Hacked WordPress sites: signs and first steps.

How to tell a site is hacked, what to do in the first ten minutes, and why a cleanup only sticks once the way in is closed.

1 post, last updated Sep 4, 2026

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How to tell if your WordPress site is hacked, and what to do in the first ten minutes

Eleven signs your WordPress site is hacked, from redirects to the quiet ones only Google notices, and what to do in the first ten minutes.

Guide 8 min read

The short answer

Two signs together, such as redirects only on phones, a Google warning, admin users you didn't create or a host suspension, mean a hacked site until proven otherwise. In the first ten minutes, back up the hacked site as it is, change passwords from a clean device and write down what you saw. Don't restore a backup yet.

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