12 Signs Your WordPress Site Is Hacked (And How to Fix It)

Has your WordPress site been acting strange lately? Maybe you were locked out of the admin dashboard or noticed some sketchy links popping up on your homepage. These are just a couple of the many signs that your site may have fallen victim to hackers.

WordPress is a popular target for cybercriminals because of its widespread usage – over 40% of all websites use WordPress. It‘s estimated that over 30,000 websites get hacked every day, many of them WordPress sites.

Even big names aren‘t immune. In 2022, Fast Company‘s WordPress-based site was defaced by hackers posting vulgar notifications to Apple News users. Reuters, Imgur, and the LA Times have all seen their WordPress sites compromised in recent years too.

If you suspect your own site has been hacked, don‘t panic. By catching the signs early, you can minimize damage and recover quickly. Here‘s what to look for and how to fortify your WordPress site‘s defenses.

1. Your Site Is Suddenly Unavailable

One of the most obvious signs you‘ve been hacked is that your website has disappeared. Poof. Visitors get an error message that your site can‘t be reached. Instead of your homepage, there‘s a ransom note from hackers demanding payment to restore your site.

This is the digital equivalent of a smashed storefront. Hackers may deface your site with their own messaging to show off their exploits or try to extort you. While alarming, this "sledgehammer" approach is thankfully less common than stealthier hacks that try to go unnoticed.

2. Unwelcome Changes to Your Homepage

Sometimes hackers take a more targeted approach to site defacement. Instead of breaking your entire site, they alter just the homepage or specific pages.

You may see:

• Unfamiliar text or images mocking your brand
• Redirects that immediately push visitors to spam sites
• Malware-laced ads or scam affiliate links
• Crypto mining scripts that siphon your server resources

If you spot any unauthorized content on your WordPress site, it‘s a glaring red flag. Your site is likely hacked and may be spreading malware to visitors. Start the recovery process right away.

3. You Can‘t Get Into WordPress

Another heart-stopping moment is when you try to log into your WordPress dashboard…and nothing happens. Your password fails. Did you mistype it? Is your mind going? Nope – you‘ve probably been hacked.

Bad actors know that admin accounts are the key to controlling WordPress sites. They deploy bots to "brute force" accounts by trying thousands of password combinations. Once they‘re in, they change the password to lock you out.

According to a 2021 data breach report, credentials are the most sought-after data type in hacking-related breaches. Safeguard your logins with strong, unique passwords and two-factor authentication.

4. Your Admin Email Changed Without Your Knowledge

Hackers won‘t just change your password. Often, they‘ll also switch the admin email address to one they control. That way, any "forgot password" reset links go to them instead of you. Sneaky.

If you can still access your WordPress dashboard, immediately check your site‘s user list. Head to "All Users" and look for any unfamiliar email addresses, especially in Administrator roles. If an important email was changed, that‘s a major clue you‘ve been compromised.

5. Your Site Speed Has Tanked

With WordPress sites, slow-loading pages aren‘t always just an annoyance. They can be a symptom of a deeper security breach.

Hackers may inject bloated malware into your site‘s code or run resource-hogging spam scripts in the background. Some secretly weaponize your server in DDoS attacks or to mine cryptocurrency. All this extra activity can bring your site to a crawl.

Of course, there are plenty of innocent reasons for slowness too, like unoptimized images or outdated plugins. But if your WordPress site has slowed to a snail‘s pace out of the blue, malicious meddling could be why.

6. Your Site Is Spawning Spam

WordPress comment and contact form spam is nothing new. But if you‘ve diligently implemented anti-spam measures and still see junky links or nonsensical comments proliferating, hacker bots may be to blame.

Spammers take advantage of hacked sites to:

• "Linkjack" SEO benefits and funnel your traffic to their sites
• Spread malware to your visitors via malicious downloads
• Sneak backlinks into your content to game search engine rankings

If spam is popping up faster than you can squash it, you‘re probably dealing with more than just garden-variety bots. There‘s likely a backdoor on your site allowing spam networks full access.

7. Weird Redirects Are Happening

You‘re browsing your site – and suddenly you‘re not. Without clicking, you‘re whisked away to an adult site or online pharmacy. What the heck just happened? You experienced a malicious redirect, a telltale sign of a hacked WordPress site.

Redirect hacks come in a few flavors:

• Pushing all site visitors to spam/malware immediately
• Selectively redirecting only visitors from search engines
• Hiding behind innocent-looking links that redirect offsite

To add insult to injury, hackers often disguise these redirects so they don‘t affect logged-in admins. You may have to logout or use a different browser to spot them.

8. Your Database Has Ballooned In Size

Bloat doesn‘t just happen in your WordPress files. Hackers can also inject malicious code directly into your database. A common tactic is using SQL injection to trick your database into running the hacker‘s commands.

Some signs your WordPress database has been compromised:

• Abnormally large or rapidly growing db size
• Unfamiliar admin accounts that keep reappearing after deletion
• Spam links in your posts‘ HTML that aren‘t visible in the editor

WordPress security plugins like Wordfence include tools to scan your database for malware. If you find any, you‘ll need to clean your database and carefully review your other data for secondary hacks.

9. Unexpected File Changes

WordPress is made up of a lot of files – over 2,000 in the default install alone. Hackers bank on busy site owners not having tabs on every single one. They‘ll modify files to execute malicious code or add new ones to create backdoors.

Some key files hackers often meddle with:

• wp-config.php (WordPress‘ main configuration file)
• .htaccess (Apache server configuration file)
• index.php (site homepage)
• functions.php (theme functions)

Use a tool like Sucuri‘s free SiteCheck scanner to verify the integrity of your WordPress core files. Be wary of any files in your wp-content directory with "eval" or "base64" in the name – those are common red flags for hacks.

10. Google Raises a Security Alert

Having Google flag your site with a big scary "This site may be hacked" or "This site may harm your computer" message is a nightmare scenario. Once blacklisted, your organic traffic and search rankings will plummet as visitors understandably steer clear.

Google‘s safe browsing checker will alert you ASAP if it detects malware, phishing, or other nefarious activity on your site. If you get the dreaded "Dangerous" label, work with your web host to submit a malware review request and restore your good standing.

Prevention is key here. Register your site with Google Search Console so you‘ll get notified right away about any security issues. Proactively monitoring your site‘s safety signals can stop a hack from spiraling into a full-blown crisis.

11. Strange Emails Ostensibly From Your Domain

Another side effect of a hacked WordPress site is that scammers can use it to blast spam emails without your consent. They exploit your site‘s server and built-in mail function to stealthily leapfrog filters and get their junk into more inboxes.

If colleagues or customers report getting suspicious emails from your domain out of the blue – beware. These phishing attempts often contain malicious attachments or links intended to steal sensitive info like login credentials.

Even if the emails aren‘t openly malicious, sudden floods of spam with your domain name can still wreck your sender reputation and land you on blocklists. Investigate any unusual email activity ASAP.

12. New, Unfamiliar User Accounts

Finally, one of the most common calling cards of a hacked WordPress site is mysterious new user accounts. Attackers exploit holes in your site‘s security to create admin accounts for themselves. Then they have free reign to install malware, steal data, or spam visitors.

Head to "Users" in your WordPress dashboard and look for any usernames you don‘t recognize – especially Administrator level accounts you didn‘t create. Also scrutinize existing accounts for any that may have been secretly promoted to Admin.

Even if the usernames look normal, check the associated email addresses. Hackers like to leapfrog off established accounts by changing emails to their own. Delete unfamiliar or duplicated accounts right away.

What To Do If You Spot Signs Of a Hack

If you notice any of the red flags above, it‘s important to act fast. The longer hackers have access to your site, the more damage they can do. Here are the key steps to take:

1. Inform your web host about the breach
2. Reset all WordPress-related passwords (hosting, FTP, database, etc.)
3. Update WordPress core, themes, and plugins to latest versions
4. Delete any themes or plugins you‘re not actively using
5. Carefully scan all files for malicious code and remove hacked content
6. Check your WordPress database for suspicious entries
7. Notify visitors if you were inadvertently spreading malware
8. Implement WordPress hardening and security best practices (see below)

This can be a lot to handle on your own. If you‘re not comfortable cleaning a hacked WordPress site yourself, contact a professional service like Sucuri. They can help restore your site and its reputation quickly.

How to Protect Your WordPress Site From Future Hacks

Once your site is in the clear, it‘s crucial to take steps to prevent future breaches. Some key things you can do:

1. Choose a secure web host with a firewall and malware scanning
2. Enforce strong password policies and enable two-factor authentication
3. Limit login attempts to block brute force attacks
4. Keep WordPress core, plugins, and themes updated
5. Install an SSL certificate and make sure your site uses HTTPS
6. Regularly backup your WordPress site, especially before updates
7. Consider a web application firewall (WAF) to intercept threats
8. Make a habit of monitoring key security metrics

Here‘s a checklist you can use to ensure your site is set up securely:

One area that‘s poised to be a game-changer in WordPress security is artificial intelligence. AI-powered tools can now automatically detect malware, phishing attacks, spam, and other threats based on user behavior analysis.

As hackers get sneakier, using AI and machine learning to quickly spot anomalies will become an essential weapon in the fight against site breaches. Tools like Defender, Akismet, and Wordfence are already harnessing AI to protect millions of WordPress sites from emerging cyber threats.

You‘ve Got This

With 30,000 websites hacked every day, the threat can feel overwhelming. But by knowing the signs to watch for and putting the right security measures in place, you can keep your corner of the web safe.

Even if you do get blindsided by a breach, all is not lost. Taking smart, swift actions to clean your hacked WordPress site can minimize lasting harm to your traffic, SEO, and reputation.

So stay alert, keep your site‘s defenses up to date, and know that you‘ve got what it takes to outwit hackers. Your WordPress site is worth protecting.