How to Remove Malware from WordPress: A Step-by-Step Guide

In 2024, it is essential to protect your WordPress site from malware. Cyber-attacks and online threats are ever-growing, and protecting your website from malware is critical. To prevent file corruption, consider using a reliable WordPress hosting provider. This guide is for all skill levels and will help you effectively remove malware from your WordPress site.

Method 1 | Update WordPress

Regularly updating WordPress is crucial to maintaining its security and functionality. To Secure your WordPress site, log in to your dashboard, check for updates, and apply them. Remember to back up your site before updating.

1. Manage your WordPress security and backups directly from the dashboard. Access it by logging in at yourwebsite.com/wp-admin [invalid URL removed].
2. Check for Updates: Regularly visit the Updates section in your WordPress dashboard.
3. Back-Up Your Site: Create a website backup before applying any updates.
4. Apply Updates: Click Update Now to install the latest version of WordPress.

Update WordPress and clean malware through your hosting provider’s dashboard. Regularly updating WordPress is essential for maintaining its security and functionality and also helps with the WordPress Updating Failed Issue.

Method 2 | Update Plugins

Updating plugins is crucial for keeping plugins updated, which is essential for WordPress security.

To update plugins individually, Go to Plugins in your WordPress dashboard. Updating plugins ensures they are up-to-date with the latest security patches, which helps Prevent Brute Force Attacks in WordPress.

Update each plugin one by one.

To Update plugins individually, follow the steps.

• Log in to WordPress Dashboard
• Navigate to the Plugins Section
• Identify and Update Plugins

Bulk Updates:

Select the desired plugins in the Plugins section of your WordPress dashboard to update multiple plugins at once. 

To update multiple plugins at once, select them all and choose “Update” from the “Bulk Actions” dropdown menu.

• Log in to WordPress Dashboard
• Navigate to the Plugins Section
• Select Plugins for Bulk Update
• Perform Bulk Update

Updates via Hosting Panel Dashboard: 

If your website is inaccessible, update plugins through your hosting panel. You can also access your WordPress files and database through your hosting panel.

Update plugins manually or automatically.

• Log in to the Hosting Panel.
• Find malware using File Manager or WordPress Tools.
• Remove the malicious plugin.
• Manually install the plugin.

Keeping plugins updated improves WordPress security and performance.

Method 3 | Install a Security Plugin

Wordfence is a powerful security plugin that can help protect your WordPress site from malware.

Installing and Configuring Wordfence

• Access Your WordPress Dashboard: Log in to your WordPress admin area.
• Install Wordfence: Go to the “Plugins” menu and search “Wordfence.” Install and activate the plugin.

• Configure Wordfence: Follow the on-screen instructions to Configure Wordfence.

• Optimize Firewall Settings: Navigate to the “Firewall” tab and fine-tune settings to enhance your site’s protection.

Running a Scan and Analyzing Results

• Run a Wordfence scan and review the results.

• Review Results: Carefully examine the detailed scan report to identify any critical issues, such as malware or outdated plugins.

Removing Detected Malware

1. Analyze Scan Results: Carefully review the detailed scan report generated by Wordfence. Pay close attention to any identified malware, vulnerabilities, or suspicious activity.
2. Quarantine Infected Files: If Wordfence detects infected files, it will automatically quarantine them to prevent further damage. You can review these quarantined files and decide whether to restore or delete them.
3. Manually Remove Malware: In some cases, you may need to remove malware files manually. Use your FTP client or your hosting provider’s file manager to access your website’s files and delete any suspicious files or folders.
4. Replace Corrupted Files: If core WordPress files, themes, or plugins have been corrupted, replace them with clean versions from the official WordPress repository or plugin/theme author’s website.

Following these steps, you can use Wordfence to Safeguard your WordPress site from malware and other threats.

Method 4 | Manually Check the Public Folder

After updating and scanning, manually inspecting your website’s public folder is essential. You should inspect your website’s files to identify and remove any malware that automated tools may have missed.

Why Manual Inspection is Important

Manual inspection is essential for a comprehensive security assessment of your website. While automated tools can be helpful, they may only sometimes detect all types of malware, especially those disguised as legitimate files. To ensure thorough protection, consider using a dedicated malware scanner in addition to automated scans.

Steps to Manually Check the Public Folder

• Access Your Website’s File Manager or FTP:
  • Manually remove malware using FTP.

1. Access Your Website’s Files: You can access your website’s files using your FTP client or hosting control panel.

• Identify Suspicious Files or Folders:
  
• Locate Suspicious Files: Look for unusual files, especially in the wp-content and wp-includes directories.
• Remove or Quarantine: Delete or quarantine any suspicious files. Use a reputable malware scanner to identify and remove threats.
• Replace Corrupted Files: Replace any corrupted core WordPress files with clean versions from the official WordPress repository.
• Remember: Always back up your website before making any manual changes.
  

Method 5 | Replace Core WordPress Files 

To eliminate persistent malware, replace core WordPress files and verify the integrity of all site files.

Replace Core WordPress Files

Replace the core WordPress files to eliminate any malware that may have compromised them, as well as uploads, which may be a target during a malware attack.

• Backup Your Website.

• Download a Fresh Copy of WordPress

• You can check your website’s files from the WordPress site. To access your website files, use an FTP client or hosting file manager.

• Replace Core Files: Upload the new WordPress core files. Replace core files to fix issues with Corrupted Files in WordPress.

Final Words

Protect your WordPress site by following these steps. Use a security plugin and manually inspect your files.

Regular maintenance and vigilance are vital to protecting your site, and DDoS hosting protection offers the necessary reliability. Protect your WordPress site with these steps by staying proactive in your security efforts.