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Last week, we examined whether your WordPress website is prepared for a cyber-attack. Now, we’ll focus on what to do if you suspect you have fallen victim to cybercrime.
With a hacker attack occurring every 39 seconds, you will likely be the victim of one shortly if you don’t take the necessary WordPress security precautions. After the initial panic, swearing, strong coffee, and pleas to the Cyber Gods, here’s what to do next.
1. Redirect your site to another location
If you realize your website has been hacked, the first thing to consider is protecting your site’s visitors. Immediately put a redirect in place and block users from visiting the hacked site.
This will ensure that you’re not putting your visitors at risk and save your reputation. Hackers often post pornographic or spam material that you don’t want to be associated with your business name.
To set up a redirect, use a site on a different IP and create a page letting users know you’re experiencing technical difficulties. It’s best not to mention being hacked at this stage, as this can cause customers unnecessary worry.
To avoid the hacked site, redirect your domain to the new IP via your control panel. If you’re unsure how to do this, contact your hosting provider or us.
2. Find the vulnerability
Once you have implemented the necessary protections for your site visitors, you must find the vulnerability. The best way to do this is to ask your hosting provider for activity logs.
Once you have identified how the hackers got into your site, you can focus on improving that security risk or hire someone to fix it for you.
GDPR requires businesses to inform users of any data breaches. If your information has been compromised, you must notify your subscribers about the hack and the steps you’ve taken to rectify the situation.
3. Block the IP
Make sure you block the IP that hacked into your site. Although this will protect you from that one hacker, you should be aware that hackers often access websites from multiple IP addresses, so merely blocking them won’t stop the hacking.
It would be best to fix the vulnerabilities that initially allowed them to be in.
4. Clean up your site
At this stage, we’re hoping you’ve regularly been backing up your site, as you’ll now need to clean up your whole site, including your databases.
The most effective way to do this is to delete all files and restore them from your backup just before the hack. If you’ve backed up daily or weekly, then you shouldn’t lose much information by doing this.
If you haven’t regularly backed up your site, you should speak to an expert about how to proceed.
5. WordPress security
The final step is to secure your site. Find out where your current vulnerabilities are and work through the list to fix them. Look at these simple ways to protect your WordPress website and act fast. A good hosting provider will work with you on security, or to know how to keep your site safe, get expert help from a provider who will continuously work on and maintain your WordPress website.
At WP Tech Support, we focus on WordPress security. We’ve developed a premium-quality support and maintenance service for all WordPress website owners that delivers total peace of mind. From emergency fixes to offsite backups and daily security scans, our WordPress maintenance plans can keep you safe from hacking.