Act quickly to clean and secure a hacked site.

1. Take a backup of the current state (even infected) for reference.
2. Scan with a security plugin (for example, Wordfence) or cPanel's malware scanner (article 152) to find infected files.
3. Restore from a clean backup taken before the hack if you have one (article 158).
4. Update everything — WordPress core, themes, and plugins (article 90) — and delete any you don't use.
5. Change all passwords — WordPress admin, cPanel, database, and FTP.
6. Remove unknown admin users in WordPress.

Important: Outdated plugins are the most common entry point. Once cleaned, keep everything updated and consider a security plugin to prevent reinfection. Contact support@hostingpartners.co.za if you need help.