How To Clean Up a Virus Infected Website!

Get Rid of Google Warning Alert...

Recently, I've been cleaning up a lot of virus infested websites, so I decided to write about this in case the same unfortunate predicatement happens to you.

Oh no, my page has been attacked again! It is frustrating to open your site and a google warning glares at you. It is also embarrassing, and gives your company a bad rap.

“REPORTED ATTACK PAGE”

What do you do when this happens to you?

1.      First you contact your webhost, and inform them about this unfortunate incident. They usually clean it up for you without charging you. This is part of their webhosting service, but this is all they do for you.

Usually when this happens, they already detect the virus. They will sent you a warning to clean up your computer and recommend softwares like https://www.stopbadware.org, Malwarebytes’Anti-Malware, or  ComboFix

https://www.bleepingcomputer.com/combofix/how-to-use-combofix , etc. I suggest cleaning up your computer with at least 2 anti-virus softwares because many of these instances were compromised due to malware intercepting login details.

Most of these viruses are caused my malicious users who exploited scripts that was probably installed in your computer, previously and legitimately; or your password was compromised by a virus-infected computer and they were able to get in your site through FTP.

2.      Clean up your computer thoroughly.

3.      When your computer is clean and your site is clean, write Google and inform them about it. Explain to them the steps you have taken to clean up your computer. Ask them to review your site and unblock your site to the public.

How to contact Google?

Now contacting google is a challenge because they don’t really have a contact number or a telephone number where you can call them.

The first step is to register to Google Webmaster Tools.

They have a forum which is frequently visited, and you can post your issues over there.

 Once you are a member, you will need to verify the infected website to google.

How do you do that?

Google will give you a set of codes, and you or your webmaster need to insert these codes into your site and upload your site with this new pasted codes to your server,

Send Google the link to the verified page.

After the page is uploaded into your server, you may now contact google and request them to review your site, explain the steps you have taken and request them to lift the ban.

It may sound like a simple process but it is a really a long tedious process. Your site maybe viewed in a couple of days, or for some, it can take weeks.

Usually wordpress sites are prone to virus.  Wordpress site need to be updated to the latest version.

Change your password after scanning and cleaning your computer. Also it is advisable to have strong passwords and to change it from time to time. It is advisable to use an alphanumeric password greater than 12 characters in length and a combination of symbols and letters in your password, will also reduce the possibility of recurring attack.

Most of this virus are malware. They are malicious scripts that are injected to your site and disable some functions in your site.

After a site is clean, some functions don’t work as it should. So I suggest that you upload a backup of your site. Hopefully, you have a back up.

How do we stop this from happening again? I wish I knew a cure for this virus, like a cure for HIV or cancer. Unfortunately, we cannot prevent this from happening again, but there are preventive measures, which I have discussed above.

Hope this information helps.