How to check websites for viruses

So, how can you tell that your website has been hacked? Here are some of the most visible symptoms:

If you don't take all the safety measures, the consequences for the website could be quite severe:

There are many types of viruses. Let's take a look at some of the most popular:

• XSS or Cross-Site Scripting is the introduction of malicious code into the page of the site.The code begins connecting to the server as soon as the user accesses the infected page, for example, stealing cookies.
  
  
• SQL injection is the easiest way to hack a website.The GET and POST methods are used to interact with SQL databases. An attacker can obtain access to a database by sending a GET request to the server if a site has a vulnerability
  
  
• LFI - Local File Inclusion. Connecting and using a local file on the server. PHP scripts are the most vulnerable. An attacker can obtain access to a vulnerable file and utilize it to their advantage by sending particular parameters to it.
  

Protection of an Internet resource (site, website, servers and databases) is a precautionary measure that will make it impossible to access it. Follow next steps for better website security:

• Use the pre-installed antivirus to automatically scan for and remove viruses.
  
  
• Disable code execution using the .htaccess file.
  
  
• Update your site's CMS to the latest version, and don't forget to do it regularly.
  
  
• Check for viruses on all computers you use to administer the server/site, and do this regularly.
  
  
• Change passwords periodically.
  

Website checks for viruses can be divided into two major types:

• Content check. This is a superficial check, but it is the easiest way for attackers to infect a page. Let's say you have a comment field, and the hacker places a virus file into it. Despite your correct approach to users, now you've got a virus.
  
  
• Code check. Thus, everything that a website consists of is getting checked. This can be a long process, but you should not ignore it, especially when your website is used for commercial purposes and accepts payments.
  
  

First, you need to know how search engines can help you detect viruses and timely eliminate them. When indexing websites, search engines check them for malicious codes and block dangerous content. However, search engines can't detect viruses in downloadable files, especially if they are archived.
Google regularly checks websites for malicious code, and you can find the research results by using the safe browsing service.

If everything is fine with your website, the result will look like this:

However, it is unreasonable to wait until Google finds a virus on your website. To ensure that your website is always safe, you must:

• Install a regular CMS antivirus scanning. There are plenty of options available for any taste and budget. Some popular solutions are Norton and Dr.Web;
  
  
• scan your website for viruses using web services. We will talk about them later in the article;
  
  
• scan files on the hosting to detect malicious scripts.
  

Let's suppose you have already configured the antivirus system so that it checks the content management system as well as all connected plugins. This is an important step, but it will only protect from the most amateurish attacks. There are frequent cases when a virus infects the website's file system from your own computer: the antivirus could not cope and allowed the malware to infect the hosted CMS.

Is the website already infected and pessimized in the search results? Carry out a sequential check of your web pages for malicious code. First, you need to scan the website for viruses using on-page SEO checkers and free online virus scan tools.

They will help determine if your website has content that is used by hackers. Normally, these are various redirects to sales websites, scripts for stealing cookies, and so on. If the hoster began to scold your website and visitors complain about advertising, you can use one of several options.

This website malware scanner is a free online tool that can be used to scan any website for malicious code, hidden iframes, vulnerability exploits, infected files, and other suspicious activities. This automatic tool scans 100 megabytes of the URL response content and can effectively identify evolving web threats.

You do not have to register to have your website scanned for malicious content. If you want your website to be reviewed manually, you can choose one of the tariffs and pay for manual scanning.

This is an industry rock star thanks to the speed of work. You don't need to register or go through any other circles of hell. Just insert a link, upload a file, or just find a page through a search engine. Thanks to the large database, there is no need to wait for the verification of websites that have already been verified. The service will simply give the result of an online scan of the website for viruses, showing an estimate of over 65 antivirus systems.

The good thing about this service is that it uses its own heuristic-based verification algorithm. To use it, you need to register and select a tariff plan. Despite the fact that prices may seem high, the service offers full support and even removal of malicious code by specialists. By the way, if your website has already "crashed" due to malware, the service employees are ready to fix it for $500.

The abovementioned methods are more likely to be preventative in their essence and can cure the website of simple viruses. If a resource is under a targeted attack, only a team of professionals will be able to repel it using the appropriate software.

Anyway, it is better not to neglect the protection of your website. If you use the abovementioned services and scripts, you can find and destroy ordinary malware as quickly as possible, not to lose the trust of users and search engines, and therefore the website positions in the search results.