Websites have now evolved from mere online platforms to dynamic hubs of interaction, commerce, and information exchange. Yet, this digital evolution has brought forth a parallel growth in the lurking threats of website viruses and malware. Picture this: your website is compromised, your data is vulnerable, your website crashes, and your reputation is tarnished. This is the sole reason to have a solid website defense.
During the year 2022, a staggering 5.5 billion instances of malware attacks reverberated across the globe, predominantly concentrated within the Asia-Pacific region. These attacks encompassed a variety of malicious strategies, with worms, viruses, ransomware, trojans, and backdoors standing as the most recurrently intercepted forms of assault. The reason why the attacks are reducing with the passing years is due to the stringent security techniques developed by security companies to get rid off website viruses.
Join us as we delve into the cryptic world of types of viruses, unravel the mystery of checking websites for viruses, and learn how to cleanse an infected site, all while fortifying the digital fortresses we call websites.
How to Detect Signs of Virus Infection on a Website
Identifying website virus infections can be challenging, often leading to unnoticed compromises. Regularly watch for potential indicators of infection, including:
- Performance Problems: Slow website loading, numerous errors, warnings, or browser/security software blocks.
- Traffic Alterations: Decreased search engine rankings and reduced visitor numbers.
- Unsanctioned Changes: Unexpected appearance of extra users, content, ads, or slow loading times, redirects to external sites on your domain.
- Access Difficulties: Inability to reach your website’s admin panel, potentially due to hackers altering passwords or removing users.
- Changes in Content: If you notice new, unauthorized content or defacement, your site might be compromised.
- Google Warnings: Google might flag your site as unsafe, deterring visitors and affecting SEO rankings.
What are the potential ways viruses can damage your website?
- Data Theft: Imagine cybercriminals stealthily making off with user data and sensitive credentials, leaving a trail of identity theft in their wake.
- SEO Damage: Website viruses have a sneaky way of thanking your SEO efforts, causing your website to plummet in search engine rankings or vanish altogether.
- Malicious Activities: From distributing malware to unsuspecting visitors to orchestrating cross-site attacks, website viruses can turn your website into a weapon without your consent.
- Downtime: Website viruses can cause your website to crash or experience prolonged downtime, leading to a loss of visitors and revenue.
- Spam Distribution: Infected websites might unknowingly distribute spam emails, harming your reputation and potentially getting your domain blacklisted.
- Phishing Attacks: Viruses can set up fake login pages to trick users into revealing their personal information.
- Backdoor Access: They might create hidden entry points that allow unauthorized access to your site for future attacks.
- Defacement: Website viruses can replace your website’s content with offensive or irrelevant material, damaging your brand image.
Common Website Viruses
Numerous types of website viruses exist, but you’ll frequently encounter the following ones:
1. SQL Injection
Attackers inject malicious code into web applications, granting them access to view and alter data, ultimately impacting content and behavior. Common entry points include signup/login forms, contact forms, and feedback fields, where visitors input information that can be exploited by attackers.
2. Local File Inclusion (LFI)
LFI tricks web applications into revealing or executing files on a server. These attacks can expose critical website information, potentially granting hackers administrator privileges. Websites that allow user file uploads are more susceptible to LFI.
3. Trojans
Disguised as legitimate programs, trojans gain access to your site. They often enter as email attachments or downloaded files. Once embedded, trojans can enable backdoor access, espionage of visitor activities, and theft of sensitive data. Unusual changes to your website’s settings could signal a trojan infection.
4. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)
Malicious code infiltrates seemingly secure websites, often in the form of browser-side scripts. Users unknowingly execute the injected code, which can expose sensitive browser information like cookies and session tokens. In severe cases, XSS attacks can even rewrite HTML page content.
5. Macro Viruses
These website viruses, written in macro languages used for software creation, target software applications rather than operating systems. They can infect any computer, regardless of the OS being used. Macro viruses spread by attaching their code to macros within documents or spreadsheets, often arriving through email attachments or phishing links.
How to Clean a Website After a Virus Attack?
Cleaning a website virus requires a careful and systematic approach. Here are the general steps to follow:
1. Isolate and Backup
Immediately take the infected site offline to prevent further damage. Create a backup of the infected site before you start cleaning so you have a reference point. You can do this from your cPanel.
2. Identify the Infection
Determine the type of malware or virus that has infected the site. Scan your site using reputable security tools to identify malicious files and vulnerabilities. To review your website files manually through an FTP client like FileZilla, watch out for potentially malicious files based on their names. Suspicious files often contain random combinations of words and numbers, or they might be slightly misspelled to deceive site owners (e.g., wp-logln.php instead of wp-login.php).
3. Remove Malicious Code
Carefully review the site’s code and files to identify and remove any malicious code or infected files. Clean or replace the compromised files with clean versions from your backup. When inspecting your site’s source code for suspicious activities, pay attention to script attributes and concealed iframes. Check for lines starting with <script src=> or <iframe src=> and verify whether the URLs or file names they point to are recognizable. Unfamiliar elements could indicate the presence of malicious scripts.
4. Change Passwords
Change all passwords associated with the website, including admin accounts, hosting, and FTP credentials. Use strong, unique passwords.
5. Scan and Clean Databases
Scan and clean the website’s database for any malicious entries. Remove unauthorized users or suspicious content. This can be done by accessing phpmyadmin through your hosting account.
6. Check for Backdoors
Look for hidden backdoors or vulnerabilities that attackers might have left behind. These can be used to regain access even after you’ve cleaned the site.
7. Google Search Console
If your site was flagged as compromised, use Google Search Console to request a review after cleaning. Access the Security & Manual Actions → Security Issues section to ascertain if your website is safe for visitors. This interface provides information about any security issues associated with your site and helps remove any warnings given by Google.
Steps to Keep Website Viruses At Bay
1. Use Reputable Website Scanning Tools
Utilize online website scanning tools. These tools analyze the website’s content, code, and links for signs of malware, phishing, or other malicious activity. They provide a report highlighting any potential threats found. Some of the best tools are:
- Sucuri SiteCheck: This tool scans websites for malware, blacklisting, and security issues. It also provides a detailed report on any potential threats found.
- VirusTotal: VirusTotal analyzes files and URLs using multiple antivirus engines to identify potential threats. It’s a useful tool for checking if a website or file is considered malicious by various security solutions.
- Google Safe Browsing: Google’s Safe Browsing service helps identify unsafe websites by comparing them against a list of known unsafe sites. It can be used via the Google Safe Browsing website or integrated into browsers.
- Qualys SSL Labs: While primarily focused on SSL/TLS security, this tool also evaluates overall website security, including vulnerabilities related to the server configuration.
- Norton Safe Web: Norton’s tool assesses websites for security issues, malware, phishing attempts, and scams. It provides safety ratings for websites based on its analysis.
- WOT (Web of Trust): This browser extension rates websites based on user feedback and provides warnings about potentially risky sites before you visit them.
- UpGuard Web Scan: This tool checks for security vulnerabilities on your website, including SSL/TLS issues, server misconfigurations, and potential data leaks.
- ScanMyServer: As the name suggests, ScanMyServer scans websites for common security vulnerabilities and provides suggestions for remediation.
- Quttera: Quttera scans websites for malware, suspicious code, and known vulnerabilities. It can help identify potential threats that might compromise a website’s security.
- Acunetix: While primarily a web vulnerability scanner, Acunetix can help identify security issues that might lead to malware infections or unauthorized access.
2. Check URL
Examine the website’s URL carefully. Verify that it’s spelled correctly and doesn’t contain any unusual characters. Cybercriminals often create fake websites with URLs that are slightly misspelled to trick users into thinking they’re on a legitimate site.
3. Enable Browser Security
Keep your browser’s security settings enabled and up to date. Modern browsers have features like built-in safe browsing, which warns you about potentially harmful websites before you access them. Make sure these features are active in your browser settings. To verify if your website is listed on Google’s blocklist, utilize Google Safe Browsing. Enter your domain to determine if Google identifies any unsafe content present on your site. If Google Safe Browsing indicates “No unsafe content found,” your website is considered safe.
4. Periodically Update Software
Periodically update your operating system, browser, and antivirus software. Software updates often include security patches that safeguard against known vulnerabilities. Outdated software can leave you more susceptible to online threats.
5. Make Use of an SSL Certificate
Look for a padlock icon next to the website’s URL in the browser’s address bar. This indicates a secure connection backed by a valid SSL certificate. The URL should start with “https://” instead of just “http://”. SSL certificates encrypt data exchanged between your device and the website, enhancing security.
6. Avoid Pop-ups
Be cautious of pop-ups, especially those that prompt you to download software or provide personal information. Legitimate websites generally don’t use excessive pop-ups or forceful requests for action. If a pop-up claims your system is infected, or you’ve won something out of the blue, take a moment to consider its legitimacy before taking any action. Many modern browsers have built-in pop-up blockers that can prevent most unwanted pop-ups from appearing. Also, ad blocker browser extensions can help prevent many malicious pop-ups from appearing.
7. Use Security Plugins
Consider using browser plugins or extensions that offer additional security. Ad blockers can prevent malicious ads and pop-ups from appearing. Script blockers can prevent potentially harmful scripts from running on websites. Here’s a list of security plugins that can offer protection from website viruses enhance the security of your website:
- Wordfence Security: A comprehensive security plugin for WordPress that offers firewall protection, malware scanning, login security, attack of website viruses, and more.
- Sucuri Security: Provides website monitoring, malware scanning, firewall protection, and helps clean up hacked websites.
- iThemes Security: Formerly known as Better WP Security, this plugin offers various security features, including malware scanning, login security, and brute force protection.
- All In One WP Security & Firewall: A user-friendly plugin that helps protect your WordPress site with features like firewall protection, user login security, and file integrity monitoring.
- BulletProof Security: Offers features like a firewall, login security, database backup, and file monitoring to protect WordPress websites.
- SecuPress: A security plugin with features such as a firewall, antispam, malware scanning, and vulnerability alerts.
- Jetpack Security: Part of the Jetpack plugin suite, it offers features like brute force protection, downtime monitoring, and automated malware scanning.
- Shield Security: Provides protection against brute force attacks, blocks bad bots, and offers email alerts for suspicious activity on your WordPress site.
- Cerber Security, Antispam & Malware Scan: Offers protection against brute force attacks, malware scanning, and antispam features for WordPress.
- Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall: Scans your WordPress site for website viruses and vulnerabilities and includes a firewall to prevent brute force attacks.
8. Check for Red Flags
Look out for signs of suspicious activity, like websites asking for sensitive information like passwords or credit card details without a valid reason. Be skeptical of offers that seem too good to be true or websites with unprofessional designs.
9. Examine Website Design
Poorly designed websites, broken links, or outdated content can be indicators of a compromised site. Cybercriminals might not pay attention to details, leading to inconsistencies in design and content.
Conclusion
If something doesn’t feel right about a website, it’s better to be cautious and exit. Cybercriminals often use psychological tactics to lure users into taking actions that compromise their security. Remember that while these steps are important, no method is perfect. Adopting a proactive approach to cybersecurity, website viruses strategies, and maintaining a general awareness of online threats will help you stay safe while browsing the web.
