Is My Site Hacked? 5 Ways to Find If Your Site's Been Hacked

Digital Marketing
July 26, 2025

Is My Site Hacked? 5 Ways to Find If Your Site's Been Hacked

A hacked website can cause serious damage to your business—lost traffic, damaged reputation, and even legal consequences. Hackers can insert malicious code, steal customer data, or redirect visitors to harmful sites without you even noticing. If you suspect something is wrong, you need to act fast. But first, you need to confirm: Is your site hacked?

In this guide, we’ll show you:

Common signs your website may be hacked
The 5 best ways to check if your site is compromised
How to fix a hacked site
How to protect your site from future attacks

Why Do Hackers Target Websites?

Understanding why hackers compromise websites will help you grasp the urgency of security measures. Here are the common reasons:

Data Theft: To steal personal or financial information.
Malware Distribution: Infect visitors with malicious software.
SEO Spam: Inject spam links for affiliate marketing or ranking manipulation.
Server Resources: Use your server for sending spam emails or launching attacks.
Ransomware: Lock your site and demand payment.

Hackers often target small to medium-sized businesses because they typically have weaker security measures.

Signs Your Website May Be Hacked

Before running checks, look for these warning signs:

Unusual Traffic Spikes: Sudden increases in traffic from unknown regions.
Google Warnings: "This site may be hacked" message in search results.
Redirects: Visitors are redirected to unrelated or harmful websites.
Strange Content: Unfamiliar pages, ads, or pop-ups on your site.
Slow Performance: Site loading much slower than usual.
Unauthorized Logins: New admin accounts you didn’t create.
Blacklisting: Your site is blacklisted by Google or security tools.

If you notice one or more of these, your site could be compromised. Let’s dive into the 5 ways to confirm if your site has been hacked.

1. Check Google Search Console for Security Issues

Google provides a free tool, Google Search Console (GSC), that alerts you about security problems.

Steps:

Log in to Google Search Console.
Navigate to Security & Manual Actions → Security Issues.
If your site is hacked, Google will show warnings such as:
- Malware detected
- Hacked content
- Phishing attempts

This is one of the fastest and most reliable ways to detect hacks.

2. Use Online Malware Scanners

Online tools scan your site for malware and suspicious code without requiring access to your server.

Popular Tools:

Sucuri SiteCheck: Free scanner that checks for malware, blacklisting, and vulnerabilities.
VirusTotal: Scans URLs for malicious scripts and infections.
Quttera: Detects malware, phishing, and suspicious external links.

Simply enter your website URL, and these tools will analyze your site for infections.

3. Monitor Website Files for Changes

Hackers often modify your core files or upload malicious scripts. Use file integrity monitoring to spot unauthorized changes.

How to Do It:

Compare current files with clean backups.
Use tools like Wordfence (for WordPress) or ImunifyAV (for servers) to scan for suspicious files.
Look for recently modified files you didn’t change.

When securing your WordPress website, always pay close attention to key files and directories. Start with /wp-content/plugins/ where malicious or outdated plugins can pose major security risks. Next, review /wp-content/themes/ to ensure your active theme and its files haven’t been tampered with. Also, inspect index.php for unauthorized code injections. Lastly, check your .htaccess file — this controls server behavior and can be a target for redirects or malicious rules. Regularly scanning and updating these files helps protect your site from potential threats. If you're unsure, consult a professional to safeguard your website properly and avoid major vulnerabilities.

If these files were altered without your knowledge, your site is likely hacked.

4. Check Server Logs for Unusual Activity

Your server logs reveal everything happening on your website. Check them for:

Repeated failed login attempts
Unknown IP addresses accessing admin areas
Requests to unknown files or scripts
High traffic from suspicious regions

Most hosting providers allow access to logs via cPanel or the hosting dashboard.

5. Scan for Blacklisting and Spam Links

Hackers often inject spam links to boost other sites’ SEO. They may also cause your site to be blacklisted.

How to Check:

If you see strange pages or content unrelated to your business, that’s a red flag.

Use tools like Google Transparency Report or Norton Safe Web to see if your site is blacklisted.
Check your site manually for hidden links, often placed in footers or blog posts.

If your site appears on blacklists, you need to clean it immediately and request reconsideration from Google.

What to Do If Your Website Is Hacked

If you confirm that your site is hacked, don’t panic. Follow these steps:

Step 1: Take Your Site Offline Temporarily

Prevent further damage and protect visitors by putting the site in maintenance mode.

Step 2: Backup Everything

Before making changes, take a full backup of your site. This helps in recovery if needed.

Step 3: Remove Malicious Files

Use security plugins like Wordfence or MalCare for WordPress.
For other CMS or custom sites, scan and remove infected files manually or via security tools.

Step 4: Change All Passwords

Update passwords for:

Hosting account
CMS admin
Database
FTP accounts

Step 5: Update Everything

Update your CMS (WordPress, Joomla, etc.), themes, and plugins to the latest versions.

Step 6: Request a Review

If your site was blacklisted, submit a reconsideration request to Google via Search Console after cleaning.

How to Prevent Your Site from Being Hacked Again

Prevention is better than cure. Here’s how to secure your site:

Use Strong Passwords: Avoid easy-to-guess passwords.
Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Adds an extra layer of security.
Keep Everything Updated: Outdated software is a hacker’s entry point.
Install Security Plugins: Use tools like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security.
Regular Backups: Schedule automatic backups so you can restore your site quickly.
Use HTTPS: An SSL certificate encrypts data and builds trust.
Limit Login Attempts: Block repeated failed login attempts.