Is your site protected against malware attacks?
Last week our website came under attack by a virus which injected some malware into the website. It’s a crafty bit of software. At first you’re not sure what it is; your site reacts slowly, it brings up companies and pages that aren’t you. You try and log into the back end and all you get is a blank screen.
We were fortunate to have our own in-house team that can remove malware. For many the removal of the virus is just the beginning of the problem. Malware often contains code which destroys your site structure which may require your developer to reinstall the WordPress files and in some cases you may lose all your content.
We had also backed up the site so the content we had put up we had on file and we were up and running again within about 10 minutes. Others aren’t so lucky. One client came to us recently and their site had been so badly attacked that it wasn’t functioning. The cost for repairing the site and reinstalling it was considerable.
The incidence of malware infecting WordPress websites has rocketed in the past 12 months. It is thought that as many as 75 per cent of sites don’t have the sufficient security to enable them to beat a malware attack.
Most companies don’t have access to the resources we do to get themselves back on their feet so we suggest that our clients get up to speed and keep on top of their web security. Here’s what we recommend having in place for your website:
- Update WordPress – this usually needs doing every 3-4 months. It will have security updates and also ensure your site runs in its most optimised format.
- Update all the plug-ins so that the latest malware vulnerabilities are addressed.
- Install a security plug-in to help fight off attacks.
- Use software to back up your website daily or weekly so that if you are attacked you can simply load up a previous version of your site and be up and running again in no time.
If you think you’ve been hacked and want to check then drop me a line at Gavin@BHMMedia.com and we’ll run a check. Similarly, if you need help with hosting and security then get in touch and we’ll give you some advice.
