How to detect and heal a WordPress virus on your site

Learn how to recognise and correctly remove a WordPress virus to protect your site from further threats.

I offer a wide range of professional WordPress-related services, including site security, virus diagnostics and removal, as well as optimisation advice. I invite you to visit the subpage WordPress specialist. I am also happy to provide support by telephone. Feel free to contact me: (+48) 579 066 987.

WordPress virus: What symptoms could indicate an infection?

A WordPress virus can manifest itself with a variety of symptoms that may indicate that your site has been infected. Here are some signals to monitor:

• Noticeable drop in site performance, e.g. slower loading.
• Suspicious redirects to unknown sites.
• Sudden and unusual changes to the site code.
• Newsletters or emails with false content to visitors.

How to effectively diagnose the presence of the virus?

Diagnosing a WordPress infection may not be a simple task, but there are methods that can significantly help to identify the problem:

Scanning with tools - There are specialised tools that allow you to scan your website for malware. One of the most popular is Wordfence - a powerful antivirus tool for WordPress that offers both free and paid plans.

Manual file analysis - Reviewing the site files to detect suspicious code is a more advanced way of diagnostics. It is worth noting changes in WordPress core files that may indicate the presence of a virus.

The most common sites of virus infection

Viruses in WordPress most commonly attack the following parts of the site:

• Core files - core WordPress files are a frequent target, as their modification allows extensive changes to the operation of the site.
• Plug-ins and themes - Infected plug-ins and themes can introduce viruses directly into the website code.
• Database - viruses can also infect the tables in the database, leading to undesirable changes to the site's content.

How do I remove a WordPress virus?

Removing a WordPress virus requires precise measures, which may include:

1. scanning and removal of threats

Once the malware has been identified, it is necessary to remove it. Tools such as WP Cerberus can prove invaluable here.

2. restore backup

If you regularly create backups, restoring one from before the infection may be the simplest solution.

3. updating and securing the site

An important step is to update all plugins and themes and WordPress itself to the latest version, which usually includes security fixes.

Protection of the site against future infections

To avoid similar problems in the future, I recommend taking the following steps:

• Regular updates all site components, including plug-ins, themes and the WordPress core itself.
• Using only tested plug-ins and themes sourced from trusted sources.
• Installing more than one security toolsuch as Wordfence i Securi.
• Regular creation backup and their safe storage away from the main site.

If you want to learn more about personalising and optimising your website, I invite you to read the article The Art of Website Personalisation with the Astra WordPress Template