When your website gets hacked it can feel like the digital version of a break-in. One day your site is up and running and the next you are staring at a defaced homepage strange redirects or worse an offline site flagged by Google for malware.
you are not alone. Every day thousands of websites big and small face cyberattacks. The good news? You can recover. The key lies in acting fast staying calm and following the right hacked site recovery steps.
In this guide, we will walk you through exactly what to do first how to fix the damage and how to secure your site for the future.
⚠️ Signs Your Website Has Been Hacked
Before we dive into the recovery process let’s identify the most common signs of a hack:
- Your homepage has been defaced.
- Your website is redirecting to unrelated or malicious sites.
- Visitors report malware warnings or security alerts.
- Google Search Console shows a security issue.
- Strange new users have been added to your admin panel.
- Your traffic has suddenly dropped.
- Your hosting provider suspends your site due to a malware warning.
Even if just one of these is happening it’s time to take action.
🧯 Step 1: Stay Calm and Disconnect Immediately
Yes it is scary but panicking won’t help. The first recovery step is to minimize the damage.
What You Should Do:
- Take the site offline. Put it in maintenance mode or ask your hosting provider to suspend it temporarily.
- Notify your team. Alert your developers, hosting support or any technical team involved.
- Stop logins. Disable login access if possible to prevent hackers from doing more damage.
Why it matters: Disconnecting the site stops the spread of malware, prevents user data from being stolen and reduces the chances of blacklisting.
🕵️♂️ Step 2: Identify the Hack Type
Before cleaning things up, you need to know what kind of hack you are dealing with.
Common Types of Website Hacks:
- Defacement: Hackers change the homepage or add offensive content.
- Redirect Hack: Visitors are sent to spam or phishing sites.
- Malware Insertion: Hidden scripts steal data or infect visitors.
- Spam SEO: Pages filled with spammy links or keywords.
- Backdoor Access: The hacker creates a hidden entry to return later.
Use a security scanner like:
- Sucuri SiteCheck
- Wordfence (for WordPress)
- Google Safe Browsing
- Or, get help from RestoreWebpages.com if you are not tech-savvy.
🧪 Step 3: Scan for Malware and Backdoors
Once you know the type of attack it is time to scan your files and database.
How to Do It:
- Use security plugins (Wordfence, Sucuri, iThemes Security).
- Access your files via cPanel, FTP or SSH and look for:
- Unknown PHP files
- Recently modified files
- Suspicious base64 code or eval() functions
- Unknown PHP files
do not forget to check:
- .htaccess files
- wp-config.php or configuration files (for other CMS)
- Unfamiliar admin accounts
Pro Tip: Backdoors often look like legitimate files but are disguised with strange names or live deep in unused folders.
💾 Step 4: Backup Everything Before Making Changes
Before you start cleaning create a full backup yes, even of the hacked version.
Why?
- If something goes wrong, you can roll back.
- Security professionals might need to analyze the infection.
- You’ll want a reference point during restoration.
Use backup tools like:
- UpdraftPlus (for WordPress)
- cPanel Backup Wizard
- Or manual backup via FTP + phpMyAdmin
Save the backup on your local system or a secure cloud drive.
🧹 Step 5: Remove Malware and Malicious Code
Now, it’s time to clean the infected files.
Manual Cleanup (Advanced Users):
- Remove or replace infected files with clean versions.
- Delete unknown scripts or suspicious code.
- Reinstall fresh versions of core CMS files (WordPress, Joomla, etc.)
Using a Cleanup Tool (Beginner Friendly):
- Sucuri or Wordfence (premium versions) offer automatic malware cleanup.
- Your hosting provider might offer malware removal assistance.
Optional but Safe: Use RestoreWebpages.com for full-site malware cleanup and hacked site recovery assistance.
🔐 Step 6: Reset All Passwords & Remove Backdoors
Hacked site recovery steps must include a full reset of every access point.
What to Change:
- Admin panel password
- Hosting account password
- FTP/SFTP credentials
- Database passwords
- Email accounts connected to the website
- CMS users and roles (delete unknown users)
Why? Hackers often create “backdoor” access so they can return. Resetting everything blocks their path.
🔄 Step 7: Restore from a Clean Backup (If Available)
If your backup is clean and recent (before the hack) it is often easier to restore the entire website.
How to Do It:
- Use your backup plugin (UpdraftPlus, JetBackup etc.)
- Use cPanel or hosting dashboard to restore full site
- Reupload files + database using FTP and phpMyAdmin
⚠️ Important: Only restore a backup if you are 100% sure it’s clean. Otherwise you may reintroduce the malware.
If you do not have a clean backup, RestoreWebpages.com can help rebuild your site from public archives or partial backups.
🛡️ Step 8: Secure Your Website (So It Doesn’t Happen Again)
Recovery is only half the battle. The other half is making sure it never happens again.
Essential Security Measures:
- Install a security plugin (Wordfence, Sucuri, MalCare)
- Enable firewall protection
- Use two-factor authentication (2FA) for admin login
- Keep themes, plugins and CMS updated
- Disable file editing in CMS
- Limit user access and roles
- Regularly scan for vulnerabilities
Pro Tip: Many hacked websites are hit again within weeks because they didn’t fix the root cause. do not skip this step.
📝 Step 9: Notify Affected Users and Remove Blacklists
If the hack affected your users (stolen data, malware, phishing), transparency is essential.
Actions You May Need to Take:
- Notify users via email (especially if user data was involved)
- Report to Google Search Console to request malware review
- Submit blacklist removal requests (e.g., Norton Safe Web, McAfee)
- Inform your hosting provider and request server-level scans
Being honest helps maintain user trust and fast action shows you are serious about security.
🚀 Step 10: Set Up Regular Backups and Monitoring
One of the most crucial hacked site recovery steps is prevention through automation.
Tools for Scheduled Backups:
- UpdraftPlus / BlogVault / JetBackup
- Set backups to daily or weekly
- Store in cloud (Google Drive, Dropbox, Amazon S3)
Monitoring Tools:
- UptimeRobot – Get alerts if your site goes down
- Sucuri Monitor – Track security threats and blacklists
- Google Search Console – Monitor indexing and site health
Never assume your site is safe. Monitoring keeps you a step ahead.
💬 Real Talk: Do You Need Professional Help?
If all this sounds overwhelming, you are not alone. Not everyone is comfortable editing server files or dealing with malware.
That’s where website recovery experts come in. Services like RestoreWebpages.com specialize in:
- Removing malware
- Restoring hacked websites
- Rebuilding broken pages
- Downloading content from archives
- Preventing future attacks
Whether your website was defaced, shut down or infected with malware, they offer human-level recovery support that tools alone can’t match.
Final Thoughts: Stay Vigilant, Not Fearful
Having your website hacked is a nightmare but it does not have to be the end of your online presence. With quick action and the right hacked site recovery steps, you can not only recover your site but make it even stronger and more secure.
Take this experience as a lesson, not a loss. Strengthen your defenses back up your data and know that even in the worst digital storm recovery is always possible.
✅ Quick Recap: 10 Hacked Site Recovery Steps
| Step | Action |
| 1️⃣ | Disconnect your website |
| 2️⃣ | Identify the type of hack |
| 3️⃣ | Scan files and database for malware |
| 4️⃣ | Back up everything (including hacked site) |
| 5️⃣ | Clean infected files |
| 6️⃣ | Reset passwords and remove backdoors |
| 7️⃣ | Restore from clean backup (if available) |
| 8️⃣ | Secure your website |
| 9️⃣ | Notify users and remove blacklists |
| 🔟 | Set up backups and continuous monitoring |
Need help recovering your hacked site?
Visit RestoreWebpages.com the trusted experts in website restoration, malware removal and full recovery.