How to Get Rid of Malware on Your WordPress Website
Malware is short for malicious software, and it can be quite harmful for your WordPress website if you’re not careful. Malware includes things like viruses, Trojan horses, and others. Malware often gets installed on your website without your knowledge or consent. It’s a common attack that hackers use to gain control over your computer. In this blog post, we will discuss some tips on how to remove malware from your website.
Update Your WordPress Core
The first thing you should do to protect yourself from malicious software is update your WordPress core. WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that is used to create websites. The best practice for keeping your WordPress website malware free is to update your core and plugins regularly. Updating your WordPress core is easy. You can download the latest version from WordPress.org or your WordPress software provider and then simply click on the “Update Now” button to install the new version.
Updating your plugins is a little more complicated. However, many WordPress plugin developers offer automated updates, so this task is often eased. You can check for updates on a regular basis and install them when they become available. If you decide not to install an update, you’ll be locking yourself out of features and functionality on your WordPress website.
Run Antivirus & Malware Scanner Tools
Once you’ve updated your WordPress core, it’s time to run antivirus and malware scanner tools. Antivirus software detects viruses, Trojan horses, and other malicious software that might have found its way onto your computer. Malware scanner tools scan your computer for harmful files such as cookies, plugins, and more. When you run these types of software, you should see an alert if any malware is found on your computer. If you remove the malware, you should be able to restore normal functionality to your computer.
Change Your Login Details
If you use the same login details for your WordPress website as you do for other sites you’ve made, it’s time to change them. When hackers try to break into your WordPress website, they often use the same login details they’ve used for other sites. Changing your login details for your WordPress website will help protect it from these attacks. You should change your WordPress login details to something unique and memorable. You should also change your password regularly.
Remove Poorly Optimised Backlinks
Another way that hackers try to break into your WordPress website is through badly optimised backlinks. Backlinks are links on other websites that lead back to your site. If a hacker creates a backlink to your website that doesn’t suit your SEO goals, they can manipulate the search engine ranking of your website. To keep the majority of your backlinks relevant and useful, you should remove any that are poorly optimised.
Sitemap & Robots.txt
A sitemap is a list of all the pages on your website. It makes it much easier for search engine bots (also known as spiders) to navigate your site and find the content you want them to see. When you create a sitemap for your website, you should include all the important pages and posts, as well as any relevant links.
You can use a tool like Sitewise to create a sitemap for your WordPress website. When a bot finds a useful and relevant sitemap, it will much more likely choose your site over others. Having a sitemap is all the more important if you’re using a platform like Shopify that doesn’t allow you to add individual pages.
A robots.txt file is a text file where you specify the rules and restrictions that apply to the search engine bots. You can use robots.txt to block the search engines from accessing certain pages on your site. You can also use robots.txt to specify the formatting of the content that the search engines should not touch. For example, if you have a blogging platform like WordPress where you post new content regularly, you can put the robots.txt file in your WordPress root directory. This will block all the search engines from accessing the blog posts, but it will allow the posts to be found by anyone who uses a search engine.
Regular Backups
Regular backups are essential for keeping your WordPress website safe. When you back up your website, you’re saving all the content and adding it to a location that you can easily access. You can use a tool like CloudApp to easily create and restore backup copies of your website at any time. You can use a backup plugin like BackupBuddy to manage your backups and restore them whenever you need to. Backups will prevent you from losing any important content in case your site is hacked or damages in some way.
Use Two-Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication is a security measure where you have an extra layer of security that authenticates you when you log in to a website or application. The majority of the protection comes from the device itself, which requires a password and a one-time-only code that’s generated by the device. When someone tries to log in to your account on a site that you’ve registered on, they will need to enter both your password and the code that was sent to your phone or email.
Use HTTPS
The Hypertext Transfer Protocol Secure (HTTPS) is an extension of HTTP that adds an extra layer of security to prevent data manipulation or piracy. When you use HTTPS, you’ll see a small locked padlock at the top of your browser window whenever you’re on a secure page. The best way to ensure that your personal information is safe when using a website or application that’s not on a secure page is by entering an unsecure page then going back and entering the secure version. When someone is able to intercept the unsecured page, they will be able to see your personal information but it will be encrypted so it’s not readable.
Be Careful With Social Media
When someone wants to break into your WordPress website, they will often try to hack your social media accounts. Be careful with your accounts on platforms like Twitter and Facebook where any type of suspicious behaviour could be mistaken for hacking. If someone decides to impersonate you on social media, you could end up sharing sensitive information or even become the victim of fraud. Be especially careful about your Facebook account, as attackers can often find your personal information on this platform.
Consider These Attacks From Above
Attacks from above are one of the most common ways that hackers try to break into your WordPress website. These are attacks from other websites that link to your site. When someone clicks on these links, they will be taken to the linked website. However, the website will appear to be run by the hacker group, who will attempt to break into your site. To avoid these types of attacks, you should never provide any type of sensitive information on your website, and you should never click on a link that you’re not sure about. Just remember, if you ever feel unsure or uncomfortable about an email or link, it’s usually best to assume that it’s a scam and delete it.
Keeping your WordPress website clean and free of malware is not that hard. There are just a few simple steps that you need to follow. Make sure to have a good backup system in place, and make sure to update your WordPress core and plugins regularly. Always check your site for viruses and malware before using any type of paid tool to enhance your SEO or take care of any technical issues that might arise. Regularly back up your site as well and don’t be afraid to remove any poor-quality links that might be pointing to your site. Two-factor authentication and HTTPS are essential to keeping your accounts and personal information secure on any website or application. It’s important to be careful when using social media accounts, especially if you use them to discuss important matters or for business purposes. When in doubt, always think twice before acting, as malicious behaviour could be misconstrued as unethical or unsafe business practices.