How to Figure Out Whether or Not Your WordPress Site is Hacked

by Gary Ferguson Technical Writer | Blogger

In this era of digitization, where we have welcomed advanced technologies, providing smart & innovative solutions. There are hackers & other malware threats that can't be denied. There are a few signs that can be observed to keep track of and notice if there is any kind of breach going on. In doing so, site owners can protect their online reputation from getting any severe damage. Although WordPress is very strict with its security, yet the hackers can find the loop to damage the website.

There are 12 signs which indicate if there has been any breach to the website:

1. Changed Homepage

First thing first, hackers avoid coming under the radar, for them getting noticed means getting caught. Hence, they will hardly touch the Homepage design. Still under any circumstances, if the homepage UI looks different, there might be a reason. Hackers usually, in this case, want money from the site's owner and leave a message like "We have hacked your website if you want it back you need to pay us", with their account number or contact information.

2. WordPress Login

The common & major sign there can ever be - not being able to access or login to the website. The hackers delete the admin's account, which makes it impossible for the owners to change or reset the password. In simpler terms, the hackers have snatched away the website impossible for the owners to get back.

3. Site goes Offline

One of the hosting provider's jobs is to continually keep track of any hacking attempt directed towards their client's websites. When they come across any hindered site they shut the site, to stop the virus from spreading & corrupting other sites and the central server.

4. Redirection

If the website is redirecting to spam sites, it usually means that the Domain name account has been hacked. Site owners need to check the Domain name account & hosting account to figure out the exact reasons for redirections. Generally, it's the log-out users for whom the sites are redirected, log-in users hardly notice that the website has been hacked and they already are the victim. These redirections lead to low traffic on the website.

5. Web Browser Alerts

Web browsers always alert or show a warning to the users when they visit a website hosting harmful content. In case the users are getting these alerts while visiting the site, site owners must understand that there are malicious codes in the site. Under this kind of breach, hackers are trying to fetch the visitors information, by using the website as a host. This kind of hacking can also result in poor traffic.

The warning messages given by browsers can be like:

Deceptive Site ahead

Loading scripts from unauthenticated sources

Site contains Malware

Site contains harmful programs

6. Search Console Alerts

Another sign that literally announces the breach is the Google Search Console, it alerts the webmaster in case of anything that is going wrong with the security of the website.

Owners can check this under the Security Issues tab.

7. Search Results

When the website's backend is not secure, the search results show some kind of gibberish or Japanese Character.

Owners should know that there are three kinds of popular hacks here:

Gibberish Hack

Japanese Keywords Hack

Cloaked Keywords and Links Hack

The hackers are using the website to host any kind of "spam" content. Even though the meta descriptions & titles may seem all okay, Google crawlers read the content differently. Hence, you see the gibberish.

8. Unknown Links Added

Owners may find some unknown or external links, which were not originally added, this indicates that the website has been attacked and the hackers are adding those links. They do so because hackers sell backlinks from authority sites in return of hefty amounts. It's really important to keep checking the outbound links on the site to find out if the website has become a victim of such practices. Not only that, but this activity can also put the website under a potential threat.

9. Popup Ads

Hackers push all the spammy ads on the website to earn money. These popup ads open the affiliate links of the hacker. These ads are not visible to regular visitors, but only to those users who come to the site via search engines.

10. Unknown Users Accounts

Another way to find out if the website is hacked is by checking the WordPress Users section and finding an unknown user's account. Owners should delete these accounts right away, but considering that there was an account, this surely means that the hacker has the admin role, hence owners need to delete the account from c-panel

11. Mails

Hosting service providers give free email accounts to their users which is helpful for WordPress, and business-related mails. When a site is hacked, the hackers send a large number of spam emails using these free email accounts. When owners find out that the emails have stopped working out of the blue, they need to run a full security scan.

12. Traffic Surge or Drop

If the website traffic is taking a sudden plunge or hike, this here is another indication of hacking. The website is no longer secure, because redirections & browser safety alerts can drop the traffic, and bot attacks would hike the traffic. An increase in spam traffic can also put extra load on the servers and because bots are literally eating the bandwidth, the genuine users will find the website really slow.

Look out for these signs, they can help prevent any severe damage to the website, the owners can also consult or opt for WordPress development services and let the professional handle the case. It's not just about building a good looking website, security is the utmost factor, hence, it's the one thing that every custom web application development services provider takes extra care of.

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