Websites are now at the core of all businesses. They deal with everything from online transactions and clients’ financial data to marketing operations and more that comes with it. However, website security is often overlooked while designing products, leading to being compromised. Most businesses focus on performance or seek alternatives to move website free but neglect the core part of website security.
All websites, irrespective of where they are hosted, development team size, or HTTPS, are at risk of infection if proper security steps are not taken. Security is a continuous practice, and it demands proactive monitoring, periodic updates, and effective threat management. Prominent web hosting providers like MilesWeb highly recommend customers to take proactive security steps and assist them in preparing to counter any online intrusion—even if you’re starting with the lowest price domain and hosting.
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In this article, we’ll uncover the alarming signs that suggest that your website may have been breached.
Top 10 Website Hack Indicators
- Chrome Warning Appears
When you or your visitor notices a notification from Google Chrome with a warning message displaying that your website is infiltrated, it’s a clear sign that it has been. This indication appears when your website has been blacklisted by Google. Popular browsers such as Google Chrome, Mozilla Firefox, Safari & Opera use Google’s blacklist to display warning messages to website visitors.
- Alert from Google Search Console
If your website is connected to the Google Search Console, Google will pop up a message indicating that your website is being hacked. It means Google has spotted suspicious activity—like spyware or spammy content—or has strong reason to consider that your website might be under attack. Typically, this message will include information on the URLs of suspicion and potential attack vectors.
- Website Suspended By Web Host
Web hosting providers like MilesWeb periodically scan their servers for suspicious code and tend to disable compromised websites so that the infection won’t be transferred to other websites on the server.
There are many reasons why your hosting company might disable your website, such as:
- Malware code is detected on your server.
- Your domain name has been blacklisted by Google, Norton, etc.
- Spam or phishing emails are being sent out from your server.
- Malicious code execution causing CPU usage to spike
- Emails Landing in Spam
Spammers and hackers use malware on attacked websites to send unsolicited emails to a bulk of individuals. As the emails are spam, mail servers might have blacklisted your server and IP address. Thus, even valid emails being sent by you reach the spam folder. Every email in the spam folder costs you in potential business & online trust.
- Spam Ads & Pop-ups on Website
When your website visitors encounter spam pop-ups or ads, your website will be targeted by cross-site scripting (XSS) or code injection attacks. Spammers make money through ad impressions. The Google Safe Browsing team will send you an email that they have found social engineering content on your website.
- Unknown Admin or FTP Accounts
When you discover new admin users, database users, and FTP users, it is a strong indication that you are under attack. Hackers often leave behind privileged accounts so they can sneak back into your website or server whenever they want.
- Recently Modified Files
If you can see core system files have recently been updated, compare the files with previous versions to determine what has been updated. An intruder might use the files to execute malicious scripts, send unsolicited emails, or create backdoors into your website. If you find files with names containing server-side script (.php, .aspx, .py, etc.) inside upload directories, it is a strong indicator your website has been breached.
- Website Redirected to Suspicious Websites
Once again, a cross-site scripting or server-side code injection indication where the hacker can redirect your web traffic to phishing pages, hacked websites, or even your competitor’s websites.
- Unusual Traffic Spikes
Hackers often use your compromised website for “spamvertising” campaigns, leading to sudden and unusual spikes in traffic. Spamvertising is often used to deface blogs, websites, forums, and comment boxes with hyperlinks to obtain a higher search engine ranking on the hacker’s website.
- Unexpected Error Log Messages
Often, you’ll come across unexpected messages in your error logs—things like deprecated functions, undefined offsets, or connection failures popping up without warning. If the error or file path seems unfamiliar, check the code’s authenticity or perform a malware scan.
Essential Security Practices
Every hack is unique, so it’s hard to recommend a precise way to fix a hacked website. Some general ways of fixing a hacked website are as follows:
- Update Your Passwords
Updating your passwords is one of the easiest and most recommended ways to restrict unauthorized access after an attack. Ensure you periodically update your WordPress, FTP, and cPanel passwords to manage ongoing protection.
2. Upgrade All The Programs
If you use a third-party shopping cart or CMS, it is essential to have that software updated. Most upgrades are provided to harden the software itself. Updates are released whenever new security flaws are found, helping to strengthen your website against potential threats.
3. Update The Software On Your Local Computer
Programs such as Flash have vulnerabilities that allow hackers to steal data on your computer. As we’ve noticed, some attacks are designed to search for saved FTP credentials.
4. Run A Malware Or Virus Scan
Chances are that you have chosen a script of malware or a virus copying your passwords. Secure web hosting providers like MilesWeb offer various security measures such as automated malware scanners, fully encrypted SSL, WAF, and DDoS mitigation to offer a secure online experience.
5. Limit Access
If you notice that someone has gained access to your website, you can try shutting down access for all users. This is the most effective way to end the breach instantly. Although this may be inconvenient to administrators, it’s a guaranteed way of mitigating the attack.
Conclusion
Online attacks can strike at the most unexpected moments—and the more time they remain unnoticed, the greater harm they are likely to cause. Understanding the indications of an attack can protect your business from significant revenue loss, brand damage, and service disruptions.
If there are signs that your web security has been compromised, MilesWeb offers the cybersecurity expertise you can rely on.
MilesWeb is one of the reliable web hosts that have secured and empowered organizations of all sizes in developing a cybersecurity plan to guard their website against hackers. They also assist you in keeping an eye on your website and keep you ready for whatever comes next.
