This is one of the questions that is being asked with increasing frequency, as web applications based on standard software are becoming ever more widespread and vulnerabilities are being specifically targeted.
If you suspect, or are certain, that your website has been hacked or that malicious code has been injected, swift action is required to prevent damage to you or third parties.
With this guide, we aim to support you through these steps.
Website hacked - preventing further damage by taking the site offline
The first step is to prevent further damage. As an immediate measure, we recommend taking the website offline or blocking it.
To do this, go to the ‘Hosting Settings’ section in the web server control panel and set the ‘Website Status’ to ‘blocked’. This will block the website, but the data will continue to be hosted on the server. Your visitors will then be redirected to our error page with HTTP status code 503 when they attempt to access the site.
Alternatively, you can implement a manual block via the .htaccess file.
Should you get stuck or require immediate assistance, we are of course here to help.
Tip: In the event of an attack, do not delete all files immediately, as this will make subsequent analysis more difficult!
Website hacked - damage assessment!
Following a hack or malware infection, it is important to carry out a damage analysis to determine whether only you or also third parties have been affected - and, if so, what damage may have been caused.
The following points serve as a useful guide:
- When was the problem detected?
- When did the attack take place?
- How was the attack carried out?
- Were any changes made to the system, and if so, what?
- Backups enable us to create a comprehensive file history.
- Can the perpetrator be identified or traced?
- Please feel free to contact us if you require further information on this matter.
Once these questions have been clarified, you can immediately set about rectifying the issue and closing the security gap. If you need assistance with this, it’s best to contact a web agency.
Permanently close the vulnerability
Once all the above steps have been completed, you should immediately address the vulnerability to prevent any further attacks.
To do this, we can, for example, restore a backup and restrict access to the website so that only you and/or your agency can access the system and the errors can be rectified based on the uninfected version of the site. It is therefore important that the questions set out above in the guide can be answered, so that the security vulnerability can be addressed in a targeted manner.
What does SpeedIT Solutions do to protect against attacks on client websites?
Our shared hosting systems are secured by a professional web application firewall, which detects many attack vectors and known vulnerabilities and prevents attacks. This means we already maintain a very high standard of protection on the server side, making it more difficult for attackers to carry out any attacks.
Furthermore, we automatically scan websites for anomalies and, where in doubt, proactively block them and inform our customers so that they can take immediate action.
On our shared hosting service, we also utilise advanced security systems that isolate your hosting plan from other hosting plans, thereby minimising the risk of damage at the file system level as much as possible.
Not all attacks can be prevented in this way; it is therefore essential that you always install the latest security updates for your software and use secure passwords.
I have some questions on this topic - who should I contact?
We’re happy to help with any questions on this topic; even if you’re with a third-party provider that doesn’t offer support, we’ll do our best to assist you within the limits of our capabilities. After all, online security is the most important aspect of all - cybercrime is no trivial matter!
How can I protect myself proactively?
If you wish to proactively protect yourself against a potential attack, we offer professional threat protection against DDoS and web attacks.