WordPress website malware removal & prevention

I don’t want to scare you, but I do want you to be aware.

In the last few months, we’ve seen an increase in websites experiencing Malware infections, including a number of our clients.

Also, with web security moving at the speed of light, web servers are automatically upgrading systems which can cause website errors.

Although we’ve been able to effectively restore and secure, it’s been a real hassle.

It can be scary, cost time, and money, and tarnish your brand’s reputation.

With all the other challenges of running a business, this is the last thing we want to have to worry about.

However,

recently we’ve learned a lot more about preventing and resolving malware-infected websites.

Here’s what we do for WordPress website malware prevention:

1. Update plugins & themes weekly.
   (Non-updated websites are the #1 reason websites get infected).
2. Install Malcare.
   This is a premium service that installs a Firewall to block bad traffic, scans your site daily for Malware, and most importantly provides an on-demand malware removal service.
3. Remove unnecessary and unused plugins and themes.
4. Change the default WordPress login page URL.
5. Force 2FA (2-factor authentication) for login.

Here’s our website malware removal and re-securing process:

1. Upload a backup of the site if available.
2. Install Malcare and do a Malware Scan.
3. If Malware is found, we request the removal of malware from Malcare which usually takes 30 minutes unless it’s a severe infection.
4. After the site is clean, we update all plugins, themes, and WordPress framework.
5. Remove unnecessary and unused plugins, users and themes.
6. Change the login page URL.
7. Change write permissions on core code files.
8. Change passwords for all admin users hosting, FTP, and MYSQL database.
9. Force 2FA (2-factor authentication) for login.

So, what now?

You can either get in touch with us for help, or you can try to DIY – we’re in the process of creating 2 video tutorial series which you can access for a 1-time cost. Contact us for prices or more info.

Want to check your website for Malware now?

A site that is infected with Malware may not show symptoms for weeks. But when the symptoms do appear, you might notice a few strange things like:

• Links to weird pages.
• Pages not loading.
• Error messages.
• Malware warnings from your security software.
• Edited/changed content.

Here is a free tool to check if your site has malware or may be at risk: Sucuri Site-Scanner.

I’m here to chat if you have any questions,
Dan 🙂