On our WP Alpha hosting platform we scan for viruses and malware every day. The scanning runs at server level using Imunify360, and it checks both your website files and your database.
In this article and video we walk through how to access the malware scanner, see the history of scans, and what to do if something is found.
Step by step
- Log in to your hosting dashboard. If the sidebar is hidden, click the small icon to open it.
- Click Imunify360 in the sidebar.
- If you have more than one website, choose the one you want to check.
- Review the scan history. A scan should have run within the last 24 hours, covering the files and the database.
- Check the result. A clean site shows no malware found. If something was detected, the history tells you what was found and what the system did about it. Generally it will try to clean the infected file.
The Proactive Defense tab
If the system catches your website in the act of trying to do something malicious, it terminates that process and records it under Proactive Defense. This is less common than a scan detection, but a particularly malicious infection may show up here as well.
If malware keeps coming back
If the same detection shows up again and again, there may be an active infection on the site, or a compromised plugin with the security hole still open. The fix may be to delete the affected file or to update the plugin it relates to.
Most infections get in through security holes in plugins, so the usual fix is to update all your plugins and keep them up to date. Our Smart Updates system updates sites automatically Monday to Thursday, but there are gaps. Paid plugins that sit outside the WordPress update system cannot be updated by it, so check those manually and update them when needed.
If you get stuck or are not sure what a detection means, our support team can help via a ticket from the client area or live chat, and can give you next steps.