WordPress malware: Over the past few years, the number of malware attacks has skyrocketed, making the term “malware” a household term. Malware is a broad term that encompasses a variety of malicious software, such as viruses and website backdoors, that can damage a WordPress account. It has a wide range of effects on your web, which is why it’s crucial to understand what changes your site will go through when it’s hacked and infected with malware. When tragedy hits, knowledge will enable you to react quickly.
We’ve been dealing with WordPress security problems for a long time. We’ve found that there are many ways to hack a website during this period. A hacker, for example, might go after your WordPress core files. They might be able to upload malicious code to your file manager’s upload folder or the plugins themes folder. Then they can run the line of code from afar, seize control of your site, and redirect tourists to their own.
That said, we’ve found that the bad code or malware left on your website, regardless of how it was hacked, has an effect on its health. We’ll share our information with you in this blog post in the hopes that you’ll act quickly and uninstall malware as soon as you find it.
What WordPress malware can do to your site is as follows:
1. Draining of Your Server Resources
Hackers today are not afraid to attack small websites. Any site, even the smallest, can be used. Hackers also use the server tools of hacked websites to commit crimes.
Consider what would happen if your WordPress account was hacked today:
Attack Other WordPress Sites
It’s easy to see why your tiny, insignificant website is a priority if you think about it from the hacker’s perspective. Using a single website (such as the hacker’s own) to carry out hacking attempts puts the hacker at risk of being discovered. It’s possible that search engines like Google would blacklist the site, making the hacker’s site useless. Alternatively, launching an assault through several sites makes identification more difficult.
Furthermore, detecting the existence of malware on a website is difficult. The majority of the time, infecting your web with malware is done to take advantage of your server’s resources. As a result, hackers would go to great lengths to keep WordPress malware undetected. Malware, on the other hand, still has an effect on a website. If you’re paying attention, you’ll find improvements in your domain, such as the site being slower or the plugins malfunctioning. When site visitors report that the pages aren’t loading properly, it’s an indication that the hackers are gaining access to the servers. It can result in a sharp drop in traffic and sales, negatively impacting your online business.
Sending Spam Mails
Spamming is a nightmare for someone with a mailing address. Spam emails account for nearly 60% of all internet traffic, according to a recent survey.
To combat this problem, email service providers have implemented a variety of spam filters. They will blacklist and block servers that are known to send spam emails by keeping track of them. As a result of these steps, hackers are looking for new, clean IP addresses from which to carry out their malicious activities.
Most website owners, like yourself, are unaware that their resources are being used to send spam emails. Their web servers (shared server or managed host) typically notify them of this and suspend the site until the problem is resolved. As these malicious practises go undetected for an extended period of time, search engines and spam watchdogs like Spamhaus blacklist your site.
Millions of Suspicious Files Taking Up Your Disk Space
One of the many reasons your website has been compromised is that hackers need a location to store hundreds of thousands of files that will aid them in committing a crime. These files appear to take up a lot of disc space, slowing down your site in the process. Some web hosts offer unlimited plans, but most website owners are unaware that these plans have a limit. If hackers use all of your disc space, you will soon be unable to add content to your website.
Site Becomes Slow
Too many unnecessary files, as we previously said, slows down a website. Furthermore, it’s possible that hackers fetch files from another server to load alongside your page any time a visitor requests it. Your website will load slower as a result of this. Websites that are slow lose tourists, sales, and search engine ranking quickly. It will be a significant setback for your online company.
2. Degradation in User Experience
Malware problems in WordPress impact not only your site but also your users. Websites that fail to provide a positive user experience will struggle to attract visitors and expand their online business.
Slow Website
The average human attention span has decreased from 12 minutes to 8 minutes in the last eighteen years. This means that the longer it takes for a website to load, the fewer visits it will receive. Hackers attempting to use your server resources slow down your site, potentially causing impatient tourists to abandon it. We’ve seen major websites like Amazon lose up to $1.6 billion in revenue due to a second’s delay in the past. Big companies can afford to lose money, but you can’t. Your online business could be doomed if you lose potential tourists.
Loading External iFrame or Javascript Resources
Have you ever visited a website that bombards you with obnoxious pop-ups urging you to visit another site or buy a product that seems to be unrelated to the one you’re on? It means the site has been compromised and is infected with WordPress malware. Hackers have inserted a malicious iFrame/Javascript that loads whenever a visitor attempts to access a website or message. The site becomes slower as a result of this. We’ve already discussed the drawbacks of a sluggish website. Visitors could be duped into buying illicit goods based on the reputation of your website in this situation.
Mining Cryptocurrency
You’ve probably heard about cryptocurrencies, or at the very least Bitcoin, the most well-known cryptocurrency. It is created through a method known as “mining.” Due to its rise in popularity in recent years, cryptocurrency mining has attracted the attention of hackers looking to make a fast buck. Tiny websites are often targeted by these hackers, who mount cryptocurrency miners. Any time a visitor opens a page or a tweet, they can mine cryptocurrency using the visitor’s browser.
3. Deterioration of your Site’s SEO Health
A solid WordPress website is built on the basis of good SEO. Google, the world’s largest search engine, has admitted that SEO is a big factor in website hacking. WordPress malware has the following effects on a site’s SEO health:
SEO Spamming/Pharma Hack
On the internet, there are limits on the promotion of illicit drugs such as Cialis and Viagra. As a result, many pharmaceutical companies use website hacking to promote or sell their products. This is referred to as “pharma hacking.” Hackers often gain access to other websites, inject spammy keywords into published posts, and hide them from visitors. As a result, what appears to be a normal hyperlink could lead you to a website that sells illegal drugs. Google crawlers and malware removal tools like MalCare can easily detect this type of spamming behaviour, which is undetectable to the naked eye. There are several different types of malware, so picking the right website security tool is crucial. MalCare, a WordPress protection plugin, will help you clean up a compromised WordPress site and secure it from potential attacks.
Spamming practises have a tendency to alter your site’s SEO structure. Your hacked site starts ranking for the names of illegal drugs instead of the keywords you want it to rank for (recommended read – SEO Spam & Spam Connection Injection). If this continues for an extended period of time, it will damage your reputation and cause you to lose frequent visitors.
Google Blacklisting
As the world’s most popular search engine, Google is dedicated to providing its users with a secure online experience. They keep track of sites with malicious files for this reason. As a result, every day, hundreds of thousands of websites are blacklisted. One of them might be your website. Hackers can infect your site with WordPress malware without your knowledge.
The Google crawler detects malware and spammy activities on your site, and it can result in your site being blacklisted. When tourists attempt to access your website after it has been blacklisted, Google will issue a warning. You’ll note a sudden decrease in traffic, which will have an effect on your sales and possibly even your online business. All of this could happen in the blink of an eye, and you will be completely unaware until the very last moment. To get rid of Google blacklisting, you’ll need a powerful malware scanner that can detect even secret malware. You’ll also need a WordPress malware removal app, as well as this Google blacklisting removal guide.
Over to You
Have you seen any of the warning signs we’ve listed? Are you at a loss for what to do next? Is it better to manually delete malware from your WordPress site or use a plugin? When you use a security service like MalCare, removing malware is a simple process.
MalCare not only aids in the removal of malware from WordPress, but it also aids in the protection of your website. It enables you to take a number of post-hack steps to avoid more violence, such as using new randomly generated keys and salts, changing passwords, and so on. It will also assist you in hardening your WordPress website. Take a look at our features page for more details.
Aside from these, you can take additional security steps such as switching from HTTP to HTTPS, securing your login page, and hardening your WordPress website. We also recommend that you read this guide: Secure Your WordPress Site With wp-config.php.