I’ve discussed Nemonn, the WordPress malware hack. It’s important to follow some simple safety to get rid of malware and to keep it from spreading.
1. Get It Off Your Server. For the blogger their WordPress dashboard is the only access they have to their site. To clean out malware you’ll need to FTP access and tenacity to search through hundreds of files. Infected files can’t be seen in the WordPress dashboard and it’s important to remove them from the server. If code is left on the server, there’s the risk of reinfection.
2. Get It All. When cleaning out hacked code aim to clear it all out. Part of the code can change the appearance of your website and it can be an “opening” or “hole” for the hacker to access your site again and install a new hack. The more thorough the clean up means you probably won’t be cleaning up again, and again.
3. Don’t Follow the Links. You may see that the infected code has links to other websites. Don’t be tempted to investigate these sites. That means don’t type the link into your browser and look at the website! These are sites put up by a hacker… do you really think they’re going to be safe for your computer?
4. Close the Door. Don’t forget… change your server login, your FTP login, and your WordPress dashboard login just in case the hacker gained access through these access points!
5. Strengthen the Passwords. The hacker got into your site once… make it harder for them to get in again by not only changing passwords but beefing up your passwords. I don’t mean just adding a number to your current password– get a new, stronger password. If you’ve been using your pet’s name you’ll need to give it up: Change it from “Fido” to “5mypup63#u”. Make it long, make it strong.
