By far, WordPress is the most popular CMS , the most popular way to build any type of website. But as well as the main target of WordPress ...
By far, WordPress is the most popular CMS, the most popular way to build any type of website. But as well as the main target of WordPress hackers! - The sad news is that millions of WordPress sites are hacked every year. It's all right, isn't it? But the good news is, WordPress sites aren't hacked because they have special weaknesses in their software core. Any WordPress site is hacked for this purpose, but not to keep WordPress or site plugins updated or to use cheap and insecure hosting companies!
From this article, I will let you known how to hack a WordPress site, if unfortunately your WordPress site is hacked, what steps will you take? - So let's get started.
How are WordPress sites hacked?
So how is the WordPress site hacked? What are the main reasons behind the hacking? At least what does the data say? Well, according to the data most WordPress sites are hacked for backdated cores and plugins. According to Sucuri's 2017 report, 39.3% of the websites that Sucuri verified hacked were using out-of-date WordPress core software. So you understand, what a sweet relationship between using backdated core software and being hacked!
There is a lot more data, for example, according to WPScan's database, 64% of WordPress site errors are found only for the core software, especially in the later version of WordPress 3.X. However, having a WordPress core up-to-date can add an error to your site being hacked if you use a back-dated plugin or theme.
Many times many people use cracked themes or plugins, hackers inject malicious code into all these themes or plugins. Think for yourself why someone would give you paid things for free? This means you are the product yourself. However, there may be problems even after using the plugin or theme logically. Maybe the developer has dropped support for his theme or plugin. Maybe your theme or plugin is used by a lot of users, so hackers pay more attention. It could also be that the developer has released a security patch for the plugin but you haven't updated it yet but it's already been hacked!
Another big reason for hacking WordPress sites is to get services from cheap and backdated hosting companies. I have seen most of the Bengali customers are always looking for cheap hosting, ok there is no sin in looking for cheap, but you have to check their minimum qualifications before hosting the website of the company you are taking service from, right? Whether your hosting company is using the latest PHP version, their panels, web servers, database servers are all up to date. Moreover, there are many other matters that need special attention.
Many security updates have been made from PHP version 5 to PHP 7, but only 33% of WordPress sites are using PHP 7 or higher. Meanwhile, support for PHP 5.6 officially ended in late 2016. This means that if your hosting company is still after PHP 5.6 version, then think for yourself.
What to do after your WordPress site is hacked?
Even though you are very secure, you or your website can be hacked. But what do you do after being hacked?
The first thing is to stay calm. Being hacked doesn't mean it's all over, so don't be afraid. Stay calm. Don't get discouraged, bring energy in yourself. Because if you get frustrated or scared, you will make a mistake to make the right decision! 😛
After being hacked, first of all, you have to install the backup file of your website. If you use a plugin for backup, the documentary of that plugin will tell you how to install the backup. Which comes in a variety of different plugins.
So it is not possible to say here how to install. If you haven't backed up or used a plugin for backup, contact your hosting provider. They have daily, weekly and monthly backups of your website. Install backups of your site from them.
After installing the backup, log in to your site's database. Change the name of your database, prefix everything. Change the username you entered, along with your password. Also, check if there is any other user as admin. Many times the hacker creates a separate admin account for himself so that he can hack again later. So you must keep an eye on the subject.
Check Safe Browser
After running your site, you need to see if the site is safe with Google! Because many times phishing pages can be uploaded to any one folder. For this, you have to copy this URL, cut out example.com, and visit your website.
Check user permissions
If your site has more users then check the permissions of all your users. Many times your site can be hacked for user roles, so keep a close eye on this. And yes, ask your users to change their username and password.
Change the Salt or Secret key
Does Salt or Secret encrypt your important information? Which contains your wp-config.php in this folder. Many times a hacker puts his own salt in the middle of a wp-config file with which he can decrypt your confidential information.
So go to this link https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/ to make a salt and paste it in the wp-config.php file.
Delete unnecessary plugins and themes
Delete as soon as possible the plugins that you do not use. Also, check if there are any themes or plugins that can be updated. If so, update them quickly.
Remember that 50% of WordPress site hacks are due to these backdated plugins and themes. Most of the time the site is hacked because of the theme and plugin. And it's better to be 100 yards away from the Naled theme or plugin!
Scan
Scan your site thoroughly to see if there is any malware on your site. If you already use a security plugin, you can scan with it. If you do not use a security plugin, install a security plugin. My recommendation is that you can use the WordFence plugin. You can also scan using these web sites!
Be aware of hosting usage
Take a closer look at the hosting companies that your site is from. Many times the site can be hacked due to the weakness of the server. Don't buy hosting from such a company. This aspect is especially important for those who use shared hosting.
When a web site of shared hosting is hacked, many times the rest of the sites of that server are hacked. It is best not to use shared hosting. Although not everyone can use a VPS or Dedicated Server, it seems best to buy hosting from a good company.
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