{"id":2162,"date":"2021-05-23T16:05:24","date_gmt":"2021-05-23T20:05:24","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/blogamigo.com\/?p=2162"},"modified":"2021-07-22T10:35:42","modified_gmt":"2021-07-22T14:35:42","slug":"how-wordpress-sites-get-hacked","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blogamigo.com\/how-wordpress-sites-get-hacked\/","title":{"rendered":"How WordPress Sites Get Hacked [And What You Can Do]"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

In one of our previous posts, we considered why WordPress is the best website builder<\/a>. In this article, we will consider an issue that is of great concern to site owners, and that’s; ‘How WordPress sites get hacked.’<\/p>\n\n\n\n

One of the biggest challenges website owners encounter is having their WordPress site hacked. Before you realize what\u2019s happening, your website is offline. Traffic stops, and all the time, effort, and money you invested into creating your website are lost.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Detecting the problem and fixing it are not easy tasks. However, they are not as difficult as regaining the trust of your readers or removing your website from spam blacklists.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Although it is not new for websites to be hacked, it is common.  The wide popularity of WordPress and its huge features make it a target for hackers.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

In 2012, over 170,000 WordPress sites were hacked. In this article, I will discuss why hackers hack WordPress sites, how they hack them, how to know if your site is at the risk of being hacked, and what you can do to prevent your site from being hacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you are own a WordPress website, this is an important article that you should read to the end.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How To Know If Your WordPress Website Is At Risk<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

How do you know that your WordPress website is at the risk of being hacked? Here are some signs that you need to pay attention to:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. You cannot log in<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If you are not able to log in to your site, it may imply that your site has been hacked. You may also be unable to log in if you have forgotten your password. So before assuming that your site has been hacked, reset your password. If you\u2019re unable to reset your password, that\u2019s a warning. Even if you can reset your password, your site may still have been hacked, and you need to carry out more investigation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Hackers often change user passwords to prevent them from having access to the site\u2019s dashboard. If you cannot reset your password, your site could have been hacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Your website has changed<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Another form of hacking is replacing the site\u2019s homepage with a static page. If your site\u2019s appearance is different and it\u2019s not using your theme, then it has probably been hacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The changes may not be easily noticeable (for instance, adding links to some pages). If you notice that your footer contains links that you did not add (especially if the font size is small), your site could have been hacked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before concluding, confirm with other site administrators to ensure they did not make the changes by mistake.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019ve recently updated your theme and notice it is not from a reputable source, that could be the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Your website is redirecting<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hackers can sometimes add a script that will redirect your website when people visit it. This may be a website that you don\u2019t want your audience to visit.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Before you conclude that your site has been hacked, check to see if your server is not having issues because it could also be a result of insecurity on your server. This is why it is important to use high-quality hosting<\/a>. If the issue is from the server, change your hosting provider quickly and you will be able to fix the problem.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. You\u2019re getting warnings from your browser<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

If your browser keeps warning you that your site is compromised, then it could be a sign that hackers have hacked your website. It could also be a sign that some codes in one of the themes or plugins need to be removed. The issue may also stem from SSL or domains.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Go through the warning given by your browser and pay attention to the advice in the warning to know what to do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Warnings from search engines<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

When you search for a particular site, you may get a warning from Google<\/a>. This may mean that hackers have hacked the website\u2019s sitemap, thereby affecting the way Google crawls the site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Why Do WordPress Websites Get Hacked?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

There are many reasons why WordPress sites get hacked. Listed below are some of the commonest reasons:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1. Unfixed issues<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

There is something known as a vulnerability scan in your PC\u2019s anti-virus software. This is an application that is designed to find the different ways hackers can use to corrupt the files or systems on your computer. The application also suggests the fixes that need to be done when the issues are found.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Unfortunately, hackers can also use the same method to scan for possible ways they can use to hack your site. As a result, ensure you always check your website for vulnerabilities and fix them once you find them.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

2. Poor security<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Most business owners do not know how easy it is for their site to be hacked. That is why most site owners do not bother to make their access codes to their servers difficult to guess. This can make you vulnerable to hackers who create a series of passwords for your website until they find the right one within seconds if the password is easy to guess.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

3. Issues with plugins<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Hackers spend lots of time on the internet looking for loopholes in the makeup of websites that they can use to gain access. A common way that hackers use is to gain access through faulty plugins. This is why you need to have plugins that are reliable and updated with the most recent patch on your site.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

4. Exposure to automatic attack<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Although it is user-friendly and convenient to have your website run on WordPress since it makes it easy to make updates and changes and also creates new content to make your site relevant in the search engines, this exposes your site to automatic attacks referred to as bots. Although the bots are not malicious, however, they can easily infest your site if you don\u2019t get rid of them immediately.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

5. Increase in the size of the website<\/h4>\n\n\n\n

Popularity can sometimes harm your website. Some of the attacks on a website are a result of the users visiting the site, and the number of people the hacker can exploit through your site with the aid of malware and spam. As your site grows, you need to pay attention to what people are downloading from your site so that you can prevent them from tarnishing your company\u2019s reputation.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

How Do WordPress Sites Get Hacked?<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now that you know why WordPress sites get hacked, let\u2019s move on and consider the ways hackers use in hacking websites.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to WP Template\u2019s infographic<\/a>, hackers gain access to WordPress sites through these points of entry:<\/p>\n\n\n\n