How to Remove Malware from Website: A Complete Guide for Business Owners

How to remove malware from a website is a question many business owners and site administrators confront when their online presence is compromised. Malware threatens your business and can damage your reputation, affect search rankings, and scare away loyal customers. Acting quickly and methodically can save your site from long-term harm.

In this guide, we will walk you through the process to identify, remove, and prevent malware on your site. We will also discuss how a professional service like BoholwebWP can help you maintain a safe and healthy website.

Recognizing the Signs of Malware on Your Website

Before cleaning up, you need to be sure your website is infected. Common signs include:

• Unexpected Redirects Visitors are sent to unrelated or malicious websites.
• Slow Performance Your site suddenly becomes sluggish or unresponsive.
• Unauthorized Changes New pages, posts, or admin users appear without your knowledge.
• Security Warnings Browsers display messages like “Deceptive site ahead” or similar alerts.
• Blacklisting Search engines remove your site from search results or flag it as unsafe.

If you notice one or more of these warning signs, act immediately to avoid further damage.

Step-by-Step Guide: How to Remove Malware from Your Website

Cleaning a hacked site can feel overwhelming; breaking it into steps makes it manageable.

1. Take Your Website Offline

Before making any fixes, put your website in maintenance mode or take it offline. This prevents further infection and protects visitors from malicious scripts.

2. Back Up Your Current Site

Even if it is infected, make a backup. You may need it later for reference or recovery. Store this copy securely and label it clearly as “infected” to avoid confusion.

3. Scan Your Website for Malware

Use trusted tools such as:

• Sucuri SiteCheck
• Wordfence (for WordPress)
• MalCare

These scanners will help identify malicious files, injected code, or compromised database entries.

4. Identify the Point of Entry

Check for outdated plugins, weak passwords, unsecured themes, or vulnerable server settings. Knowing how the malware infiltrated is crucial to preventing repeat infections.

5. Manually Remove Infected Files

If you are confident in your technical skills:

• Compare your site’s files with a clean backup or original theme/plugin versions.
• Remove suspicious scripts, especially from the wp-content, uploads, and themes directories.
• Replace core files with fresh copies from official sources.

If you are unsure, do not risk damaging your site further—hire a professional.

6. Clean the Database

Malware often hides inside your database. Look for suspicious code in posts, pages, or widget content. Remove any strange scripts, which usually start with “ or base64-encoded strings.

7. Update Everything

Outdated software is a hacker’s best friend. Update:

• WordPress core (or your CMS)
• Themes
• Plugins
• Server-side applications like PHP and MySQL

8. Change All Passwords

Change credentials for:

• Website admin accounts
• FTP/SFTP access
• Hosting account
• Database access

Use strong, unique passwords for each.

9. Re-Scan and Test Your Site

Once you have cleaned up, run another scan to confirm the malware is gone. Test all site functionalities to ensure nothing is broken.

10. Request Search Engine Review

If your site was blacklisted, submit a malware review request to Google Search Console or Bing Webmaster Tools to remove security warnings.

Why Professional Website Security Services Are Worth It

While you can clean malware yourself, it is often time-consuming, stressful, and risky. This is where professional services like BoholwebWP come in.

BoholwebWP offers top-notch website security and maintenance, ensuring your site is monitored 24/7, regularly updated, and quickly restored in case of attacks. Their team can:

• Perform thorough malware removal
• Patch vulnerabilities
• Set up firewalls
• Provide regular backups
• Monitor site uptime and performance

Instead of reacting to threats, they take a preventive approach—keeping your website safe, healthy, and optimized at all times.

Preventing Future Infections

Restoring your website is just the first step; safeguarding it from future threats is just as crucial. Here are some best practices:

• Enable a Web Application Firewall (WAF) Blocks malicious traffic before it reaches your site.
• Schedule Regular Scans Automated scans help detect threats early.
• Limit Login Attempts Reduces brute-force attacks.
• Disable Unused Plugins/Themes Remove anything you are not actively using.
• Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA) Adds an extra layer of login security.
• Keep Everything Updated Do not delay updates—they often patch security holes.

Final Thoughts

Knowing how to remove malware from a website is vital for any business owner, but prevention is always better than cure. Malware can damage your company’s trust, cost you customers, and lead to business losses. Acting quickly, following the right steps, and investing in professional website maintenance can protect your digital presence.