Many individuals frequently inquire about how to know if my WordPress website is compromised.

Identifying specific unmistakable indicators can assist in uncovering a compromised or hacked WordPress site.

This informative article sheds light on the most prevalent signs that indicate your WordPress site may have been hacked. 

1. There is a Sudden Drop in Website Traffic

If you analyze your analytics reports and notice a sudden decline in website traffic, even with Google Analytics properly configured, it could indicate a potential hacking incident affecting your WordPress site.

Multiple factors can contribute to a sudden drop in traffic.

For example, the presence of malware on your website might be causing non-logged-in visitors to be redirected to spammy websites.

Another possibility is that Google’s safe browsing tool is issuing warnings to users about potential risks associated with your website.

Google’s safe browsing tool actively blacklists approximately 10,000 websites daily due to malware-related issues, and thousands more are flagged for phishing activities. 

This highlights the critical importance of prioritizing WordPress security for all website owners.

To assess the safety of your website, you can utilize Google’s safe browsing tool to generate a comprehensive safety report. 

This enables you to evaluate any potential security vulnerabilities and take appropriate actions to mitigate risks.

2. You Notice Bad Links Added to Your Website

Data injection serves as a prevalent indicator of a compromised WordPress site. In such instances, hackers establish a backdoor that grants them unauthorized access to manipulate both the WordPress files and the database.

Certain hacks involve the addition of links to spammy websites. These links are typically inserted in the website’s footer, although their placement can vary. Merely deleting the links does not ensure their permanent eradication.

To resolve this issue, it becomes imperative to locate and address the backdoor responsible for injecting illicit data into your website. 

3. If  Your Website’s Homepage is Defaced

The visibility of a defaced homepage is often the most evident sign of a hacking incident on your website.

In most cases, hackers prefer not to deface the homepage as they aim to maintain a low profile and prolong undetected access.

Nevertheless, there are instances where hackers deface websites to announce their successful breaches. 

Such intruders typically replace your homepage with their own message, and in some instances, they may even attempt to extort money from website owners.

4. If You are Unable to Login into WordPress

In the event that you encounter difficulties accessing your WordPress site, it is plausible that unauthorized individuals have eradicated your administrative account from the WordPress platform.

Consequently, your ability to initiate a password reset via the login page becomes futile due to the nonexistence of the account.

Alternate methods, such as incorporating phpMyAdmin or FTP, can be employed to establish a new administrative account. 

However, it is imperative to note that the security of your site will remain compromised until the entry point utilized by the hackers is identified and rectified.

5. Suspicious User Accounts in WordPress

In the event that your website permits user registration without implementing any safeguards against spam, the emergence of spam user accounts can be regarded as typical spam that can be easily eradicated.

However, if you have no recollection of enabling user registration yet continue to witness the creation of new user accounts within WordPress, it is highly probable that your website has fallen victim to a hacking incident.

Typically, these suspicious accounts will possess the privileges of an administrator user role, and there may arise situations where you encounter difficulties in removing them directly from your WordPress admin area.

6. Unknown Files and Scripts on Your Server

When utilizing site scanner plugins, these tools play a vital role in notifying you of any unidentified files or scripts discovered on your server, bolstering your website’s security measures.

To locate these files, establishing a connection to your WordPress site using an FTP client is necessary. 

It is within the /wp-content/ folder that malicious files and scripts tend to reside, making it a common breeding ground for such threats.

These files often bear names that closely resemble WordPress files, allowing them to camouflage in plain sight. 

In order to identify these elusive intrusions, conducting a comprehensive audit of your file and directory structure becomes imperative. 

However, it is important to note that merely deleting these files does not provide a foolproof guarantee against their potential reappearance.

By remaining vigilant and employing proactive security measures, such as consistent monitoring and regular scans, you can significantly reduce the likelihood of encountering these insidious files and scripts, fortifying your website’s defenses and ensuring a safer online environment for both you and your visitors.

7. Your Website is Often Slow or Unresponsive

In the vast realm of the internet, every website, without exception, possesses the potential to fall victim to the capricious onslaught of random denial of service (DoS) or distributed denial of service (DDoS) attacks. 

These pernicious attacks cunningly utilize an assemblage of compromised computers and servers spanning the globe, adeptly concealing their origins through the utilization of counterfeit IP addresses.

These attacks manifest in various forms, ranging from the bombardment of excessive requests upon your server to active and relentless attempts to breach the fortifications of your website.

The repercussions of such malicious activities are unequivocally detrimental, leading to the gradual deterioration of your website’s performance, rendering it lethargic, unresponsive, and ultimately unavailable. 

One potential recourse entails scrutinizing your server logs to identify the IPs responsible for the deluge of requests and implementing measures to block them. 

However, this course of action may prove inadequate in the face of an overwhelming number of assailants or the ever-shifting nature of the hackers’ IP addresses.

It is crucial to acknowledge that the sluggishness afflicting your WordPress site may not necessarily be indicative of a hacking incident. 

8. Unusual Activity in Server Logs

Stored within your web server are the invaluable artifacts known as server logs, humble text files that serve as custodians of a wealth of information. These logs dutifully chronicle every error that befalls your server, meticulously documenting the ebb and flow of your internet traffic.

Accessing these files is a seamless endeavor, for they reside within the sanctum of your WordPress hosting account’s cPanel dashboard, tucked away within the realm of Statistics.

These server logs hold the key to unraveling the enigmatic occurrences that transpire when your WordPress site finds itself under siege. Within their digital pages, a comprehensive roster of IP addresses awaits, divulging the identities of those who have ventured upon your online domain. 

Armed with this knowledge, you possess the power to cast a shield of protection, effortlessly obstructing the passage of suspicious IP addresses.

Furthermore, these logs act as sentinels, alerting you to the presence of server errors that may elude detection within the confines of your WordPress dashboard. Unbeknownst to you, these covert maladies may silently trigger cataclysmic crashes or render your cherished website unresponsive.

In the realm of server logs lies a treasury of insight, guiding you through the labyrinthine landscape of your digital fortress, unveiling the hidden truths that govern its resilience and fortitude.

9. Failure to Send or Receive WordPress Emails

Hacked servers have found themselves unwitting accomplices in the nefarious realm of spam propagation. A prevalent practice among WordPress hosting companies involves providing users with complimentary email accounts as part of their hosting package. 

Consequently, numerous WordPress site proprietors leverage the mail servers offered by their hosting providers to facilitate the transmission of WordPress emails.

Alas, should you encounter the disheartening inability to dispatch or receive WordPress emails, a disconcerting possibility arises: your mail server may have fallen victim to a pernicious hacking endeavor, now commandeered to disseminate waves of unsolicited spam messages.

10. Suspicious Scheduled Tasks

Web servers provide the option to create cron jobs, which are pre-planned tasks that can be added to your server. 

Cron is utilized by WordPress to schedule various tasks such as publishing posts and getting rid of old comments. 

However, if a hacker gains unauthorized access to cron jobs, they can execute pre-planned tasks on your server without your awareness.

11. Hijacked Search Results

In the event that the search results of your website exhibit erroneous titles or meta descriptions, it serves as a clear indication that your WordPress site may have fallen victim to a hacking incident.

Upon inspection of your WordPress site, you will find that the displayed title and description remain unaffected and accurate. 

However, behind the scenes, a malicious hacker has cunningly taken advantage of a backdoor entry point, enabling them to surreptitiously introduce malevolent code into your site’s data structure. 

The result is a subtle modification that exclusively manifests itself within the realm of search engines, remaining concealed from the direct view of regular visitors.

To address this disconcerting situation, prompt action is imperative. It is crucial to conduct a thorough investigation of your WordPress site’s security vulnerabilities, fortify its defenses, and eliminate any traces of the hacker’s unauthorized presence. 

By promptly rectifying this breach, you can safeguard your website’s reputation, restore the accuracy of search results, and provide a secure browsing experience for your valued visitors.

12. Popups or Pop Under Ads on Your Website

The objective of these particular hacks revolves around financial gain, achieved through the exploitation of your website’s traffic by redirecting it to its own spam advertisements.

It is important to note that these intrusive pop-up ads are not visible to logged-in visitors or individuals accessing the website directly. 

Rather, they exclusively target users arriving at the website through search engine referrals. These pop-under ads are designed to open in a new window, cleverly evading user detection and remaining inconspicuous.

Such tactics are employed by hackers to generate revenue by capitalizing on the unsuspecting users who inadvertently stumble upon these spam advertisements. 

By understanding the methods utilized in these hacks, you can implement effective countermeasures to protect your website’s integrity and ensure a secure browsing experience for your visitors.

13. Core WordPress Files Are Changed

Should any alterations or modifications be detected within your core WordPress files, it serves as a significant indicator that your WordPress site has fallen victim to hacking.

In some instances, hackers may choose to modify an existing core WordPress file and embed their malicious code within it. Alternatively, they might create files that bear resemblances to the original WordPress core files.

To effectively identify and track such illicit activities, consider installing a reliable WordPress security plugin that offers comprehensive monitoring capabilities for the health of your core WordPress files. 

Additionally, you can manually inspect your WordPress folders to scrutinize the presence of any suspicious files or scripts that may have been clandestinely injected by unauthorized entities.

By proactively employing these precautionary measures, you fortify the security of your WordPress site and minimize the potential impact of hacking attempts.

14. Users Are Randomly Redirected to Unknown Websites

In the event that your website is directing visitors to unfamiliar destinations, it serves as a crucial indication that your website may have fallen victim to hacking.

This form of hack commonly evades detection as it selectively redirects only non-logged-in users. Moreover, visitors who access the website directly by manually entering the address in their browser might also remain unaffected by this malicious redirection.

Such hacking incidents are frequently instigated by the presence of a backdoor or the installation of malware within your website’s framework.

To address this issue, it is imperative to conduct a thorough investigation of your website’s files and code, employing robust security measures to identify and eliminate any potential backdoors or malware that may have been clandestinely embedded.

By taking prompt action and fortifying your website’s defenses, you can mitigate the risks associated with these unauthorized redirections, ensuring a secure and seamless browsing experience for your visitors.