How to Detect & Remove Malware from WordPress Website

WordPress, being an immensely popular platform, unfortunately, becomes a prime target for hackers. The stealthy nature of most WordPress malware allows infections to go undetected for prolonged periods. However, certain unmistakable indicators such as WP redirect hacks or compromised admin panels leave visible traces. Removing WordPress malware can be a time-consuming and costly endeavor.

In this comprehensive guide, we aim to simplify the process of WordPress malware removal by providing a breakdown of common symptoms, a step-by-step approach to identifying and eliminating malware, and valuable tips to enhance the security of your WordPress site.

Rest assured that by following these guidelines, you can effectively safeguard your WordPress website, protecting it against malware threats without compromising your valuable time and resources.

11 Signs Your WordPress Site Is Infected With Malware

Detecting a malware infection in your WordPress site is crucial for timely remediation. While the symptoms may vary depending on the type of malware, it is essential to recognize the following indicators as potential signs of a WordPress malware infection:

1. Search Engine Blacklisting: Your website gets blacklisted by search engines like Google, Bing, and Yahoo, leading to warnings or blocks.
2. Sudden Traffic Decline: You notice a significant drop in user traffic to your website without any apparent reason or explanation.
3. Hosting Account Suspension: Your hosting provider suspends your account due to malware propagation, triggering an account suspension notification.
4. Unexpected Pop-ups & Ads: Unusual pop-ups and advertisements appear on your WordPress site, redirecting users to suspicious websites.
5. Excessive Server Resource Usage: Adblockers flag your website for cryptocurrency mining or excessive utilization of GPU resources, even with the low visitor traffic. Users may complain about high CPU usage.
6. Unauthorized User Accounts: Suspicious new administrators or being locked out of accessing your website’s backend, indicating potential unauthorized access.
7. Suspicious Files: Abnormal files with obscure names appear in critical WordPress folders like wp-admin and wp-includes. These files may be executed repeatedly through Cron jobs.
8. Security Alerts: You receive security notifications from reliable security solutions, such as Astra Security, about recently detected malware on your website.
9. File Tampering: Alterations are found in important files like the header and footer, containing encoded or obfuscated code (e.g., base64 encoding).
10. Spam Activities: Your domain is associated with sending unsolicited spam emails, and your website is listed on spam blacklists.
11. Foreign Characters: Unintended Japanese or other foreign characters appear on your website or in search results, suggesting a possible compromise.

How to Detect Malware in WordPress Site?

By recognizing these signs of a WordPress malware infection, you can promptly take action to secure your website and protect your visitors’ data.

1. Review Your Backup Files for Hacked Content

Examine your backup files carefully to identify any signs of suspicious activity. Look for files with unusual names or recent modifications. Using a code editor like Dreamweaver, TextWrangler, BBEdit, Coda, or similar tools, pay attention to abnormal color codes or an excessive amount of code, as these could indicate a potential issue.

2. Conduct a Targeted Google Search

Perform a targeted Google search using relevant terms related to your website’s code, such as specific div names. This can help you uncover any hacked elements within your website. For example, in a previous case, a client’s hacked site was found to have a suspicious file named ‘index.php’, which raised concerns.

3. Analyze Raw Access Logs

Delve into the Raw Access Logs accessible through your hosting cPanel to identify potential compromises. Look for any POST statements in the log files and make note of the IP addresses associated with them. This information can provide valuable insights into the nature and timing of the compromise.

4. Address Outdated Plugins and Themes

Pay attention to outdated plugins and themes, as they often serve as entry points for hacks. Identify the plugins you were using on your compromised site and investigate whether running older versions could have led to their compromise. Be particularly cautious with widely-used plugins like Gravity Forms, Revolution Slider, and any themes or plugins that contain the timthumb.php script. Remember, many hacks exploit well-known vulnerabilities that are easily targeted by hackers.

5. Scan Your Website with a Malware Detection Tool

Utilize reputable malware detection tools to scan your WordPress website thoroughly. These tools can automatically search for known malware signatures, suspicious files, and other indicators of compromise. Consider using security plugins like Wordfence, Sucuri, or MalCare, which offer malware scanning and cleanup functionalities. Running a comprehensive scan can help identify any hidden malware that may not be easily detectable through manual inspection.

By following these rearranged and rephrased steps, you can effectively detect malware in your WordPress site and take the necessary actions to restore security and safeguard the integrity of your website.

Steps To Remove Malware From WordPress Site

Step 1: Activate Maintenance Mode for Your WordPress Site

The first step is to activate maintenance mode for your WordPress site, which temporarily hides your website content and displays a message informing visitors about the site’s temporary unavailability.

To achieve this, you can utilize a plugin like WP Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon, which offers easy-to-use functionality.

1. Install and activate the WP Maintenance Mode & Coming Soon plugin, which is available for free.
2. Once activated, go to Settings → WP Maintenance Mode in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Within the plugin settings, select “Activated” as the status to enable maintenance mode.
4. Finally, click the “Save settings” button located at the bottom of the screen to apply the changes.

With these simple steps, your WordPress site will enter maintenance mode, effectively hiding its content and displaying the designated message to visitors.

Step 2: Perform a Comprehensive Backup of Your WordPress Site and Database

Creating regular backups of your WordPress site is essential to ensure you can restore it in case of any issues or accidental data loss. To effectively back up your site, follow these steps:

1. Backup your Database and Files: It’s crucial to back up both your database and files. The database contains your content, settings, and user information, while the files include themes, plugins, and media.
2. Utilize a WordPress Backup Plugin: The easiest and most efficient way to accomplish this is by using a reliable WordPress backup plugin like Jetpack Backup. This plugin offers a user-friendly interface, allowing you to download your files and database on demand. Additionally, it provides automatic real-time backups, ensuring all your changes are consistently saved.
3. Manual Backup (Alternative): Alternatively, you can manually back up your WordPress site by using File Transfer Protocol (FTP) tools to download your files and phpMyAdmin to export your database. However, this method requires technical knowledge and is more time-consuming.

By creating a comprehensive backup of your WordPress site and database, either with a reliable backup plugin like Jetpack Backup or through manual methods, you can safeguard your website’s data and easily restore it if needed.

Step 3: Identify and Remove Malware from Your Site

After preparing your site, the next essential step is to detect and eliminate any potential malware. This involves a thorough examination of your database, files, and source code. Follow these steps to effectively identify malware without plagiarizing:

1. Utilize a Malware Scanner Tool: Utilize a reputable malware scanner tool like Malwarebytes to simplify the process. This tool scans your website, searching for malicious code and possible threats.
2. Manual Malware Identification: If you prefer a manual approach, carefully inspect each crucial area of your site for indications of infection. In your database, look for common syntaxes often used by cybercriminals (refer to Step 9 for examples of malicious PHP code).
3. Source Code Analysis: When analyzing your source code, pay close attention to two key attributes: “script” and “iframe.” Suspicious URLs or file names within lines starting with “script=>” or containing “iframe src=URL>” are often red flags for malware presence.