Wordpress hack - how does malware affect website performance?

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In terms of website security, hacking is the big bad consequence of lack of security, or lack thereof, that everyone wants to avoid. But before we get into how to secure your site, it's important to understand what happens if your site gets hacked.
But is it as bad as everyone says?
The short answer is yes.
A hack can have long-term consequences for your business as a whole, and can also be a major headache in the short term.
PS: The impact of malware on a WordPress website is widespread and can lead to more than just downtime. In the worst case scenario, hacks will force businesses to close. To avoid hacks and malware, be aware of the impact of malware on your business as a whole.

The content of the article:

• But how did your site even get hacked?
• What is malware?
• Why Should You Worry About Malware?
• What Does WordPress Malware Do?
• What to do next?

How did your site even get hacked?

Your WordPress site is made up of several files and databases that help your site run efficiently. Each file has a function and all these files work together to give the impression of your website. Think of it like clockwork. Each gear helps the whole mechanism work more efficiently.

So what happens when the wrong file or code is injected into your website?

The clockwork would fail, right? This is what a hack looks like. Hacking is the result of attackers gaining access to your website through a specific file or code known as malware. And it can be devastating to your business if not taken seriously.

What is malware?

Websites are a feat of modern technology. Today we use them so much that we forget how great it is to have such a sophisticated and elegant job as a WordPress website.

So naturally something like this can run into problems, but there are different kinds of problems that can happen on a WordPress website. One is a file or code that may inadvertently cause problems, either because the code is inefficient or because it is incompatible with the program. Either way, they are known as bugs. They can be inconvenient or even harmful, but they are unintentional and constantly being fixed.

Another issue that a website may encounter is files or code that are intentionally designed to cause damage. They are known as malware and are used by hackers or attackers with malicious intent to gain access to your website.

Why Should You Worry About Malware?

Malware is a common threat, but it shouldn't be ignored. The impact of malware on WordPress websites and your business can be wide-ranging and have consequences that will impact your business' bottom line if not addressed in a timely manner.

If you think that your small website is safe because there is nothing that hackers can gain from attacking your website, then you are putting your website at risk. Attackers can take advantage of even small websites with very little effort.

But the question is, should you risk your site? Let's see what exactly is at stake if your site is hacked.

What Does WordPress Malware Do?

There is no single way that malware can affect your WordPress site. You also cannot rely on attackers to be consistent in their actions. Hackers are constantly updating their methods to counter the security measures you may be taking. Consequently, malware can have far-reaching consequences that can range from website downtime to loss of customers.
You need to understand how malware can harm your website and business in different ways. Let's first look at the impact of malware on a WordPress website.

The impact of malware on a WordPress site

More often than not, you may not even realize that your site has been hacked until it gets flagged or starts losing a lot of traffic. But a hack will definitely start damaging your site almost immediately. You will see how the hack will affect your SEO and traffic in the following way.

User redirects to spam sites

One of the most common ways to detect hacks is to spam ads on your website and redirect to pharmaceutical websites. Hackers use your website to contact your visitors and redirect them to another site, usually selling illegal goods. Not only does this result in a terrible user experience for your visitors, but it can also cause browsers to flag you as a fraudulent website, resulting in a significant drop in your traffic.

Loss of traffic

One of the first signs of a hack is a sudden drop in traffic. The drop in traffic can be the result of malware sabotaging your site in various ways, such as using your SEO ranking, mangling your site, or using your IP address to attack other sites, causing it to be flagged. If your site is flagged by browsers or search engines, you will see a further drop in traffic.

Website is slow

Another important feature to look out for is your site's loading speed. If your website suddenly takes forever to load, it could be due to a hack. When hackers inject malware into your website server, it overloads the server and slows down your website.

Google blacklist

Your website being blacklisted may be a direct result of malicious ads on your website. Google doesn't want to send its users to insecure websites, so if your site is hacked, Google will show a big warning that keeps users from visiting your site or not listing your site in search results at all. Given that most websites rely on Google's organic traffic, this can be disastrous for your business.

SEO rankings

If Google marks your site as dangerous, your traffic will naturally drop. But with spam on your website disrupting the user experience, visitors won't want to come back to your site. All of this will contribute to your SEO ranking drop overnight. So if your site gets hacked, your entire SEO strategy and effort could go down the drain.

Downtime

Some malware can cause your website to be unstable or completely down. This can result in downtime until you can restore your site.

Also, web hosts flag hacks to keep their servers safe. Once web hosts discover that your site has been compromised, they will take it offline to mitigate the damage. This will result in indefinite downtime for your website, which can lead to loss of customers and trust.

IP Blacklist

Firewalls often blacklist IP addresses that appear suspicious or use phishing attacks and spam. Hackers are aware of this and have started using the new IP addresses for attacks since they are not blacklisted. If your site gets hacked, your IP address can be used to attack other websites or send spam emails, and firewalls can flag you as a malicious IP address and blacklist you.

Impact of malware on business

The impact of malware on WordPress websites is not limited to visible symptoms. Malware can have long-term effects that affect your business beyond just the virtual.

If you don't understand how malware can directly affect your business interests, you won't be able to prepare well for a hack. Let's take a look at the impact malware can have on a business.

Loss of income

There are many ways in which a hack can result in a loss of income for your site. There are obvious ways: for example, customers leave when they see your site is down, or downtime reduces sales and increases the conversion cycle.

But hacking also has a lot of hidden costs, especially if your reputation is damaged. If customers lose trust in your business, you will also lose revenue in the long run.

Additional expenses

There are various costs associated with hacking, especially in terms of damage control. But hacking can also lead to the theft of intellectual property and projects.

Also, you may have to pay for PR or legal fees and involve law enforcement if the hack is serious enough. And sometimes a hack can lead to significant cost savings that some businesses are unable to recover from.

Loss of trust

Possibly one of the worst consequences of a hack: losing your customers' trust is almost as bad as losing their goodwill. If your customers cannot trust you to keep their banking information or personal data secure, they will simply stop visiting your site and opt for a more secure one. While hacks don't always scare off every single one of your customers, they do cause a noticeable drop in traffic and sales.

The loss of trust also hurts your brand image. If the hack is minor, your brand image will suffer temporarily. But sometimes the reputation from hacking remains. Under Armor's MyFitnessPal fitness app was hacked in 2018 and the company is still struggling to recover from the fallout.

Excessive consumption of server resources

Servers are critical to the functioning of your site. This is a technology that allows people to see your site when they enter an address.

If a hacker decides to attack your servers, he can do a lot, from taking your site down. This can be disastrous for a business, but still manageable, to the point of repurposing your servers to spread malware or viruses. This will not only bring you huge losses and expenses, but will also blacklist your site.

Loss of investment

Websites are complex and require a lot of time, money and effort to get started. If there is a hack, everything will go down the drain. While rebuilding a website is easier than building it the first time, it's still a big investment that you'll need to make for no good reason.

Legal issues

There are several types of legal issues that you may face if your site gets hacked. The first is the actions that need to be taken to mitigate the damage caused by a breach, such as a data breach. This can often turn into long-term, costly cases requiring large teams of lawyers for very little pay.

The second legal issue you may encounter is related to various customer protection laws such as the GDPR in the EU and the CCPA in California. These laws make businesses responsible for the customer data they use and store. Therefore, if one of your customers disclosed their banking details or other data as a result of a hack, you may face legal action.

And if it turns out that customer data was disclosed due to negligence on your part, you may be held liable by the government or similar authorities in the region.

The third legal issue concerns your responsibilities to directors, board members and other stakeholders. By informing everyone involved in what happened, you can control the damage and make sure they all take steps on their part to protect themselves. But if the hack is large scale, any of these parties can sue you for negligence.

Website cleanup costs

Cleaning up after a break-in can be costly. Sometimes even more than you invested in building the site in the first place. Some experts charge extra for cleaning, and this can be a big expense on top of all the losses you've already incurred.

The impact of malware on humans

On top of all the impact a hack can have on your business, it can also compromise the security of your customers and other stakeholders individually.

When hackers search for data, they don't distinguish between business and personal data, they only see the value of the available data. So if your business holds any personal data, whether it be yours or your customers, a hack could put you at risk.

These violations

Data leakage is one of the most common consequences of hacking. While hacking is usually limited to business information, sophisticated attacks can also expose personal information and documents. This can lead to identity theft, and your data and your visitors' data will be placed on the dark web for sale, which can also put you and your visitors in physical danger.

Personal data

Identity theft can expose details such as your address, financial information, shopping patterns, voting patterns, and more. This in itself is a huge security risk, but in the worst case, it can also lead to legal risks.

Also, if your personal credentials include your financial information, it can be used to hack into your bank accounts and result in monetary losses for you.

What to do next?

If you notice any of the symptoms mentioned above, you can check if your site has been hacked using the free MalCare Scanner or Wordfence Security. In case malware is found, you can always choose automatic cleaning to get rid of malware with one click.

If your website seems to be running fine, then you should invest in a good firewall that will prevent any future security incidents and allow you to focus on your business, not security.

Other than that, you can also take some more security measures below:

1. migrating your site from HTTP to HTTPS;
2. login page protection;
3. strengthening your WordPress website.

I highly recommend following this guide – Secure Your WordPress Site with wp-config.php.

FAQ

How does malware affect WordPress?

WordPress malware can allow attackers to access your website and use your website resources to further spread malware or attack other websites. It can also mess up your website, slow it down, clog it with spam ads and redirects, and generally damage your website.

Can WordPress sites have viruses?

Yes, WordPress sites can contain viruses. These are known as malware and act differently depending on the type of malware. These malware can crash or even break your website and blacklist it from search engines, browsers and web hosts.

Can WordPress sites be hacked?

WordPress sites can be hacked if they are infected with malware. Malicious software is a piece of code or file that is specifically designed to damage a website or program. When injected into a website, malware creates vulnerabilities on the website and allows attackers access.

Why do WordPress sites get hacked?

WordPress sites can get hacked for a number of reasons such as:

• Using zero or free themes
• Errors in site code or extensions
• Existing vulnerabilities in themes or plugins
• External attacks
• Rare updates
• No firewall

Reading this article:

• How to block an IP address in WordPress? (Prohibit spam and hacker attacks)
• How to remove WP-VCD.php malware from your WordPress site

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