WordPress CMS has risen to a giantly ample web community. Currently, over 60, 000 000 users go crazy for this CMS solution. Thanks to its versatility and huge customization options, WordPress is now considered to be #1 worldwide CMS solution. Though, alongside with the possibility to create a website requiring no specialized coding and programming skills – there comes one bold and huge backside. To be specific, WP popularity has made the hacking chance way more seducing and alluring than it has ever seemed before. Therefore, if your site is already broken – all of its web data is in total danger, not even mentioning the possibility of losing plenty of your visitors, customers and time. No matter whether you’re a seasoned or greeny WP user – to fix a hacked WP website and prevent the future threat is critical must-know for your online well-being.
From the moment the hack of your WordPress CMS has been detected – you have to repair your site, fix the damage and prevent it from occurring once again.
Handling the Problem
Take down your website for repair.
To accomplish this goal, you have to change the password for the hacked WP website. The password can be reached through the hosting control panel. Once this goal has been reached – it’s possible to manage the database files again.
Update your wp-config.php file to witness the password changes.
If you’ve got some sort of programming or coding skills – this task would not be hard to implement. Though, in case you are not keen in technical knowledge – reach for developer’s or support assistance.
Repair your WordPress site.
To complete this task, rename the directory where you’ve installed WordPress to something like “mysite.old”. When ready, create a new folder with the same name as the one you just accomplished (it may be “mysite”). Once done, your site will be offline.
Cleaning Up the Site
Let everybody know about the hack.
Explain your visitors, employees, clients that your site has been hacked and it’s down for repair. By doing that, you reduce confusion and show that you’re handling the situation.
Revise your database.
Go through and polish all of your content with malware and virus scanning software. It’s strongly recommended to schedule this task for fulfilling it on a regular basis. This one enhances chances plenty times for a safe web being.
Delete all the themes and plugins.
For starting from a fresh list, make sure to get rid of all the weakest points of WordPress installation. Delete your old plugins, the ones that are not used.
Launch a new copy of WordPress.
In case you were using the hosting provider’s one-click install application – delete the old WP version before reaching to the new directory.
Final Pieces of Advice
Making sure your site will never be hacked again
Once fixed the already occurred hack – take care to never face this again. Chances are that the following guidances are infinity times easier than figuring website troubles again:
Back up your content
To avoid the troubles of recreating the lost data – simply backup your website data. This type of service may be offered by your hosting provider packaged or added-on.
Use the benefits of your managed hosting
Far from everyone has the skills and need to become a WP expert. So that spend money on a host specialized in WordPress, or simply a third-party CMS management service.
Control your site and server
Using monitoring tools enables keeping control over your web site data and its traffic.
Summing it all up, whether you’re reading this article to prevent and save your CMS from any possible break-downs, or to cure the ones already happened – hopefully these small recommendations helped to accomplish both these goals.
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