Earlier today, Sucuri reported a malware infection targeting WordPress sites!
The announcement indicates:
The last few days has brought about a massive influx of broken WordPress websites. What makes [this infection] so unique is that the malicious payload is being blindly injected which is causing websites to break.
The malware targets WordPress sites through vulnerabilities such as weak admin passwords and outdated plugins. According to Sucuri, upon infiltration the infector PHP corrupts WordPress core files, as well as theme and plugin files—leaving PHP errors displayed in the place of content throughout the infected site.
Sucuri is continuing to investigate and will provide details as they surface. If you’re site’s infected, you should first check all of your site files and database for injected malware, and then restore exploited files from a backup. Then change your passwords and upgrade your site immediately to prevent further attacks.
Most infections enter into the wild through basic security vulnerabilities that could’ve easily been prevented.
Setting a strong password is vital to maintaining a secure site. For WordPress, there are plenty of options that aid in the process of securing the admin login. Something worth looking into are two-factor authentication plugins—which (as the name suggests) strengthen the security of your site by requiring two forms of authentication for the login process.
Another thing worth emphasizing is how absolutely critical it is to keep your site, plugins, and themes up to date. The most current versions are (almost) always the most secure. It’s that simple.
Keeping your site, plugins, and themes up to date and selecting strong passwords are two of the most obvious security tips, but they’re clearly some of the most overlooked. By following basic security steps, you not only help make your website more secure, but you participate in making the entire WordPress ecosystem more secure.
Marie Dodson is the assistant editor at Torque. She graduated from Cornell University with a degree in Biology and Society. She enjoys wine, good books, and travel.
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