practices for WordPress security is essential for protecting your website and its users’ data. By using strong passwords, keeping software up-to-date, using a secure hosting provider, limiting access to your administrative area, using security plugins, and regularly backing up your site, you can help ensure that your WordPress website is secure and protected from potential security threats.
The Hacked WordPress Website Service Includes The Following
- The cost of the service is £149.00 per website/domain
- This service is for one website/domain only ( excludes subdomains or add-on domains )
- The service is for WordPress Websites only.
- The service will be completed within 24 hours of successfully receiving payment and all the information we require.
- A full file and SQL database scan is completed to locate and remove all malicious code or Malware from the WordPress Website.
- The service guarantees to remove all malware, and malicious code from the website files and SQL database.
- Update WordPress and any free plug-ins, and themes you have installed on the website to the latest versions.
- Install and set up the free version of the popular WordPress security plugin WordFence to secure and protect your website.
- We will complete additional website security hardening to reduce the risk of any further security compromises.
- The services come with 30 days of technical support for the service you have purchased on this website.
To find out more view the repair and fix hacked WordPress website service we offer
The service we offer at this website guarantees to fix your hacked website to ensure the following is 100% removed from your WordPress website.
- Removal of all Malware, Viruses
- Removal of all Malicious code included in your website PHP files or MYSQL database
- Removal of Hidden backdoor scripts
- Remove the red warning this site may be hacked from the Google search
After we have successfully received the following
- your order and payment for the fix and repair my hacked website service we offer
- All the information we require to get access to your hosting space and WordPress
we guarantee to complete all the security work on your website within 24 hours
After you have ordered the website security service we offer to fix your hacked WordPress website we have successfully received payment for the service we will need the following information from you to get started on repairing your hacked website
- WordPress administrator login details to your website
- Login details for Cpanel or the Plesk hosting control panel you are using
- Website address to access your hosting control panel
Please note we can not start working on your website until we have the above details.
All payments are securely processed via Stripe for the website security services we offer. Stipe is a popular payment processer used by millions of people around the world to buy and sell products and services