Top 9 Common Ways Your WordPress Website Can Get Hacked

One of the most annoying and stressful scenarios, one could face as an owner of a WordPress site is discovering that the website has been hacked. One minute, the website is blooming with traffic, and the next, you notice something wrong with the WordPress website.

WordPress sites can be hacked in different ways. This means, that one must always be aware of the most common reasons a WordPress site could get hacked. In this article, we’ll go through nine typical causes of successful WordPress site hacks and explain how to remedy them.

1. The unexpected decline in website traffic

If you look at your analytics statistics and find a dramatic decline in traffic, although Google Analytics has been established properly, then this could be a clue that your WordPress website is in a vulnerable state.

A rapid decrease in traffic may be bought about by several circumstances. For instance, malicious software on your website might send unregistered users to spam sites.

Another cause for the sharp dip in traffic could be that consumers are seeing caution about your site when using Google’s safe surfing tool. Google adds tens of thousands of websites to its blacklist every day. Therefore, website owners should take their website security seriously.

To view your safety report, you can verify your website via Google’s safe browsing app.

2. Added negative links to the website

Data injection is one of the most frequent signs that WordPress has been compromised. On your WordPress website, hackers install a backdoor that enables them access to edit your WordPress database and files.

These hacks sometimes include links to spam-based websites. Generally, these links are inserted into the footer of the site, but they might be anywhere. The links can still reappear even after being deleted.

The backdoor that was used to insert this material into your site must be located and fixed. See our advice on how to locate and fix a backdoor in a WordPress website that has been compromised.

3. WordPress won’t let you log in

There is a potential that hackers have removed your WordPress admin account if you cannot get into your WordPress website.

You will not be able to reset your credentials from the login screen because the account does not exist.

FTP and phpMyAdmin are two additional methods for adding an admin account. However, unless you discover how the hackers entered your website, it will continue to be dangerous. 

4. Suspicious user profiles

If you allow user registration on your website and you don’t employ any registration spam prevention, suspicious user profiles are simply regular spam that you may delete.

However, your website is probably compromised if you don’t recall enabling user registration yet you continue to see new user accounts in WordPress.

You may not always be able to remove the suspicious accounts from your WordPress admin area because it typically has the administrator user position.

5. Files and scripts on your server that are unknown

When a site scanner plugin detects an unfamiliar script or file on your server, it will notify you. You must use an FTP program to connect to your WordPress website to locate the files. The /wp-content/ folder is the most typical location for harmful files and programs.

These files typically have names that resemble WordPress files so they can be hidden from view. You will require to audit the file structure to identify them on your own. The absence of these files after deletion is not assured, though.

7. Strange activity in the server logs

If you see having, plain text files will be called server logs are kept on your web browser. These files maintain a log of all server faults and internet activity. They are accessible through the statistics section of the cPanel for your WordPress account.

You may learn more about what is happening when your WordPress is attacked by looking at those server logs. Additionally, they include all IP addresses used to visit the website, allowing you to ban any questionable ones. And, they will alert you to server faults that you might not notice in your WordPress admin but could be to blame for your website’s crashing or unresponsiveness.

8. Not receiving or sending WordPress emails

Spam is frequently sent from servers that have been hacked. The majority of WordPress hosting providers include free email addresses as a part of your hosting. Many WordPress website owners send emails using the mail servers of their host provider.

There is a possibility that your mail server has been compromised to send spam mail if you are unable to receive or send emails from WordPress.

9. WordPress core files have been changed

Your WordPress website has likely been hacked if the core WordPress files have been altered or changed in any way. A fundamental WordPress file can be easily modified by hackers to contain their code. They might also make files with names like those of core WordPress files.

Establishing a WordPress security plugin that keeps track of the condition of your essential WordPress file is the simplest way to track those files. Additionally, you can manually search your WordPress folders for any doubtful scripts or files.

Conclusion

You can protect your website once it has been cleaned up by making it incredibly difficult for hackers to access it. WordPress website security entails enclosing your website with additional levels of security. For example, employing secure passwords with two-step verification can prevent illegal logins to your WordPress admin area.

Similarly, you can restrict access to crucial WordPress files to keep them secure or properly configure file and folder permissions.

eTechSupport offers excellent 24×7 server management services. We will track and support services to ensure complete security and optimum performance. With our dedicated support and server monitoring services, you no longer have to be concerned about your WordPress website being hacked.