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Emergency fix · hacked site

Website hacked or infected?

A hacked site can serve spam, redirect your visitors, or get flagged with a "deceptive site" warning — and every hour it stays infected costs you traffic, trust and rankings. Below is exactly how to spot it, clean it properly, and stop it coming back. If you want it sorted today, send me a screenshot.

🇬🇧 UK-based, fixing sites remotely for the UK & US. US clients: the time-zone gap means a hack you report tonight is often cleaned by your morning. Free 15-min diagnosis, fixed price from £150 (~$190).

Short answer: Common signs of a hack are spam pages or pharma keywords, unexpected redirects, a "Deceptive site ahead" warning, defacement, or your host suspending the account. The cleanup sequence is: take the site into maintenance, change every password, find and remove the malicious files and database injections, delete backdoors, restore from a clean backup if needed, patch the entry point (usually an outdated plugin/theme or weak password), then request a review to clear warnings.

Signs your site is hacked

A hack isn't always obvious — sometimes the only clue is a drop in traffic. But the usual tell-tale signs are clear once you know what to look for:

  • Spam pages or pharma keywords appearing on your site that you never created.
  • Unexpected redirects sending visitors to another site (often only on mobile or from search).
  • A "Deceptive site ahead" warning in Chrome, Firefox or Safari.
  • Defacement — your homepage replaced or altered.
  • Your host suspending the account for malware or sending spam.
  • Unknown admin users or files modified at times you didn't touch the site.

How sites usually get in

  • An outdated plugin, theme or CMS core with a known, public vulnerability.
  • A weak or reused admin password — guessed or taken from another breach.
  • A vulnerable upload or contact form that lets an attacker drop a file on the server.
  • Compromised hosting or stolen FTP credentials — access at the server level.

Emergency steps right now

  1. Change ALL passwords — hosting, CMS admin, database, and FTP/SFTP. Assume every credential is compromised.
  2. Put the site in maintenance/offline so it can't harm visitors or spread while you work.
  3. Scan with a reputable scanner (Wordfence, Sucuri, or your host's scanner) and review recently-modified files.
  4. Look for unknown admin users, and for injected eval() / base64_decode in PHP files.
  5. Remove malicious code and any backdoors — a missed backdoor means reinfection within days.
  6. Update everything — CMS core, plugins and themes — to the latest version.
  7. Restore a known-clean backup if the damage is widespread and a manual clean isn't practical.
  8. Request review — submit a Google Search Console "Security Issues" reconsideration, and ask your host to lift any suspension.

Why DIY cleanup often reinfects

The most common reason a "cleaned" site comes back infected is a missed backdoor — a hidden file or injected line that quietly re-opens the door after you've removed the obvious malware. That's why thoroughness matters more than speed: deleting the spam pages isn't the job, finding everything the attacker left behind is. If you're not confident you've found it all, it's safer to get a second pair of eyes on it.

When to get a developer on it

If the infection keeps coming back, the site is commercial, or you simply can't tell whether it's fully clean — that's the moment to hand it over. To be honest with you: a deep infection that has spread through the database and dropped multiple backdoors can fall into the £300 (~$380) or £500 (~$640) tier rather than the £150 starting price — I'll tell you which after a look, not after you've paid. You get a free 15-minute diagnosis and a fixed price before any work starts. Pay by bank transfer, PayPal or Wise.

Get it cleaned up today

Send me a screenshot of the warning or spam, plus your CMS and host. I'll diagnose it free, give you one fixed price, and clean it properly — same day for a straightforward infection, with an honest timeline if it's deeper.

Hacked site FAQ

How do I know if my website is hacked?

Common signs are spam pages or pharma keywords appearing on your site, unexpected redirects to other sites, a "Deceptive site ahead" warning in the browser, defacement of your pages, or your host suspending the account. You may also spot unknown admin users or recently-modified files you didn't change.

Will I lose my data or content?

Usually not. Your content is often recoverable from a clean backup, and the priority is removing the infection and closing the entry point rather than wiping anything. Some content may need restoring if the damage is widespread, but data loss is not the typical outcome.

Will Google remove the 'deceptive site' warning?

Yes. Once the site is genuinely clean, you submit a security-issues reconsideration in Google Search Console. Reviews typically take a short while, after which the warning is lifted. The key is being fully clean first — a missed backdoor means the warning comes straight back.

Can it be cleaned the same day?

A straightforward infection often can be cleaned the same day. A deep compromise may take longer because every backdoor has to be found and removed. You'll get an honest assessment after the free diagnosis, with a fixed price before any work starts.

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