It is common knowledge that hackers do not inform their targets of their intrusions. And there’s good justification for it. Private and small- to medium-sized business hacking has grown to be a lucrative industry for many persons with appropriate IT skills.
There are a few basic warning indicators that might help you determine whether your WordPress site has been hacked or otherwise compromised.
This post will discuss some of the most typical indications that your WordPress site has been compromised as well as what you can do to fix it.
Why is WordPress targeted by Hackers?
WordPress is the most widely used website builder in the world, therefore it makes sense that WordPress sites are frequently targeted. Over 31% of all websites, or hundreds of millions of web pages worldwide, are powered by it.
Due to their enormous popularity, hackers now have a simple way to identify websites with weak security so they may take advantage of it. Hackers target websites for a variety of reasons. Some are novices who are only starting to understand how to exploit insecure websites.
How WordPress Websites Are Hacked?
Most WordPress websites are hacked through different vulnerabilities that can be found on the site. These vulnerabilities allow hackers to bypass any security measures you have put in place. Here are some of the vulnerabilities that can be found in WordPress sites.
Backdoor
vulnerability gives hackers secret entrances to get over security encryption and into WordPress websites via strange techniques like wp-Admin, SFTP, FTP, etc. Backdoors provide hackers with the ability to destroy hosting servers after they’ve been hacked.
Pharma Hacks
The Pharma Hack vulnerability is used to inject malicious code into out-of-date WordPress websites and plugins. Although the vulnerability poses a greater threat to spam than to regular malware, it is sufficient for search engines to ban the website on the grounds that it is spreading spam.
Brute force Login Attempt
Brute-force login attempts make use of automated programs to crack weak passwords and obtain access to your website.
Malicious Redirects
Through the use of protocols like FTP, SFTP, wp-admin, and others, malicious redirects introduce redirection codes into the website. The encoded redirects are frequently added to your .htaccess file and other core WordPress files, sending visitors to malicious websites.
Cross-site Scripting (XSS)
When a malicious script is introduced into a reliable website or program, it is known as cross-site scripting (XSS). This is how the attacker sneakily sends the end user harmful code, usually in the form of browser-side scripts.
Denial of Service (DoS)
The Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability takes the use of faults and vulnerabilities in programming to overload the memory of website operating systems.
Signs that Your WordPress site has been hacked
Browser Warning
If a Google Chrome warning notice appears informing visitors that your website may be compromised, it most likely is. When Google Safe Browsing blacklists your website, this notice is displayed.
Google has developed algorithms to identify harmful information on a website. When it does discover such a website, whether it is compromised or carrying potentially harmful information, it blacklists it and issues a warning similar to the one in the image below. Google adds tens of thousands of websites to its blacklist every day for phishing and malware. Every website owner should thus seriously consider their WordPress security.
Redirection
A “redirection hack” occurs when your website’s URL (or one of your web pages) directs users to a spam-ridden or harmful domain or site. Your website is probably hacked due to Cross-site Scripting (XSS) or malicious code injection if your website traffic is redirected by a hacker to phishing pages, hacked websites, or even rival websites. Right now, redirection hacks are the most popular.
Over time, redirection hacks have gotten far more complex. Now, hackers may infect your website such that just your clients are diverted, and you would notice that it is still operating normally. This is one of the most ingenious tactics used by hackers to conceal the hack from the website owner. Then there are circumstances of redirection when only visitors to your website using a certain browser will be rerouted.
Slow loading Websites
Random denial of service, or DDoS, assaults are able to target any website on the internet. These assaults employ a number of worldwide servers and PCs that have been compromised, utilizing fictitious IP addresses.
Sometimes they are just overloading your server with requests, and other times they are actively attempting to hack into your website. Such behaviour will cause your website to load slowly, respond slowly, and be inaccessible.
Your website starts to load excessively slowly or is no longer available to users. Error messages like “503 servers unavailable” may appear, or your hosting company starts sending you strange server overload alerts. This might be an indication that someone has been watching your server resources since hackers frequently leverage resources from hijacked websites to spread their nefarious campaigns.
Website Disabled by Hosting
In order to prevent the infection from spreading to other websites on that server, internet hosting firms routinely check their servers for malicious code. They frequently shut down compromised websites right away.
Hosting companies now also block accounts for a number of additional reasons, including policy violations, payment/renewal failure, the discovery of malware code on your server, high CPU consumption as a result of harmful code being active on your website, etc. If your host suspends your account, you must contact them to ascertain the cause of the suspension and take appropriate action.
Suspicious Files Added
If you see that essential system files have recently been altered, check the files against previous versions to see what has changed. The files may have been altered by an attacker to run malicious malware, send spam emails, or make backdoors to your website.
You must use an FTP program to connect to your WordPress site in order to locate the files. The /wp-content/ folder is the most typical location for harmful files and programs.
These files typically have names that resemble WordPress files so they may be hidden from view. You will need to audit the file and directory structure in order to identify them on your own. The absence of these files after deletion is not certain, though.
Unusual Server Activity
Plain text files called server logs are kept on your web server. These files maintain a log of all server faults as well as all internet activity. You may learn more about what’s happening when your WordPress site is attacked by looking at these server logs.
They include all the IP addresses used to visit your website, allowing you to ban any questionable ones. They’ll also alert you to server faults that you might not see in your WordPress admin but could be to blame for your website’s crashing or unresponsiveness.
Blocked Outbound Ports
Instead of entirely shutting down your website, the hosting firm may occasionally restrict the resources it can use. For your account, GoDaddy, HostGator, and BigRock have automatic systems that prohibit connections to ports like 80, 443, 587, and 465. Such security measures are implemented to stop spam from servers and confine the virus infestation.
You can ask to be unblocked when the harmful files have been isolated from the server and your website has passed the automatic Virus Scanner.
New Unauthorized Admin/User Accounts
You have been hacked if you discover new admin users, database users, or FTP users. Hackers leave behind privileged accounts so they may continue to access your website and server. These accounts are used to gain access to your website through a backdoor whenever you like.
Spam user accounts are just typical spam that you may remove if user registration is allowed on your website and no spam registration prevention is in place. However, your website is probably compromised if you don’t recall enabling user registration yet you continue to see new user accounts in WordPress.
Bad Links
One of the most typical indications that WordPress has been compromised is data injection. On your WordPress website, hackers install a backdoor that enables them access to edit your WordPress files and database.
These hacks may include links to spam-ridden websites. These links can be inserted anywhere; however, they are often added to the footer of your website. The links might still reappear even after being deleted.
Why do WordPress sites get hacked?
Insecure Web Hosting
WordPress websites are hosted on a web server, just like all other websites. Some hosting providers fail to adequately safeguard their hosting infrastructure. All websites housed on their servers are now open to hacking efforts as a result.
By selecting the finest WordPress hosting company for your website, you can simply prevent this. It guarantees that your website is hosted on a secure server. Many of the most frequent assaults against WordPress sites may be stopped by properly protected servers.
Weak Passwords
The keys to your WordPress site are your passwords. Because each account on your website might give a hacker full access to your website, you need to be sure that each one has a strong, unique password. This is among the most common reasons for hacking. The term “password” is the most often used password worldwide. Secure passwords are required for all users, your entire site, including FTP and hosting, as well as your WordPress admin account.
Make sure all of your account users—including admin users—configure strong passwords for their login information to increase the security of your passwords. Passwords must contain a combination of upper- and lowercase letters, digits, and symbols, and must be at least 8 characters long.
Using Cracked or Pirated Plugins or Themes
Many places on the internet provide free downloads of premium WordPress plugins and themes. It might be simple to give in to the temptation to employ nulled plugins and themes on your website.
It is extremely risky to get WordPress plugins and themes from dubious sources. They have the potential to steal important data as well as jeopardize the security of your website. There are no available updates from the developer team for nulled plugins or themes, hence there are no security updates.
There are always free alternatives to expensive plugins and themes if you cannot afford to pay for them or do not want to. Although these free plugins might not be as effective as their more expensive counterparts, they will nonetheless perform the job and, more importantly, keep your website secure.
Out-of-date WordPress Version
Some WordPress users are reluctant to make updates to their websites. One of the most prevalent causes of website hacks is outdated software. Despite being free to download, most website users put off updating to the most recent version out of concern that changes may make their site crash.
Any vulnerability or fault in an older version is exploited by hackers to cause problems like SQL Injections, WP-VCD Malware, SEO Spam, and other significant problems like website redirection to another site.
WordPress releases updates often to address bugs and security flaws. You are purposefully making your website vulnerable if you don’t update WordPress.
Out-of-date Plugins and Themes
The importance of upgrading your theme and plugins is comparable to that of updating the core WordPress program. Your website may be susceptible if you’re using an older plugin or theme. It is simple to install a plugin or theme, even from risky or dubious websites, thanks to the hundreds of thousands of plugins and themes that are now accessible.
In addition, WordPress plugins and themes frequently have bugs and security issues. The creators of themes and plugins often correct them right away. There is little a user can do about it, though, if they don’t update their theme or plugin.
Unprotected Access to the wp-admin Dashboard
A user has access to the WordPress admin area where they may do various activities on your WordPress website. It is also the part of a WordPress site that is most frequently attacked. If you leave it vulnerable, hackers are free to use various methods to break into your website. By adding additional tiers of authentication to your WordPress admin directory, you may make it challenging for them.
To protect your wp-admin dashboard, limit the users who have access to this important folder. Apply for password protection as an additional measure of security to prevent unauthorized access. The “Password Protection Directories” function of the cPanel in your web host account will allow you to achieve this.
Common Admin Usernames
Users create popular usernames that are easy to guess in addition to weak passwords. This covers typical admin identities like “admin,” or “admin1” Hackers can more easily access admin accounts and take over backend files in your WordPress installation thanks to commonly used admin usernames.
It’s not advised to use “admin” as your WordPress login. You should immediately change your administrator login to anything else if it is admin.
Lack of Firewall Protection
Another frequent means by which hackers might get past website security and access the backend resources is the absence of firewall protection. Firewalls act as your home’s security alarm and are your final line of defence against hackers. Web requests arriving from different IP addresses, especially the questionable (or evil), are monitored by firewalls.
They can recognize and reject requests that have previously been known to be malicious, denying hackers quick access to the domain of your website. Brute force, XSS, and SQL injection attacks may all be prevented by web application firewalls.
How to Check if your Website is hacked?
Use Google Search Console
Start by registering your site in Search Console if you’re unclear whether your site has truly been hacked or you believe it has been falsely marked. To check whether your website has been compromised,
- Log in to Google Search Console: https://search.google.com/search-console/welcome
- Go to the “Security & Manual Actions” tab via the left-hand sidebar
- Select “Security Issues”
- View your report. In this report, you’ll be provided with the following:
- Phishing and deceptive sites
- Cross-site malware warnings
- Code, content, and URL injections
- Server configuration, SQL injection, code injection, and error template malware infections
Use Google Safe Browsing
You can use the Google Safe browsing tool to quickly check your website status. To check:
- Go to Google’s Transparency Report
- Enter your site URL
- View your results
Google Safe Browsing provides the most recent data on a site’s status for many webmasters. Google regularly checks the websites in its index for malware. Start working on resolving the issue if Google Safe Browsing flags your website as vulnerable or having been hacked. Once you’ve fixed the problem, you may use Google Search Console to request that Google recheck your website.
How to Prevent Your Website From Being Hacked?
Follow the video below to learn the best ways to fix a hacked website.
