How to Tell If Your Website Has Been Hacked (Without Being Technical)

Most hacked websites do not show obvious signs. There is no skull and crossbones on the homepage. Instead, the signs are subtle: a slight slowdown, unexpected redirects on mobile, spam appearing in Google search results for your site, or customer complaints about strange popups.

Warning signs to look for

Your site redirects on mobile. Hackers often inject mobile-only redirects to gambling or pharma sites. Check your site on your phone.

Google shows strange results. Search “site:yourdomain.com” on Google. If you see pages about Viagra or cheap trainers, your site has been compromised.

New admin users. Check your WordPress Users page. Any accounts you do not recognise?

Modified files. If your site behaves differently than expected, files may have been changed.

Prevention is cheaper than recovery

The average cost of recovering from a website hack is significantly more than the cost of prevention. Security headers, HTTPS, strong passwords, and regular updates are your first line of defence.

LaunchKitty checks your security headers, HTTPS configuration, and server technology on every scan. Prevention starts with knowing where your vulnerabilities are.