How to Restore a Hacked or Compromised Website Print

🧨 How to Restore a Hacked or Compromised Website

If your website has been hacked, defaced, or is redirecting visitors unexpectedly, don’t panic — TK Internet Marketing can help you quickly restore it and secure it against future attacks. Follow the steps below to take immediate action.

⚠️ Step 1: Take Your Website Offline (If Necessary)

If your site is displaying spam content, redirects, or malware warnings:

1. Log in to your hosting control panel (cPanel).

2. Temporarily disable public access by:

   • Activating Maintenance Mode, or

   • Renaming your site’s main directory (for advanced users).

3. This prevents visitors and search engines from seeing malicious content while we repair it.

💡 If you’re unsure how to take your site offline safely, open a ticket and we’ll do it for you.

🔐 Step 2: Change All Passwords Immediately

Change passwords for all accounts associated with your website:

• WordPress Admin

• Hosting/cPanel Login

• FTP or SFTP Accounts

• Email Accounts linked to your domain

• Database Users (optional)

🧠 Use strong, unique passwords for each login, and avoid reusing old ones.

🧭 Step 3: Open an Emergency Support Ticket

1. Go to https://clients.tkinternetmarketing.com/clientarea.php.

2. Click Support → Open Ticket.

3. Select Website Support as the department.

4. In the Subject, write: “URGENT: Website Hacked or Compromised.”

5. Include:

   • Your website URL

   • When you first noticed the issue

   • Any visible symptoms (redirects, spam pages, etc.)

   • Whether you can still access your WordPress admin or cPanel

⚡ Mark your ticket as Urgent — our security team will prioritize it immediately.

🧹 Step 4: Let Us Scan, Clean, and Restore Your Site

Once we receive your ticket, our technicians will:

1. Perform a malware scan on your hosting account and WordPress files.

2. Identify and remove infected scripts, spam, or unauthorized users.

3. Restore your website from a clean backup if available.

4. Update all plugins, themes, and WordPress core to their latest versions.

5. Secure your configuration files and reset admin credentials.

⏱️ Most malware cleanups are completed within 24 hours (depending on infection severity).

🧱 Step 5: Recheck and Reverify Your Website

After cleanup:

1. Test your site functionality (forms, menus, logins).

2. Verify your SSL certificate is active (padlock icon visible).

3. Recheck your domain in Google Search Console and Safe Browsing.

4. If Google flagged your site as “Unsafe,” request a Security Review after cleanup.

🛡️ Step 6: Strengthen Your Security for the Future

To prevent future incidents:

• Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) in WordPress.

• Install or update a security plugin (e.g., Wordfence, iThemes, or Sucuri).

• Schedule regular backups and malware scans.

• Remove any unused plugins, themes, or admin accounts.

💡 TK Internet Marketing offers managed WordPress security and maintenance plans that include malware protection, automatic updates, and daily backups.

💬 Need Help?

If you believe your website is compromised, don’t delay. Open a ticket at https://clients.tkinternetmarketing.com/clientarea.php or email support@tkinternetmarketing.com with “URGENT – Website Hacked” in the subject line. Our team will act immediately to clean, restore, and secure your site.