Steps to Recover a Hacked Website

Discovering your website has been hacked can be stressful. Attackers might deface pages, inject malware, steal data, add spam links, or use your server for malicious activities. Swift and thorough action is required to regain control, clean the site, and prevent future breaches.

Immediate Steps

  1. Take the Site Offline (Optional but Recommended): Put up a temporary maintenance page (`503 Service Unavailable`) to prevent visitors from accessing potentially harmful content and stop attackers from doing further damage while you investigate.
  2. Contact Your Hosting Provider: Inform them immediately. They can provide valuable assistance, check server logs you might not have access to, and confirm if other sites on shared hosting are affected. They might temporarily suspend the site anyway if it's causing issues.
  3. Change All Passwords: Immediately change passwords for your hosting account, FTP/SFTP/SSH users, CMS admin accounts (WordPress, Joomla, etc.), database users, and potentially your email account associated with the domain. Use strong, unique passwords.
  4. Identify the Hack (If Possible): Note the symptoms. Is the site redirecting? Are there strange files? Is Google showing warnings? Are there new, unknown admin users? This helps focus the cleanup.

Cleaning the Website

This is the most critical and often complex part.

  1. Backup the Current (Hacked) Site: Although compromised, this backup might be needed for forensic analysis later if required. Store it securely offline.
  2. Scan for Malware and Vulnerabilities:
    • Use server-side scanners provided by your host or security services like Sucuri, Wordfence, MalCare.
    • Use external scanners (like Sucuri SiteCheck) to check the publicly visible site.
    • Manually inspect files, looking for recently modified files, strange filenames, obfuscated code (long strings of random characters, `eval(base64_decode(...))`), unfamiliar PHP functions, or suspicious scripts in `.htaccess`, `index.php`, theme headers/footers, and upload directories. Check the database for injected spam content or unexpected admin users.
  3. Restore from a Known Clean Backup: If you have a reliable backup taken *before* the hack occurred, restoring it is often the quickest and safest way to ensure a clean slate. However, you *must* still identify and fix the vulnerability that allowed the hack in the first place, or it will likely happen again.
  4. Manual Cleanup (If No Clean Backup): This is painstaking.
    • Remove any identified malicious files or code injections.
    • Replace *all* core CMS files (e.g., WordPress core) with fresh copies downloaded from the official source. Do NOT overwrite your `wp-config.php` file or `wp-content` directory initially.
    • Reinstall *all* themes and plugins from official sources after deleting the existing ones. Do not simply update, as malicious code could remain. Manually re-apply customizations if necessary.
    • Carefully inspect the `wp-content/uploads` directory (or equivalent) for executable files (.php, .js) that shouldn't be there.
    • Inspect database tables (especially `wp_users`, `wp_options`, posts, comments) for suspicious content, links, or users.

Securing the Website Post-Cleanup

  1. Identify and Fix the Vulnerability: This is crucial. How did the attacker get in? Was it an outdated plugin/theme? A weak password? An insecure server configuration? Use scan results and logs to pinpoint the entry point and patch it (update software, strengthen passwords, configure firewall rules).
  2. Update Everything: Ensure your CMS, all themes, all plugins, PHP version, and server software are fully up-to-date.
  3. Implement Security Best Practices:
    • Use strong, unique passwords everywhere.
    • Install and configure a reputable security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, Sucuri Security for WordPress).
    • Limit login attempts.
    • Implement two-factor authentication (2FA) for admin accounts.
    • Regularly back up your website (files and database) and store backups securely offsite.
    • Harden server configurations (file permissions, disable unnecessary services).

Requesting Reviews

  1. Check Google Search Console: Verify your site and check the "Security Issues" report.
  2. Request Review from Google: Once you are *certain* the site is clean and secure, submit a review request via Search Console. Explain the steps you took.
  3. Check Other Blacklists: Use tools to see if your site is listed on other malware/phishing blacklists and follow their specific removal procedures.

Recovering from a hack takes time and diligence. Prioritize finding the entry point and securing the site to prevent recurrence.