Don’t panic, your website is just infested with worms and porn

worms-and-porn-for-opmc-blog

If you’re reading this article because your website is infected with malware and redirecting to porn websites, you’ve come to the right place.

If you’re a business owner and justifiably freaking out about the situation that’s presented itself, let’s get straight to the bit you need to know – contact us now.

We know what it’s like when your website starts going funny and you realise it’s been attacked or have malware on it.

We’ve prepared a list of the top 5 things you should know when this happens.

1. Don’t panic

This is a major issue that needs immediate attention. So long as you get a professional on the job promptly, they can step through the processes of resolving the issue.

We see hacking and malware every day – it’s a common occurence for us and we’re equipped to deal with it.

While it can be quite daunting, there is light at the end of the tunnel. Just don’t let it fester otherwise you will have a reason to panic.

2. You’re not alone

A number of years ago we were shocked when a client site was hacked into. Now it’s oftent very much a commonplace inconvenience more than anything.

Hacking and malware is now a part of every day life. Many, many businesses before you have been in the same situation even though they may not talk about it.

Major organisations with million dollar security budgets get hacked into, including Sony Playstation and NASA – all it takes is one vulnerability and someone who is aware of what that is.

3. Your website guy isn’t an expert at dealing to this

You may really like your web person, but that is not to say they’re experienced at resolving hacking issues. I believe it’s a specialist area where experience is quite critical in prompt and most cost effective resolution.

We often see big quotes from web designers and developers to fix malware and hacking issues. Often these issues have a 1st stage resolution that can be done much more cost effectively, to deal to the immediate issue of your site infecting customers’ computers.

Once that is resolved, we can take a step back and go through a process of assessing the site, diagnose and prescribe accordingly for this nasty infection.

4. It doesn’t have to cost you a fortune

Hacking and malware can range from mild to feral – if we better understand what actually caused it and just how bad it is, at least you can make a decision on it.

We offer a staged process to our own clients, so that gradually increasing effort can go into how we deal with it based on client budget. For example you can clean your bathroom with a duster, or you can scrub your bathroom with bleach and sandpaper – the latter just takes more time and effort. Okay, maybe not sandpaper.

And just like many unpleasant diseases, it can reoccur. Successful malware and hacking resolution is just as much about scrubbing up after it’s happened as it is about taking steps to prevent it happening again.

5. It’s better to take preventative measures – but you don’t want to know that right now

There are many things that can be done to prevent these problems, although it’s important to know there is no reasonable failproof method to protect your website entirely, unless you bury it in a bunker deep underground. Unfortunately this would also mean your customers can’t buy things from you so it’s not particularly helpful.

For help with any of the above, please don’t hesitate to tell us your pain via our contact form or on 02 9955 2237 and we’ll promptly let you know how we can help.