Getting For One Life’s infected website back online.
For One Life came to us after malware kept returning to its WordPress website. The latest infection had left visitors facing a blank page. We removed the infection, recovered the site and improved its server security.
The challenge.
Earlier cleanups had failed to stop the malware coming back every few weeks. When the client contacted us, the website would not load. We needed to restore it and find the hidden ways attackers could get back in.
What we found.
- Several plugins — the add-ons that give WordPress extra features — contained malicious code. A plugin supplied with the website’s design had missing files and could not work properly.
- The website’s design files had also been changed, and extra malicious files had been added.
- Clean copies of the affected plugin and design files were not enough to restore the site. WordPress’s own files were damaged too.
- Some database tables were damaged. We also found hidden backdoors that attackers could use to return, and server security settings that needed attention.
These were the problems we found before the cleanup.
What we changed.
- Deleted the infected plugin and installed a clean copy.
- Replaced the damaged design files and WordPress’s own files with clean copies.
- Recovered the affected database tables without losing client data.
- Removed hidden backdoors, restricted access to website files, and strengthened the firewall and login protection.
- Moved the website from GoDaddy shared hosting to a Cloudways server we configured for the project, then checked that the recovered site was working.
How we handled the cleanup.
We worked through the plugins, design files, WordPress itself and the database. Fixing the first problems did not bring the site back, so we kept checking for other damaged parts. The recovery also included security changes and the move to new hosting.
Three years on.
We got the website back online and recovered the affected database tables without losing client data. It’s been three years since the cleanup and move to Cloudways, with no malware, reinfections or downtime.
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