As WordPress grows, malware scams and phishing attacks become more prominent. Since millions of sites use WordPress, scammers are aware that even a little success can bring them significant profits. Nowadays, spotting these scams is not as easy as it used to be. In fact, they often take the form of updates or security patches, which makes them even more dangerous for site managers.  

One of the recently developed malware scams doing the rounds is targeting WooCommerce users with fake critical security patches. Everything seems in place; the email looks official, and the wording seems professional. At first glance, it appears to be a legitimate update request. But disguising it is a payload designed to completely take over your WordPress site.  

The Most Recent Example of Malware Attack in WooCommerce  

People who administrate WooCommerce websites are being attacked via emails that claim to contain extremely urgent WooCommerce security patches. Unfortunately, you will be instructed to ‘apply’ the patch immediately to avert ‘serious consequences’ . But after this patch is applied, the damage is irreversible

Your WordPress site gets unauthorized admin users injected as malware. These fake accounts take up eight-digit random usernames and passwords, so they remain undetectable unless actively monitored. To make matters worse, the code also hides these users from the WordPress dashboard, providing attackers complete control while keeping the number of admins unchanged to bypass suspicion.  

As if user accounts weren’t problematic enough, the malware creates new subfolders within the uploads directory and names them something like “wp-cached-” to masquerade as benign WordPress functions. These subfolders contain PHP files with bizarre or backward extensions, enabling the malware to persist while remaining unreachable.  

The infected code contacts suspicious domains like woocommerce-help.com and woocommerce-patch.com. These channels enable communication with malware, allowing commands to be relayed to the attackers to fetch data logged by the infiltrated code.

Reasons for the Effectiveness of Malware Scams  

One of the most successful issues of these scams is that they utilize fear or a sense of immediate danger in people. Most website users receive emails containing “critical updates required,” and without thinking, they jump into pressing buttons. Cybercriminals are well aware that a typical WordPress user will not bother looking at the sender’s email address or inspecting update notifications within the WooCommerce dashboard.  

Compromised sites with a false sense of security provide the average user with a veneer of safety, while in truth, they are completely shattered behind the scenes. Everything from business data and customer information to the website’s reputation may suffer irreversible damage before users have a chance to figure out what went wrong.  

Making malware more difficult to fight 

Manually removing an infection from a site requires the user to engage in advanced server-level work. The process mostly, if not entirely, consists of sequential steps. Customers usually blame service providers of not being secure enough after dealing with cleanup processes. In most scenarios, you need to sift through every file and database entry, searching for and isolating coded malware that would rather remain invisible, making manual cleanup burdensome.  

That’s precisely the reason storing reliable backups is no longer a best practice but an ultimate line of defense. One of JetBackup’s best features is how easily it can help you restore your site after a malware attack. In case your WordPress installation gets infected, you can revert back to a clean backup in mere moments. This helps permanently remove the malware from the website without facing the hassle of going through the code or requiring expensive cleanup service.

Restoring a JetBackup backup can really save you the time, money, and stress of dealing with your new malware-infected state. It guarantees that your site is back to a condition that is known to be good without the risk of malware evading removal and still hiding in overlooked files.

Don’t Wait Until It’s Too Late

Having a website is your best digital presence until it gets targeted by hackers. Whether you’re running a small blog or a massive e-commerce store, attackers target everyone. But the motto for a JetBackup is ‘prepare above all’, which means simple methods of restoring control should be part of your routine security scheme.

Here at JetBackup, we strongly advise all site owners to remain cautious. Check on your admin users; make sure they are known. Check the uploads folder for strange files. Monitor unexpected traffic spikes or outbound connections to unknown domains.

Preparing a backup plan has to rank highest in significance. With JetBackup for WordPress, your access to solutions when issues arise improves. Before severe WordPress damage can happen due to malware, you can restore your site to a clean version.

Stay Protected With JetBackup

Your strategy for website protection must change alongside evolving malware scams. Ensure that you are informed and prepared. Implement backups and proactive measures. 

Whether you’re under attack or have malware issues, JetBackup for WordPress assists you in preempting any threats, ensuring you can recover swiftly if damages do arise. It also allows you to uphold peace of mind at all times. Restore backups and defend your business and website. 

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