What To Do When Your Website Has Been Hacked

Found a hack or malware on your website? Don’t panic, here is our simple step-by-step guide for dealing with a hacked website.

No website is completely immune to attacks and sites are hacked every day.

This guide will walk you through the immediate actions you need to take.

I. Immediate Actions to Take if Your Website Has Been Hacked

We need to act quickly but don’t rush.

These immediate steps will help you take control of the situation and minimise the damage.

1. Don’t Panic

When you think your website has been hacked, it’s essential to stay calm as best you can.

Panicking can lead to rushed decisions, which may worsen the situation.

The most important thing is to attack the problem methodically.  You can do this by taking the following steps.

2. Confirm the Hack

Before taking any major action steps, it’s important to absolutely, without a shadow of a doubt confirm that your website has indeed been hacked.

Check for common signs of a hack such as:

• Unusual website pop-ups;
• Unexpected changes to your site’s appearance;
• Difficulty logging into your CMS;
• Notifications from your browser;
• Contact from hosting provider indicating that malicious code has been detected on your server.

This step is crucial to ensure you’re addressing the right issue and not a simple technical glitch.

See more detailed steps below on how to confirm a hack.

3. Inform Your Hosting Provider

Contact your hosting provider immediately. They have the tools and expertise to assist in addressing the issue.

If you’re using managed hosting, they might already be aware of the problem and could have begun taking steps to secure your site.

Your hosting provider can advise you on whether further actions, such as taking the website offline, are necessary.

4. Change All Passwords

Change all passwords (and we mean ALL of them) associated with your website.

This could include those for your Content Management System (CMS), email accounts, web hosting control panel, domain name registrar account and FTP accounts.

If you aren’t sure how to do this, ask your hosting company what accesses they can update on your behalf and then consult your web developer to update the other passwords.

Ensure the new passwords are strong, using a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.

Enable TwoFactor Authentication if that option is available to you.

5. Decide Whether to Take Your Website Offline

Depending on the severity of the hack, you may need to take your website offline temporarily.

This decision should be made in consultation with your hosting provider.

Taking the site offline can prevent further damage but might also destroy valuable evidence that could help you understand how the hacker gained access.

Tread carefully here and seek advice on the best way to move forward. If you need immediate assistance, we can help so give us a call on (07) 5531 3810.

6. Communicate with Your Customers

If your website contains private information like user accounts and it has been hacked, it’s important to inform your customers promptly.

Let them know about the breach if it impacts their data, what you are doing to address it, and any actions they should take, such as changing their passwords.

Clear communication helps maintain trust and keeps your customers informed about the situation.

7. Clean & Secure Your Website

After assessing the damage, the next step is to clean up your website and strengthen its defences.

Seek professional help from a website hack repair & malware removal service to help get your website and database clean.

8. Work with professionals & your hosting provider

After taking all the necessary steps to secure your website, it’s time to let the professionals step in.

Working with experts and your hosting provider will ensure that your website is thoroughly cleaned, secured, and protected against future attacks.

Their expertise will give you peace of mind and allow you to focus on running your business while they handle the technical details.

II. Confirming the Hack

Identifying the signs of a hack will ensure that you address the correct issue.

Signs That Your Website Has Been Hacked

Before proceeding, ensure that your website has indeed been hacked. Common signs include:

• Unusual pop-ups or content on your website.
• Suspicious user accounts in your CMS.
• Difficulty logging into your website’s management tools.
• Notifications from your browser, hosting provider, or search engines that your site contains malicious code.
• Notification from Google Search Console that hacked content has been detected on your website.
• A significant drop in website traffic, possibly due to users being redirected elsewhere.
• Advice from one of your users that your website is exhibiting strange behaviour.
• Can’t send email or your email is being blocked because your domain has been blacklisted.

Other Methods to Confirm a Website Hack

Check for Unusual Activity: Look for signs like unexpected pop-ups, changes in your site’s appearance, difficulty logging into your CMS, or unusual user accounts.

Contact Your Hosting Provider: Reach out to your hosting provider to see if they have detected any suspicious activity or can confirm the presence of malicious code.

Run a Malware Scan: Use a trusted malware scanner to check your website for any malicious code or files that may have been injected.

Review Server Logs: Examine your server logs for unusual activity, such as unfamiliar IP addresses or unauthorised access attempts.

Consult Your Web Developer: If you work with a web developer, ask them to inspect the site for any signs of a hack and to help identify vulnerabilities.

Check within Search Engine Results: Google search for your website and look for warnings in search engine results, such as “This site may be hacked” messages, which can indicate a compromise.

Distinguishing Between IT Issues and Hacking

Sometimes, what appears to be a hack might be a technical issue.

It’s important to confirm that your website has been compromised by examining server logs, unusual cron jobs, or other signs of unauthorised activity.

This might involve contacting your hosting company, web developer or IT team to assist.

Make sure you do this because it helps you to avoid taking unnecessary actions and remaining focused on resolving the actual problem.

III. Assessing the Damage

Once you’ve confirmed the hack, it’s essential to understand the extent of the damage. This will guide your recovery process and help you prevent future incidents.

Make a Backup

Before you start cleaning up the hack, create a complete backup of your website.

This backup is not for restoration purposes but to preserve evidence of the hack.

It can be useful for forensic analysis to understand how the hack occurred and what vulnerabilities were exploited.

Investigate the Cause of the Hack

Once your site is secure, begin investigating how the hacker gained access.

This might involve checking for outdated core software, insecure plugins, a compromised shared web hosting server or weak passwords.

Identifying the root cause is crucial for preventing future attacks.

Check Other Websites and Servers

If you manage multiple websites or servers, it’s important to check whether the hack has affected any of them as well.

Hackers often target multiple sites on the same server, especially if they share similar vulnerabilities.

IV. Recovering and Securing Your Website

These actions will help you restore your site’s security and functionality.

1. Remove Malware and Restore the Website

Remove any malicious code or files from your website, database and possibly your server.

You may need to reach out to a website hack repair service to help get your website and database clean.

You may also be able to restore your site from a clean backup taken before the hack occurred if you were taking proactive backups that were stored external to your web server.

Getting professional help for this step ensures that your website is free from malware and other harmful elements.

2. Update Your CMS and Software

Ensure that your CMS, plugins, and all other software components are updated to their latest versions.

Outdated software often contains vulnerabilities that hackers exploit.

Keeping everything updated helps close these security gaps.

3. Implement Security Measures

To prevent future hacks, implement security measures such as web application firewalls (WAF), up-time monitoring systems, and regular web software updates.

Consider using reputable website security plugins (see our favourite security plugins here) that offer real-time protection and alerts for suspicious activity.

V. Preventing Future Hacks

Prevention is key to protecting your website from future attacks.

Implementing the following website security measures will help you safeguard your site and maintain its integrity in the future.

Regular Maintenance and Updates

Ongoing maintenance is key to keeping your website secure.

Regularly update all core software and plugins, monitor your website for unusual activity, and perform security audits to identify potential vulnerabilities.

The best solution here is to engage a professional to take care of your website with a managed website maintenance plan.

Proactive Backups

Set up automatic backups to ensure that you can quickly restore your website if another incident occurs.

Regular backups reduce downtime and minimise the risk of data loss.

Advanced Security Measures

Consider enhancing your website’s security with advanced measures such as managed hosting services, which offer additional layers of protection.

Professional security services can also provide continuous monitoring and quick responses to any new threats.

VI. Understanding the Broader Impact of a Compromise

A website hack can have lasting effects on your business, your customers and your website SEO performance.

Long-Term Effects on Your Website and Business

Understanding the key consequences of a website hack underscores the importance of taking security seriously.

Beyond the immediate loss of site functionality, a hack can damage your site’s reputation, lead to a loss of trust among customers, and negatively impact your search engine rankings.

How to Strengthen Your Website Against Future Threats

Taking steps now to strengthen your website’s security can protect your business from future attacks.

Regularly updating software, monitoring activity, and educating your team on best security practices are all essential parts of this process.

VII. Survive, Recover and Rebuild

Dealing with a website hack can be overwhelming, but it’s important to focus on the essential steps to regain control and protect your business.

By staying calm, acting quickly, and following a structured recovery process, you can minimise the damage and start rebuilding.

Recovering from a hack is not just about fixing the immediate problem—it’s about strengthening your website to withstand future threats.

This process involves regular website maintenance, proactive backups, and ongoing vigilance to protect your site and maintain the trust of your users.

Been Hacked and Need Expert Help?

If your website has been hacked and you need professional assistance, we’re here to help. At e-CBD, we are experts in website security and site hack recovery.

Our team can quickly assess the damage, remove malicious code, and implement robust security measures to protect your site from future attacks.

Don’t let a hack derail your business—contact us today to get your website back on track.