Several web security solutions are available nowadays, but not all are trustworthy or effective. However, I’ve researched and picked out 5 web security suites that’ll clean up malware from your site. Plus, their proactive security measures will stop future attacks. Of course, protecting your local devices alongside your websites is also essential because you’ll potentially be interacting with malware. For this purpose, Norton is the best choice. Its perfect 100% malware detection and feature variety make it my top choice. Plus, you can try Norton completely risk-free as it’s backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. Safeguard your devices with Norton
Quick Guide: 5 Easy Steps to Remove Website Malware Easily
Remove malware with Norton
How to Remove Website Malware and Restore a Hacked Website
The following steps will walk you through the basics of removing malware and restoring hacked websites. Before you go forward with any changes, it’s crucial to take a complete backup of your website in case you mistakenly delete files that are key to the website’s functionality.
5 Best Tools to Remove Website Malware and Get Your Website Running Again — Fully Tested in January 2023
1. Sucuri — Comprehensive and Reliable Website Security Option That’s Trusted by Many
Step 1: Scan Your Website to See if It’s Infected, Hacked, or Blacklisted
If you start to notice suspicious activity like unauthorized changes or random crashes on your website, it might be hacked or infected. The first thing you should do is scan it using Sucuri or another security provider’s scanner. This will provide you with detailed information about your website’s status.
Your website is good to go if the scan shows no infections, blacklist issues, or other problems. However, if the scan highlights security risks, you should take the necessary steps to remove malware and other problems from your website.
Step 2: Check the Integrity of Core Files
If a scan shows your website has been infected or blacklisted, you first need to identify the problem. The primary thing to look for is whether or not any of your website’s core files are affected. Core files are responsible for the key functionality of your website. Core files will vary depending on your CMS (Content Management System). For instance, WordPress websites have core files in the wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-access folders in public_html.
Step 3: Look for Any Recently Modified Files
After you’ve checked and verified the integrity of your core files, you should also check for any recent modifications in other website files. If any files have seen unauthorized changes recently, it’s a clear sign of a hack or infection, and you should replace the files. However, you can also open them with a text editor and manually remove suspicious code if you’re tech-savvy.
Step 4: Clean the Website’s Database
Once you’ve cleaned up suspicious files, you should also go through your website’s database and get rid of anything suspicious. You should check for suspicious keywords, links, or any entries that shouldn’t be there.
Step 5: Update Your Website and All Important Credentials
Upon clearing all signs of hacks and infection, preventing further attacks is critical. The first step you can take for this is to update all components of your website. Whether it’s server-side software on cPanel or plugins, themes, and other aspects of your CMS, update everything to the latest version. You should also update any login credentials, as the breach may have compromised them.
Step 6: Get a Firewall or a More Comprehensive Security Solution
Although you can take steps to secure your website, getting a full-fledged web security solution, or at least a firewall, is best for airtight security. I’ve listed several reliable website security options below that offer firewalls and other features that’ll make your website impenetrable. Plus, they help remove your website from blacklists, thus saving a lot of time you’ll otherwise have to spend manually getting it removed. Key Features: Sucuri is among the most comprehensive web security solutions you can get. It not only removes any existing malware on your website but also effectively protects against future infections. Plus, Sucuri’s blacklist monitoring and removal lets you know if your website is on Google, McAfee, ESET, Yandex, or other blacklists and gets it removed. Alongside scanning for and removing malware from your site, what I like about Sucuri is that it also includes manual cleanups. It offers unlimited manual cleanups no matter what plan you choose, in which a Sucuri security expert will manually analyze your website to find and eliminate malware. I especially like how effective Sucuri is at proactively securing your website. Its Web Application Firewall (WAF) is a great first line of defense against malicious traffic. Also, Sucuri monitors SEO spam and file changes. It even uses heuristics to detect malicious activity before it can impact your website. There are also various other useful security features, including:
0-day Exploit Protection — Protects against the latest threats and exploits. Brute Force Protection — Keeps your site safe from brute force password cracking attacks. DDoS Mitigation — Safeguards your site against DDoS attacks to prevent unnecessary downtime. Intrusion Detection System (IDS) — Traffic is filtered to block any unauthorized access to your site. Quarantined Backups — Safe backups of all files touched while removing malware from your website. Backdoor Removal — Removes any backdoors in your website to prevent reinfection.
Sucuri also has a 24/7 security team that’s available to help you out with any issues. The security team has cybersecurity experts who will help ensure that you have the best possible protection for your website. You can reach out to its experts via live chat, email, phone, or the ticketing system. It isn’t the most affordable website security solution, but Sucuri is worth its price considering its airtight security. It has 3 different plans, starting at $199.99/year. The plans only cover a single website, but you can contact Sucuri support to get a custom quote if you want to cover multiple sites. Also, Sucuri is the only option here with an actual 30-day money-back guarantee, meaning you can try it risk-free.
2. SiteGuarding — Provides Quick Malware Removal and Multiple Other Features to Secure Your Websites
Key Features: SiteGuarding reliably and quickly removes malware from your website. It offers emergency malware removal, which is the perfect solution if your website is already infected. Plus, it includes many features that help safeguard against future infections and keep your website running optimally. One of SiteGuarding’s best features is its Website Antivirus PRO, which uses heuristics to monitor file behavior and detect unknown viruses. It also has tools to safeguard against harmful bots that can harm your websites. Of course, it also runs regular scans on your website to look for threats and offers hack, brute force, and DDoS protection. You’ll also find various other useful features in SiteGuarding that provide additional website security, such as:
Website Firewall — Reliable first line of defense against any malicious traffic. File Change Monitoring — Regularly checks your website’s files to see if there are any suspicious changes. Injection Detection — Detects and blocks injection attacks that hackers could use to disrupt your website. Blacklist Removal — Helps remove your website from Google, Yandex, Opera, and other blacklists. Spamlist Removal — Removes your website from Spamcorp, Sorbs, Ivmsip, and other spam blacklists.
SiteGuarding also comes with helpful customer support. However, it’s worth noting that the response time depends on what plan you subscribe to. You’ll get a response in just an hour on the most premium plan, while it may take up to 48 hours on the basic one. As for the plans themselves, SiteGuarding has Basic, Standard, Premium, and Business offerings. The basic plan starts at $79.95/year and is great if you want reliable protection for a single website. However, its other options are better if you want to protect multiple sites. Also, it offers one-time-only malware removal services if you simply want to get rid of malware in case of an emergency without subscribing.
3. SiteLock — Renowned Website Security Service That’s Partnered With Many Hosting Companies
Key Features: SiteLock offers renowned website security that millions of sites around the world use. Whether you have a simple personal blog or a massive e-commerce website for your business, it has all the tools needed to safeguard your website. To keep your websites safe and secure, SiteLock runs daily scans to detect various threats. Its daily scans look for malware, cross-site scripting, SQL injections, and spam to ensure your website runs smoothly. Also, it takes daily backups of your website’s files and database. Alongside its excellent malware and threat scanning, SiteLock has various other security features, which include the following:
Bot Detection — Removes any bots that may spam or harm your website in other ways. Backdoor Protection — Finds and eliminates backdoors that attackers may use to infect your website. Vulnerability Detection and Patching — Looks for and fixes any vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit on your website. DDoS Protection — Safeguards your site from DDoS attacks that may lead to downtime. Website Firewall — Detects and filters malicious traffic.
One of this security suite’s most unique features is its Risk Score. SiteLock’s Risk Score analyzes your website to look for malware, vulnerabilities, and other issues, so you know what needs to be addressed. It provides lots of crucial information at a glance and is a great way to quickly tell if your website is secure SiteLock offers 3 different plans, which include its Basic, Pro, and Business offerings. The plans start at just $14.99/month, but you must commit for at least a year. However, paying yearly gets you an extra 2 months of protection completely free, which is great for long-term security.
4. Wordfence — Top Security Solution for WordPress Websites
Key Features: Over 4 million WordPress websites rely on Wordfence for security. It’s an excellent security suite with several security features, helpful customer support, and everything necessary to ensure your WordPress site has airtight security. Plus, it provides detailed after-action reports to let you know what issues it finds and corrects. Wordfence offers excellent real-time protection against malware with its firewall and scanner. Its firewall filters out any malicious traffic before it infects your website and the malware scanner uses up-to-date signatures to find threats in real time. Also, it monitors attacks on WordPress websites to generate a list of IP addresses involved in malicious behavior. Wordfence uses this IP blocklist to prevent known malicious third parties from accessing your site. I found Wordfence’s list of security features quite impressive. It offers a variety of tools to secure your website, including:
Plugin/Theme Vulnerability Monitoring — Lets you know if any of the plugins or themes running on your website have exploitable vulnerabilities. Brute Force Prevention — Detects and stops brute force attacks that could compromise your website’s logins. Scheduled Scans — Let you schedule exactly when security scans should run on your site. Blacklist Removal — Helps take your website off Google, McAfee, Opera, and other blacklists. Intrusion Alerts — Informs you if someone gets locked out because of too many login attempts or if there’s an increase in malicious attack attempts.
Customer support for Wordfence includes ticket-based, priority ticket-based, and quick 1-hour response time support options. Unfortunately, the kind of support you get is tied to your chosen plan. The most premium plan includes the top-tier 1-hour response time support, while users on the free plan can only use the forums for assistance. Wordfence’s plans include Free, Premium, Care, and Response packages. I like that it offers a free plan that covers basic security for an entry-level website, but it’s missing key features like real-time protection. The cheapest paid plan will cost you $99/year but includes the crucial real-time firewall and malware scanner.
5. Malcare — Offers a Free Scan and Effective Protection for WordPress Websites
Key Features: Malcare is another WordPress-focused website security suite. Like Wordfence, Malcare also offers a free plan, but it’s much more useful. While the free plan doesn’t have many features, it comes with daily malware scans, vulnerability scans, and a real-time firewall. Plus, it offers login protection, so it’s a great way to protect your websites for free. While Malcare has no standout features, it has everything necessary to safeguard WordPress websites. It runs regular scans, offers instant malware removal in case of emergencies, and constantly checks for vulnerabilities that attackers can exploit. Some of the other useful security features you’ll get with Malcare include the following:
Scheduled Scans — Regular scans to check for malware and other threats on your website. Bot Protection — Secures your site against bots that may cause spam and other issues. Uptime Monitoring — Provides detailed reports about your website’s uptime. Visual Regression Testing — Checks for unauthorized changes on your website.
Alongside its free plan, Malcare offers Basic, Plus, and Pro plans, with the cheapest starting at $419/year. It’s definitely among the most expensive options on this list, but each of its plans also covers up to 10 websites. So, unless you’re going for its free plan, it’s not worthwhile if you only have a single website to protect.
Bonus: Best Overall Antivirus for Your Local Device
Of course, alongside protecting your websites, it’s critical to secure your own devices as well, especially because you’ll be visiting your website that’s potentially compromised. Whether it’s your desktop computer or your phone, you need a reliable antivirus to stay safe from the ever-evolving variety of threats on the internet. The antiviruses I’ve listed below provide reliable security against even the most sophisticated malware.
1. Norton — Best Overall Local Device Protection Thanks to Its Flawless Malware Detection
Key Features: Norton is the #1 antivirus for protecting local devices. Its scans find 100% of malware on any system, and the real-time protection detects 100% of 0-day malware. Plus, its various features add additional layers of security to guarantee airtight protection for your devices. When I tested its malware detection, Norton delivered flawless results. It offers a Quick Scan which only takes 2 minutes, a Full System Scan which takes roughly 12 minutes, and even a Custom Scan. Norton’s scans detected 100% of the malware I hid in my test system without highlighting any false positives, and I didn’t notice any performance slowdowns. There’s also an excellent firewall that acts as a great first line of defense against potential threats. What I like most about Norton’s firewall is its customizable and intuitive design. It’s easy to set different rules and preferences to ensure it works according to your preferences. However, even if you don’t configure the firewall, its default settings are excellent for reliable security against most threats. Norton’s core threat detection and firewall come with several other features that provide additional security, including:
Built-in VPN — Reliable VPN with industry-standard AES 256-bit encryption that protects your online activity. Password Manager — Safe and secure storage for all of your important credentials. Secure Cloud Storage — Up to 100GB (in the US) of encrypted cloud storage for all your sensitive files and data. PC SafeCam — Prevents any unauthorized third parties from accessing your webcam.
I was also thoroughly pleased with Norton’s customer support. It took only a few minutes to get in touch with a live chat agent whenever I needed help, and all the agents were very knowledgeable. There’s also phone support if you’d rather speak to someone over a phone call instead of live chat. Norton offers several plans you can subscribe to, including the following:
Antivirus Plus — The most basic plan, which offers Norton’s core antivirus features, firewall, password manager, 2GB of cloud storage, and protects 1 device. 360 Standard — Increases the cloud storage to 10GB, adds Norton’s VPN and PC SafeCam, and has all the features in Antivirus Plus. 360 Deluxe — Protects up to 5 devices, ups the cloud storage to 50GB, adds parental controls, and includes all of 360 Standard’s features. 360 Select — Has all the above features, offers up to 100GB of cloud storage (in the US), and offers Norton’s ID Theft Protection.
I found Norton’s plans quite affordable, given its top-grade protection and various features. You can subscribe to Norton for as low as $19.99/year, but I recommend getting its Deluxe plan if you want the best value for money. Plus, you can try Norton completely risk-free as it’s backed by a 60-day money-back guarantee. When I asked for my refund over live chat, it was approved almost instantly. I had my money back 5 days later. Remove malware with Norton
2. McAfee — Reliable Malware Detection and a Wide Variety of Features to Protect Your Local Devices
Key Features: McAfee is an excellent security app for your local desktops and phones. It’s a solid antivirus that offers excellent threat detection and an intuitive interface that makes it easy to use. The scans in McAfee include a Quick Scan, a Full Scan, and a Custom Scan. While running tests, McAfee successfully detected 100% of the malware on my system. However, it flagged a few safe files as malware, meaning its scans aren’t as reliable as Norton’s, which detects all malware without any false positives. I was very pleased to see McAfee’s variety of features that bring additional layers of security alongside its excellent threat detection. There’s a built-in VPN that uses AES 256-bit encryption to provide airtight security and anonymity as you browse the web. Plus, there are several other features, including the following:
Password Manager — Secure storage for all your sensitive logins and other credentials. File Shredder — A safe way to delete your files so they can’t be accessed by anyone else. Customizable Firewall — An intuitive firewall that you can easily customize to your liking.
McAfee also offers excellent customer support via 24/7 live chat. It’s not the fastest out there, as I often had to wait a while to be connected to an agent. However, it’s reliable as all the agents are knowledgeable and provides all the help you need to fix any issues you face. You can subscribe to one of 5 different plans if you decide to get McAfee, which include the following:
Antivirus Plus — McAfee’s basic plan with its core antivirus features and web protection for 1 device. Total Protection Basic — Includes all of Antivirus Plus’ features and adds McAfee’s firewall, file shredder, VPN, and identity monitoring. Total Protection Plus — Protects up to 5 devices while offering all the features in Total Protection Basic. Total Protection Premium — Lets you protect unlimited devices, includes all the above features, and offers McAfee’s Personal Data Cleanup. Total Protection Advanced — Has all the features mentioned above and also includes McAfee’s ID theft coverage, lost wallet protection, and security freeze.
I found McAfee’s plans fairly affordable, considering you can subscribe for as little as $29.99 a year. However, the price goes up considerably after the first year. I advise getting McAfee Total Protection Plus if you want the best bang for your buck. Also, you can try McAfee completely risk-free, though, thanks to its 30-day money-back guarantee. I tested this guarantee by asking for a refund via live chat, which was instantly approved, and I had my money back 7 days later. Remove malware with McAfee
3. TotalAV — Intuitive and Easy to Use Antivirus With Reliable Protection
Key Features: TotalAV provides effective security and useful optimization tools. Not only does it detect 100% of malware via its scans, but it also helps your devices perform better via its various optimization features. While testing its malware detection, I was quite pleased with TotalAV’s performance. It offers a Quick Scan, Full System Scan, Custom Scan, and a Smart Scan. TotalAV’s full system scan took roughly 20 minutes on my test computer and successfully detected 100% of the malware. While its results are impressive, it still isn’t as fast as Norton’s Full Scan, which took 12 minutes on the same system. Alongside the malware detection scans, the Smart Scan is a great way to look for ways to optimize your system. It scans your system for junk files, tracking cookies, duplicates, and other things you can clean up to free up space and improve performance. The Smart Scan found over 1GB of junk files on my system when I tested it for the first time. TotalAV also offers various other security features that help further secure your devices, which include the following:
Built-in VPN — Encrypts your traffic and keeps you completely anonymous as you surf the web. Web Protection — WebShield browser extension that safeguards you from visiting malicious websites. Password Manager — Secure storage for all your logins and other credentials.
You can subscribe to TotalAV through one of its 3 different plans, each of which provides great value for money. Its plans include the following:
Antivirus Pro — Offers TotalAV’s malware protection, web protection, and optimization tools and simultaneously protects up to 3 devices. Internet Security — Has everything in Antivirus Pro but also offers TotalAV’s VPN and simultaneously protects 5 devices. Total Security — Comes with all the above features, TotalAV’s adblock, password manager, and protects up to 6 devices.
The cheapest TotalAV subscription will cost you $29.00/year, but I suggest getting the Internet Security plan as it delivers excellent value. Also, you can try TotalAV completely risk-free as it’s backed by a 30-day money-back guarantee. Getting a refund is easy since all it takes is a minute-long phone call to have it approved. I had my money refunded just 2 days after asking for my refund. Remove malware with TotalAV
Quick Comparison Table: 2023’s Best Website Malware Removal Tools
How I Tested and Ranked the Top Website Malware Removal Tools
I analyzed several website protection services and only picked out top-tier options that meet the following criteria:
Blacklist Removal — I prioritized services that protect your website’s reputation by helping remove it from blacklists. Good Reputation — I looked for website security options that have good reputations and are trusted by many sites worldwide. Detects and Removes Malware — I only suggested security services that can effectively scan for malware on your websites and remove it. Works with multiple CMS — Since there are so many CMS (Content Management Systems) for different websites, I looked for security services that work with all popular CMS options. Value for Money — I analyzed each website security service’s plans and only picked the ones that provide the best value. Long-term Support — I focused on suggesting security options that remove malware from your website and proactively safeguard it from threats in the long run.
What is website malware?
Website malware is software designed to hijack a website, steal sensitive information, or harm it or its visitors. Thankfully, there are useful tools that protect your website from malware by removing any infections and proactively scanning for new ones. However, malware isn’t limited to websites and can also infect your devices, so it’s worthwhile to get a top-tier antivirus to keep your devices safe.
How can I remove malware from my website and protect it from future infections?
You can effectively remove malware from your website using the reliable website security options I’ve picked out. Each one offers reliable scanners that go through your infected website and eliminate all malware. These also help protect your websites from future infections by proactively looking for threats via constant scans and using heuristics to detect malicious activity. Plus, many offer real-time protection like the best Windows antiviruses do, thus keeping you secure from 0-day malware attacks.
What are the signs of website malware?
Website malware is often quite subtle, so proactively getting a reliable website malware removal tool is always a good choice. However, there are several signs that’ll help you tell if there’s an infection. One of the first signs is that your website’s content seemingly gets modified on its own. Also, pages start crashing, account login information gets changed, and even your visitors might start having their devices infected. If your website has malware for long periods, search engines could even blacklist it, thus negatively impacting your traffic. Protect your devices with Norton
Remove Malware From Your Website and Keep It Protected From Future Threats
Website malware gets more sophisticated every other day, and hackers are always figuring out new techniques to breach security. Breached websites can have their visitors infected, unnecessary downtime, spam, and even a hit to their reputation if they’re blacklisted. So, it’s essential to have a reliable web security solution to keep your website safe and secure. You should get a web malware removal tool as soon as you notice unauthorized changes, freezing, and unnecessary spam on your website. Getting a reliable web security suite like Sucuri removes malware and protects your website from future attacks and infections. Also, if you keep it, your website will be protected, and you won’t see yourself in the same situation again. Alongside protecting your sites, you should also keep your local devices secure. Norton’s industry-leading 100% malware detection via scans and in real-time makes it the best choice for protecting local devices. You can also try Norton completely risk-free for 60 days with its money-back guarantee.
