8 Services to Help When WordPress Site is Hacked

Getting hacked is a nightmare for any website owner. Suddenly, your hard work building your online presence vanishes as your site gets compromised. Or visitors start encountering weird redirects, suspicious downloads, and defaced pages.

According to Sucuri‘s latest report, WordPress websites accounted for over 95% of the hacked CMS infections in 2021. So if you run a WordPress site, you‘re especially at risk.

The good news is, you can recover from a hack. In this guide, I‘ll walk you through how to identify a WordPress hack, clean it up, and prevent future attacks. I‘ll also share top services that can help restore your site if you get hacked.

Let‘s get started!

How to Tell if Your WordPress Site is Hacked

Hacks can range from subtle to obvious depending on the attacker‘s motives. For example, a friend who runs a tech blog found thousands of gibberish posts one day. He also noticed strange new user accounts. And his organic traffic had plummeted – taking months to recover.

But other times, it may not be so clear. Here are signs your WordPress site may be compromised:

You Can‘t Log In

A big red flag – the wp-admin area doesn‘t work anymore. The hacker may have changed credentials or deleted your account entirely. Resetting your password won‘t help either.

Your Site Won‘t Load

While issues loading can happen for many reasons, a cyber attack is one potential cause. Attackers may target high-traffic sites where even minutes of downtime means huge losses.

But for smaller sites, skilled hackers usually don‘t use such obvious tactics – as it raises suspicions and pushes you to find solutions.

Malicious Redirections

Hackers can redirect visitors to phishing sites to steal personal data or money. They sneak in links on popular pages and posts, making it hard to spot and clean up afterwards.

Strange Ads & Popups

Almost all sites run ads, so hackers sneak in their own to generate illegal profits from your traffic. Fake ads can also redirect users. Likewise, popups‘ prominence makes them likely to be clicked on.

Unfamiliar or out-of-place ads could indicate issues. Time to investigate!

Content Overload

Like my blogger friend experienced, a common hacked site symptom is thousands of random new posts published quickly. They lead nowhere and often 404.

Still, this content damages your reputation and search engine rankings.

Defacement

Sometimes hackers want to make a statement by completely changing the homepage or other pages. It signals a revenge hack or ransom attempt to get the site owner to pay for access.

Search Engine Warnings

Modern search engines will flag dangerous sites to users. Anyone visiting a hacked site might see:

Google harmful site warning

Google deceptive site warning

So malicious content results in downranking.

Additional User Accounts

Checking the WordPress users section may reveal strange accounts not created by the admin. Hackers add users to hide activities from the site owner.

Modified Code

Hackers may change source code or add malicious scripts to create backdoors, steal data, or send spam. You may also notice weird new files.

These are just some potential signs your site is hacked. Now let‘s look at cleaning up the mess.

How to Clean a WordPress Hack

Hack cleanups can be complex and urgent. While experts like Sucuri are best suited for cleanup, you can still understand the overall process:

Post-Hack Dos

Like a virus, a hack can spread and infect other sites on the server. Once aware, your host may DELETE your entire site as allowed in their terms.

So IMMEDIATELY backup your WordPress site. Use plugins like Jetpack or BlogVault, plus download via FileZilla for extra redundancy.

Next, change ALL passwords – for wp-admin, hosting, FTP, database, etc. This secures your site so you can restore without interference.

Hack Cleanup

Unfortunately there‘s no one-size-fits-all fix. Every hack differs in scope and infection areas. Though WordPress seems easy, cleaning a hack requires advanced skills.

So for best results, leverage experts like Sucuri. But here are general steps to understand the process:

Step 1: Download a fresh WordPress core file.

Step 2: Log into your server, then delete everything in public_html except wp-content, wp-config.php, and .htaccess.

Note: You may have a few other files like wp-salt.php added by your host or developer – keep those.

Step 3: Replace deleted files with the extracted WordPress files. Your site should be live again now.

Step 4: Clean up .htaccess as detailed here. This file isn‘t in WordPress core so you can replace it. If unsure, ask your host or developer to edit it.

Step 5: Download a security plugin like Wordfence and scan for further issues.

Note: You can also run scans first. But sometimes hackers modify files to evade plugin scans.

With persistence and help as needed, you can get your site cleaned up and strengthened against future attacks.

Tips to Prevent a WordPress Hack

Here‘s a checklist to lock down your site:

• Use strong passwords
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Keep WordPress and plugins updated
• Minimize plugins
• Change admin login URL
• Limit login attempts
• Add CAPTCHAs
• Use offsite backups like BlogVault
• Choose a reputable hosting provider
• Install a security plugin

Let‘s discuss a few key tips:

Enable Two-Factor Authentication

With 2FA, users need a code from an authenticator app or SMS in addition to their password. It doesn‘t come built into WordPress, but many plugins add this feature. I recommend MiniOrange 2FA.

Limit and Hide Login Area

Most brute force attacks target wp-admin. Get creative with the slug – like yourdomain.com/not-hacked@xyz. You can also use plugins like WP Hide Login.

Limit login attempts via a plugin or hosting control panel.

Using more plugins seems counterintuitive to the advice about minimizing them. But for non-coders, they‘re essential for security and convenience.

Leverage a Security Plugin

Security needs a multilayered approach. You can code or install separate plugins for each aspect, or use an all-in-one solution. Top options like iThemes Security and Wordfence are robust and convenient.

With a few precautions, you can avoid the pain of cleaning a hacked WordPress site. But if it happens, services are available to help. Let‘s explore them next.

Services to Restore Hacked WordPress Sites

If you don‘t have the skills or time to fix a hack, hire professionals. Here are top services for WordPress hack recovery:

Sucuri

Sucuri, a leading cloud-based security provider, offers emergency hacked site repair.

Sucuri‘s site cleanup plans

Choose from:

• Business – response within 4 hours
• Pro – response within 6 hours
• Basic – response within 12 hours

Select your priority level and budget.

Sucuri not only fixes the hack once, but provides ongoing security and monitoring like:

• Stopping future attacks
• Removing blacklists/warnings and malware
• DDoS protection
• Fast support
• 30-day money-back guarantee

Sucuri works for any platform like WordPress, Joomla, Magento, and more.

Malcare

Malcare is a WordPress-focused security plugin. It lets you clean infected sites right from the dashboard.

For urgent help, use their emergency cleanup service.

SiteLock

Is your site suspended, blacklisted, or hacked?

SiteLock resolves these issues with real-time malware alerts and ongoing 24/7 emergency hack repair.

SiteLock‘s offerings

Their services include:

• SiteLock SMART to automatically remove malware
• SiteLock INFINITY for endless scanning to maximize security and speed
• SiteLock TrueShield for web application firewall protection

For one-time infection removal, choose One Time Website Clean for $199.99 per domain. Or get ongoing cleanup and protection for $41.67 a month.

SiteLock also has plans like SecureAlert, SecureStarter, and SecureSpeed with features such as malware scanner, web application firewall, backups, and expert support.

Wordfence

For WordPress sites, Wordfence cleans unlimited pages on one site for $179.

Wordfence‘s site cleanings not only remove infections but also provide:

• An investigation report on how the attack occurred
• Action items to prevent future attacks
• A 1-year Wordfence premium license ($99 value)

One Hour Site Fix

Like the name says, OneHourSiteFix cleans hacked sites within one hour.

You can either pay per incident ($69) or opt for continuous protection starting from $13.95 a month.

HackRepair

Jim Walker of HackRepair consults with you directly by phone to create a custom solution.

HackRepair also helps you implement SSL at a one-time low cost for site-wide HTTPS accessibility.

SiteGuarding

SiteGuarding‘s regular malware removal takes up to 24 hours. For urgent cleanups, use their emergency service.

It works with WordPress and Joomla sites. In addition to hack repair, SiteGuarding provides full site security including automated backups.

WPHackedHelp

For quick hacked WordPress solutions, WPHackedHelp is a top choice.

Their 360-degree scans analyze infections and blacklisting possibilities. Services include:

• Malware removal
• Hack repairs
• Blacklist removal
• Malware research
• Ongoing site protection
• Secure hosting
• Daily automated backups

Plans start at $99.99 for one-time malware and virus cleanup. For $99.99 plus $10 a month, you get malware removal plus secure WordPress hosting and daily backups.

Take Control After a WordPress Hack

While no one wants their site hacked, it‘s a harsh reality online. We covered ways to identify a compromise, best practices for clean up, preventative steps, and professional services ready to help.

With vigilance and prompt action, you can get your site restored and safeguarded for the future. Don‘t let a hack derail your online presence!

Let me know if you have any other tips for recovering from a WordPress hack. I‘m happy to hear your experiences and advice in the comments!