How to Clear All Malware Files from a Hacked WordPress Website: A Technical Guide

If your WordPress website has been hacked and infested with malware, it’s imperative to act swiftly to protect your website’s integrity, visitor safety, and SEO rankings. Clearing malware can be a complex task that involves in-depth knowledge of coding, database management, and server security. While this guide will outline the steps to manually clean malware from a WordPress site, it is highly recommended to consult professionals like MalwareRescue.com for a thorough and efficient resolution.

Disclaimer: This guide contains advanced technical steps requiring familiarity with server configurations, MySQL databases, and WordPress core files. Proceed at your own risk.

“MALWARE TODAY IS MORE ADVANCED AND EVASIVE THAN EVER BEFORE. EVEN THE BEST SCANNING TOOLS CAN MISS DEEPLY EMBEDDED THREATS HIDDEN WITHIN SERVER LAYERS. REMOVING THESE INFECTIONS COMPLETELY OFTEN REQUIRES A SPECIALIZED SKILL SET AND ADVANCED TOOLS TO TRACK, HUNT, AND ERADICATE ALL TRACES OF MALICIOUS CODE. TO ENSURE YOUR WEBSITE IS TRULY SECURE, CONSULTING WITH EXPERIENCED PROFESSIONALS IS NOT JUST ADVISABLE—IT’S ESSENTIAL.”

John Smith, CEO of CyberShield Solutions

Step 1: Isolate the Website

To prevent further damage, take the website offline immediately.

• Log in to your hosting control panel (e.g., cPanel) and disable the website by renaming the public_html folder to something like public_html_infected.
• Alternatively, place a 503 Service Unavailable header temporarily using .htaccess.

RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{REQUEST_URI} !^/maintenance.html$ 
RewriteRule .* /maintenance.html [R=503,L]

This ensures that users and search engines see a maintenance message instead of infected content.

Step 2: Backup All Files and Databases

Create a complete backup of your site, even if it is infected. This is essential for recovery and analysis.
Use the following commands if you have SSH access to your server:

tar -czvf backup.tar.gz /path/to/wordpress
mysqldump -u db_user -p db_name > backup.sql

Store these backups on a local machine, ensuring they’re isolated from your live environment.

Step 3: Scan and Analyze Malware

File Scanning

Use command-line tools like grep to identify suspicious code injections in your WordPress files.

grep -ril "base64_decode" /path/to/wordpress
grep -ril "eval(" /path/to/wordpress

Look for functions like:

• base64_decode()
• eval()
• shell_exec()
• preg_replace()

These are often used in malware scripts to obfuscate code.

Database Scanning

Access your MySQL database and inspect tables for malicious entries. Use a query to detect unusual payloads:

SELECT * FROM wp_posts WHERE post_content LIKE '%<script%';
SELECT * FROM wp_options WHERE option_name LIKE 'malicious%';

Attackers often hide malware in the wp_posts table or the wp_options table.

Step 4: Delete Malware Files

WordPress Core Files

Re-upload a fresh copy of WordPress core files from the official repository, overwriting existing ones except wp-config.php and wp-content.

rm -rf wp-admin wp-includes
wget https://wordpress.org/latest.zip
unzip latest.zip -d /path/to/wordpress

Themes and Plugins

Manually inspect all themes and plugins in /wp-content/themes/ and /wp-content/plugins/. Compare them against original source files using diff.

diff -r original_theme infected_theme

Delete or replace any infected files. Never retain nulled or pirated themes/plugins—these are a common infection source.

Custom Uploads

Malware can hide in your uploads folder (/wp-content/uploads/) disguised as images or PDFs. Use file to identify suspicious executables:

find /wp-content/uploads/ -type f -exec file {} \;

Step 5: Clean the Database

Remove Malicious Entries

Manually clean infected rows identified in Step 3. For instance:

DELETE FROM wp_posts WHERE post_content LIKE '%malicious_script%';
DELETE FROM wp_options WHERE option_name = 'malicious_option';

Reset User Passwords

Reset all user passwords to block unauthorized access:

UPDATE wp_users SET user_pass = MD5('new_password') WHERE user_login = 'admin';

Step 6: Secure Your Website

Update Everything

• Update WordPress core, themes, and plugins.
• Remove unused or deprecated plugins/themes.

Harden wp-config.php

Restrict access to wp-config.php:

<Files wp-config.php>
    order allow,deny
    deny from all
</Files>

Add salting keys to your wp-config.php to enhance security. Generate keys here.

File Permissions

Set proper file permissions for WordPress files and directories:

find /path/to/wordpress -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /path/to/wordpress -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Install a Web Application Firewall (WAF)

Install a security plugin like Wordfence or Sucuri. Configure a WAF to block malicious traffic.

Step 7: Scan Again

After cleaning, run a deep scan to ensure the removal of all malware. Use tools like:

• ClamAV (Linux-based server antivirus)
• Online scanners like VirusTotal

Step 8: Monitor Traffic and Logs

Check server logs for any suspicious activity or unauthorized access attempts:

tail -f /var/log/apache2/access.log

Look for unusual requests, especially targeting xmlrpc.php or login pages.

Step 9: Restore Public Access

After confirming the site is clean, restore public access by reversing the changes in Step 1.

Why Choose MalwareRescue.com?

While these steps provide a comprehensive roadmap, executing them requires advanced technical expertise. Malware infections often leave hidden backdoors that can reinfect your site if not addressed properly.

MalwareRescue.com offers:

• Expert malware removal.
• Preventative hardening services.
• 24/7 monitoring to safeguard against future attacks.

Don’t risk your website’s security and reputation. Let professionals ensure a complete cleanup and long-term protection.

Conclusion
Manually cleaning a hacked WordPress site is an intricate process requiring a deep understanding of website architecture and malware behavior. Even a single overlooked vulnerability can lead to reinfection. Protect your investment by trusting experts like MalwareRescue.com to provide a guaranteed solution to your malware issues.