Website Type: Business Website
Industry: Technology Tools & Equipment
Problem: Customers reported redirections to fake promotions and adult sites
Duration of Impact: 7 Days
Turnaround Time: 12 Hours
Service Guarantee: 10 Years of Reinfection Protection
Background
Our client, a technology retail company operating a WordPress-based e-commerce website, experienced a critical cybersecurity incident that threatened their brand, revenue, and Google reputation. The site, which generated over 85% of its leads online, was reported by users and flagged by Google for redirecting visitors to adult websites and scam promotions.
The company reached out after being notified by multiple clients who were unable to access product pages without being forcibly redirected.
Symptoms of Infection
- Visitors were redirected to fake online giveaways or adult websites.
- Admins could access the dashboard, but users and search bots were rerouted.
- Google flagged the site with a “This site may be hacked” label.
- Facebook and WhatsApp blocked links shared from the domain.
- Server CPU usage spiked during peak traffic hours.
Investigation & Root Cause Analysis
We began our emergency response by cloning the website to a secure offline environment to avoid additional data loss or visitor exposure.
Key findings included:
- Malicious JavaScript Code:
Injected into the active theme’s footer.php and functions.php, this script dynamically redirected users based on user-agent (i.e., regular visitors were redirected while admins were not). - Modified .htaccess Rules:
Rewrite rules were added to redirect users from homepage and product URLs. - Backdoor PHP Shell:
A stealth web shell was discovered in the /wp-content/uploads/2023/ directory with a .jpg.php extension, enabling remote execution. - Compromised Plugin:
A popular, but outdated slider plugin contained a known vulnerability that allowed file injection. - Blacklisted IPs and Domains:
Outbound connections to malicious domains were found in the DNS logs.
Remediation Strategy
We followed a structured and transparent 12-step protocol to ensure complete cleanup and hardening:
- Site Isolation
We took the live site offline using a 503 redirect to prevent further exposure.
- Full Site & Database Backup
Secure backups were created for forensic review and disaster recovery, encrypted and stored offline.
- Malware Scanning
We used a combination of:
- Wordfence
- Sucuri
- Custom scripts to scan for obfuscation, base64, eval(), and long hexadecimal strings
- File System Cleanup
- All core WordPress files replaced with fresh downloads
- Theme and plugin folders purged and reinstalled cleanly
- Rogue .php, .ico, and .txt files deleted from uploads/ and includes/
- Database Sanitization
We searched for injected iFrames and malicious URLs within:
- wp_options
- wp_posts
- wp_users
- wp_postmeta
All malicious records were removed and autoload options reset.
- Blacklist Removal
We submitted the cleaned site to:
- Google Search Console
- McAfee SiteAdvisor
- Norton Safe Web
- Yandex Webmaster
The “site may be hacked” label was lifted within 24 hours.
- User Credential Audit
- Forced logout of all users
- Deleted inactive accounts
- Enforced 2FA for admins and editors
- All passwords regenerated using secure keys
- Security Plugin Installation
Installed and configured:
- Wordfence Premium with firewall
- Login Lockdown
- WP Activity Log
- Server Hardening
- PHP version upgraded
- Disabled XML-RPC and file editing in wp-config.php
- Changed database prefix from wp_ to randomized string
- Limited file upload permissions
- SSL + HTTP Security Headers
- Added HSTS, X-Frame-Options, and CSP headers
- Forced HTTPS site-wide with automatic redirects
- Performance Optimization
After malware removal, we optimized the site for better performance:
- Implemented caching
- Upgraded CDN
- Minified CSS/JS
- Post-Cleanup Report
A 15-page PDF report was provided outlining:
- Infection origin
- Files cleaned
- Blacklist status
- Security hardening measures
- Site performance metrics pre/post-cleanup
Outcome
Within 12 hours, the site was fully restored, secured, and re-indexed. The redirect issue was permanently resolved. Google cleared the “hacked site” warning within 24 hours of resubmission.
Key business impacts:
- SEO rankings began to recover within 72 hours
- Daily traffic returned to 90% of previous levels within 5 days
- Paid ad campaigns resumed after approval from Google Ads support
- Client reported no revenue loss due to fast recovery
10-Year Reinfection Guarantee
To stand by the quality of our work, we offered the client a 10-Year Reinfection Protection Guarantee, which includes:
- Free emergency cleanups if malware reappears
- Quarterly vulnerability audits
- 24/7 monitoring alerts for suspicious activity
- Ongoing plugin/theme vulnerability alerts
- Monthly malware scanning reports delivered by email
This is part of our “Total Confidence Plan” our highest-level service tier built for critical business websites.
Client Feedback
“We thought we’d lost our customer trust and Google presence overnight. Your team brought us back up in less than a day. The 10-year malware protection plan is a lifesaver, we sleep better now knowing we’re protected.”
Lessons & Best Practices Shared with the Client
- Avoid using outdated or unvetted plugins, especially anything not updated in the last 6 months.
- Never download themes or plugins from unofficial sites.
- Enable 2FA and restrict admin access to fixed IPs when possible.
- Monitor all outbound connections and cron jobs.
- Schedule automated backups and test them regularly.
Service Guarantee: 10 Years of Reinfection Protection
When it comes to cybersecurity, short-term fixes are not enough — especially for businesses that rely heavily on their online presence to drive traffic, sales, and customer trust. That’s why we don’t just clean malware — we secure your website for the long haul.
After completing the cleanup and restoration of this business website, we enrolled the client in our 10-Year Reinfection Protection Plan, the longest and most comprehensive guarantee available in the WordPress security industry.
What This Guarantee Covers:
- Unlimited Emergency Malware Removal
If any reinfection, compromise, or suspicious behavior is detected on your site — whether from a new plugin vulnerability, zero-day exploit, or brute-force attack — we will clean and secure your website at no additional charge, for the next 10 years. - 24/7 Website Monitoring
We implement real-time file change detection, firewall-based traffic filtering, and login activity monitoring. Any anomalies trigger automatic alerts that are reviewed by our team instantly. - Quarterly Vulnerability Scans & Reports
Every three months, we perform deep scans of your:- WordPress core
- Active plugins and themes
- File integrity
- Database tables
A complete security report is sent directly to the client, along with recommended actions or confirmations of a clean bill of health.
- Free Plugin & Theme Audit Every 6 Months
To help the client avoid introducing future vulnerabilities, we audit all installed plugins and themes biannually, checking for:- Abandonware (no longer maintained)
- Known CVEs (Common Vulnerabilities and Exposures)
- Unofficial or pirated sources
- Conflicts or deprecated functions
- Security Hardening Maintenance
We regularly review and update:- .htaccess firewall rules
- wp-config hardening
- PHP version and hosting-level security headers
- Database privileges
- Admin Access Control & Login Security
- Password policy enforcement
- Two-factor authentication
- IP whitelisting and geofencing
- Login attempt throttling
- Free Site Migration in Case of Server-Level Reinfection
If your host is compromised or blacklisted, we’ll help migrate your site to a secure server, free of charge. - Zero Hidden Fees
The guarantee is not tied to monthly payments, retainers, or annual upsells. Once you’re enrolled — you’re covered. Plain and simple.
Why Offer a 10-Year Guarantee?
Most security services offer 1-year or 30-day guarantees — but they often rely on automated scanners and reactive firewalls. We believe that true confidence in your website’s security comes from proactive, long-term partnership and human-led oversight.
We’re able to offer this level of protection because:
- We clean deeply, not just surface-level infections
- We harden every layer — WordPress, database, server, and browser
- We follow OWASP and ISO/IEC 27001 standards for best practices
- We limit client liability by securing potential future entry points
Peace of Mind, Proven Over Time
A hacked site can cost you:
- Google rankings
- Client trust
- Revenue
- Ad account bans
- Email delivery issues
- And your reputation
With our 10-Year Reinfection Protection, you’re not just buying malware removal, you’re investing in decade-long peace of mind.
We monitor. We prevent. We respond.
You grow your business.