Malware can be a serious problem for any website, but it can be much more devastating for a WordPress website. The good news is that there are many tools and plugins available to help keep you safe! That said, malware is not easy to detect and often has infected code that is difficult to trace back to its origin. If you have noticed suspicious behavior or unusual activity on your WordPress site, it’s important that you take action immediately. You should first update all of your plugins, then scan your site with an anti-malware tool such as Wordfence. Once you know what’s going on, it will be easier to take steps towards resolving the issue!
Before you begin
Security is paramount in today’s online world. Security needs change depending on what you’re trying to protect and who you’re trying to keep out, but there are some basics that will work for everyone. A firewall is a great first line of defense against attack. It’s like a security guard that stands at the door and checks credentials before letting people through. It can tell legitimate traffic from malicious traffic and help stop attacks before they get through the door.
Install and activate the Wordfence security plugin
Installing and activating the Wordfence security plugin is a quick way to keep your site safe and secure. We’ll walk you through how to install and activate this plugin. Wordfence is a security plugin that detects and blocks malicious activity on your WordPress site. It has three different types of protection: firewall, attack, and scanning. To install and activate the Wordfence security plugin, navigate to Plugin in your WordPress dashboard and search for Wordfence. Click on Activate under the Wordfence title. Wordfence is a firewall software that will monitor traffic and look for malicious or suspicious activity on your site. Once you have installed and activated it, you will see a blue banner at the top of your admin screen that reads Your site is protected. If this banner does not appear, then there is an issue with installation or activation. To resolve this, go back into your Plugins page and try activating again. If it still does not show up, contact customer service for help.
Scan your WordPress website for malware
Scanning for malware is a simple process. First, log into your WordPress admin panel and go to Settings in the sidebar. From there, scroll down until you see WordPress Security, then click on it. You’ll now see a long list of settings; scroll down until you see Scan this Site. Click that button, and Wordfence will automatically scan your site for any vulnerabilities or infections. If anything turns up, you can then take action by following instructions on how to resolve the issue.
Clean up your WordPress files
To eliminate malware, you need to clean up the files on your WordPress site. This includes deleting any backups of infected files and all plugins that contain a version of infective code. The most common form of infection is through plugins, so you’ll need to delete any plugins that have been updated with a new version containing malicious code since October 2014 (when the infection was first detected). The most important thing is to make sure you only delete files if it’s absolutely necessary. You can’t un-delete things once they’re gone, so think twice before pressing that button. Be patient! Often times, just deleting a plugin or two will do the trick and everything will be restored to its original state.
Conclusion
In conclusion, if you have a WordPress site and suspect you might be infected with malware, try installing the free version of Wordfence. It has an intuitive dashboard that will help you assess whether or not there is a problem on your site. If it does detect malicious activity on your site, it will inform you of what type of malware it is and give instructions for how to fix it.