Be the first to write a review
What to Do if Your Site has been Hacked
Linda explains how to handle that situation
What if you uploaded a blog, committed to backups, installed all the right plugins (like a firewall) and kept WordPress up to date and still get hacked? In this article, Linda explains how to handle that situation.
Conclusion
One of the best plugins I've ever used to block attacks is WordPress Firewall Plugin. This plugin whitelists and blacklists pathological-looking phrases based on which field they appear within in a page request (unknown/numeric parameters vs. known post bodies, comment bodies, etc.). In the process, it can detect, intecept, and log suspicious-looking parameters — and prevent them compromising WordPress.
You can set this plugin up to email attacks to you...but don't become alarmed when you see the attacks, especially if you get more than five in a row. Robots, smart as they are, are dumb when it comes to attacking a site. They may try in several places within your site before they move on. And, although you know about the attack and may even be able to acquire an IP address that shows the attack's origin, I learned that the IP may be temporary or even a fake one that was set up for hacking.
The only thing you can do, possibly, is to notify your host server about the IP address. But, don't do this too often, or your host server may begin to wonder why your site is being attacked. Mainly, the email updates are to assure you that the firewall is working. Bravo, and yay.
Otherwise, keep backing up your site, through whatever tool makes you happy, and proceed with your blogging.
Linda Goin
Linda Goin carries an A.A. in graphic design, a B.F.A. in visual communications with a minor in business and marketing and an M.A. in American History with a minor in the Reformation. While the latter degree doesn't seem to fit with the first two educational experiences, Linda used her 25-year design expertise on archaeological digs and in the study of material culture. Now she uses her education and experiences in social media experiments.
Accolades for her work include fifteen first-place Colorado Press Association awards, numerous fine art and graphic design awards, and interviews about content development with The Wall St. Journal, Chicago Tribune, Psychology Today, and L.A. Times.