Knowledge Base
What to Do If Your Website Is Hacked
Responding to a Security Breach
Stay calm and follow these steps to recover from a hack.
Signs of a Hack
- Strange content on your site
- Redirects to spam sites
- Google showing warnings
- Unknown files in your folders
- New admin users you didn't create
- Spam emails being sent
Immediate Steps
- Don't panic - you can recover
- Change all passwords - DirectAdmin, WordPress, FTP, email
- Take site offline temporarily if spreading malware
- Document what you see
Recovery Process
- Restore from backup - Use JetBackup to restore to a clean state
- Update everything - WordPress, themes, plugins
- Scan for malware - Use security plugins
- Check user accounts - Remove unknown users
- Secure the site - Install security plugin
After Recovery
- Change all passwords again
- Enable two-factor authentication
- Request Google review if flagged
- Monitor closely for a while
Get Help
If you're unsure how to proceed, contact Hostdeal support.