What Is Malware and How Can It Infect Your Website?

Malware isn't just a virus that infects your computer — website malware is a distinct, growing threat with its own attack patterns.

What Website Malware Actually Does

Once installed, malware can inject spam links or ads into your pages, redirect visitors to malicious sites, steal customer data entered into forms, or use your server to send spam or attack other sites.

Common Infection Points

Outdated CMS software or plugins with known vulnerabilities are the most common entry point, followed by weak admin passwords, insecure file upload forms, and infected files uploaded through a compromised FTP account.

Signs Your Site May Be Infected

Unexpected pop-ups, unfamiliar admin accounts, a sudden spike in outgoing email, search engines flagging your site as unsafe, or visitors reporting strange redirects are all red flags.

How to Reduce Your Risk

Keep every piece of software updated, use strong unique passwords, limit who has admin access, and run regular malware scans rather than waiting for a problem to become visible.

If You're Already Infected

Change all passwords immediately, restore from a clean backup if you have one, and run a full malware scan and removal before reconnecting the site to the public internet if possible.

Further Reading

• SSL Certificates
• Talk to Our Security Team
• Get Cyber Safe – Government of Canada