One of my sites got hacked the other day and I was lucky to move fast enough to contain the problem and keep the hackers out before it got any worse. In this blog post I talk about what I learned from this experience. If you are running a website then there is a 99% chance your site will get attacked so I hope you learn from my mistakes!
Step #1: Change ALL Your Passwords
Yes, I know its a pain to change all your passwords but be sure to change the passwords to “secure passwords” otherwise you are just setting yourself up to get hacked again. If you have trouble remembering all your passwords then you might look into a password manager that can store hundreds of your passwords. If you don't know any good password managers I would recommend Passwordbox and Lastpass. (no affiliate links here 🙂
Step #2: Update Everything
Updates are so vital to keeping your internet based business safe. Hackers exploit software's vulnerabilities and software vendors know this so once they find an exploit in their own software they release an update for all the software users to apply. Well if you don't apply the patch or update then you are still vulnerable. Here's basically what you need to do – If you are running an older version of WordPress then update it immediately. If you are using some outdated plugins then be sure to update them also since those are a common way hackers get into sites. Finally update your WordPress theme as this was how a hacker got into one of my sites.
Step #3: Be Proactive
If you follow steps #1 and #2 then you are in a better position than not doing anything but be proactive! You should at least have some antivirus software on your computer or laptop. When you are using free wifi then use a VPN to encrypt your network so others on the network can not see your passwords and other sensitive information.
Well there you have it I gave you my three steps on what to do when your site gets hacked. Please feel free to leave a comment below.