Signs your site may be infected
- Visitors are sent to gambling, pharmacy or adult sites.
- Google shows "This site may be hacked" or the browser shows a red warning page.
- Strange pages, pop-ups or admin users appear that you did not create.
- Your site suddenly becomes slow or sends spam email.
Scan the site
- Run a free external scan with Sucuri SiteCheck (sitecheck.sucuri.net).
- In cPanel, use Virus Scanner under Advanced, where it is available, to scan your public_html folder.
- In WordPress, a security plugin such as Wordfence can scan your files.
Clean it
- Restore a clean backup from before the problem started. This is the fastest and safest fix.
- If you have no backup, replace WordPress core files, themes and plugins with fresh copies and delete anything you do not recognise.
- Remove unknown admin users.
- Change every password: WordPress, cPanel, FTP, database and email.
Stop it happening again
- Keep WordPress, themes and plugins updated. Out-of-date plugins are the most common way in.
- Delete themes and plugins you do not use. Never install "nulled" (pirated) ones.
- Use strong passwords and two-factor authentication.
- Keep your own regular backups.
Ask us
If you cannot clean the site yourself, contact us with your domain name and what you are seeing. Tell us quickly: the sooner we look, the more recent the clean backup we can restore from.
Related guides
Need a hand?
WhatsApp us on +263 78 377 1089, email support@jometechafrica.com or open a support ticket. Our Harare team is available Monday to Friday, 08:00 to 17:00, and Saturday, 08:00 to 13:00.
