Hacked Site Cleanup · €250 flat

Hacked WordPress site? I clean it and lock it down.

Q: Will a security plugin clean a hacked WordPress site?

No. Plugins can flag files; they do not reliably remove backdoors, rogue admin users, infected themes, or spam in the database. I clean the files and the database, then close the hole.

Q: How do you get the Google malware warning removed?

After the site is clean I submit a review request in Google Search Console (Safe Browsing). Google usually drops the interstitial within a few days if the infection is actually gone.

Q: Will I lose my pages and orders?

No. I clean the existing site rather than wiping it. Pages, posts, images, and WooCommerce orders stay.

A hacked site scares customers off with a red Google warning, damages your ranking, and gets worse the longer it stays infected. I remove the malware, close the hole it came through, and request Google to drop the warning.

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Signs this is a hack, not a "broken" site

Red warning in Google or Chrome

"The site ahead contains malware" or "This site may be hacked". Visitors see that before they see you.

Redirects to spam, pharma, or gambling

Often only for Googlebot or for visitors on phones, so you might not see it yourself.

Spam URLs in your search results

Foreign-language pages or product spam ranking under your domain. That's injected content, not a plugin glitch.

Host suspended the account

Irish and UK hosts take infected sites offline to protect the server. I can deal with them to get it restored after cleanup.

Mail from your domain hitting spam

Compromised sites send spam in the background and burn your domain's reputation.

Defaced homepage or mystery admins

Content you didn't publish, or users in wp-admin you didn't create.

What I scan — a plugin scan is not this job

Security plugins and "one-click cleanup" tools flag files. They leave backdoors, so the site gets reinfected a week later. I treat it as a compromise, not a notification.

Files: WordPress core compared to a clean copy, extra PHP in wp-content/uploads, modified themes, mu-plugins, and dropped .ico/.txt shells.
Database: spam posts, injected eval in post content and widgets, rogue options, cron events that phone home.
Users: extra administrators, forgotten WooCommerce shop managers, users with email addresses that aren't yours.
Server: .htaccess redirects, unexpected cron, world-writable directories.

Then I update what's out of date — outdated plugins are how most of these infections start — and lock down logins and file permissions.

Clearing your name with Google

Cleanup without a review request leaves the red interstitial up. After the site is clean I:

Confirm the malicious URLs are gone (including the sneaky ones that only fire for Googlebot).
Submit a Safe Browsing / security issues review in Google Search Console.
Tell you when Google has dropped the warning — usually a few days if the infection is actually gone.

If your host listed you as a spam source, I help with that request too.

Our site cormachassett.ie was essentially dormant, but the technical SEO and security audit completely revived it. The audit uncovered issues we didn't even know were holding us back.

— Cormac Hassett

Cleanup questions

Will a security plugin clean a hacked WordPress site?

No. It can alarm. It does not reliably remove backdoors, rogue admins, or database spam. That's why reinfection is so common after a cheap plugin "cleanup".

How do you get the Google malware warning removed?

Search Console review request after the site is actually clean. Google is slow if you ask while the backdoor is still there.

Will I lose my pages and orders?

No. I clean the existing site. Pages, posts, images, and orders stay.

Will the hack come back?

Not through the same hole — closing it is part of this job. Reinfection later is nearly always an unmaintained site. That's a €49/month care plan if you want someone watching afterwards, not a second cleanup pitch in disguise.