When your site goes down, it’s easy to get stressed. Acting calmly and methodically protects your reputation and your users. The good news? With a calm, methodical response you can get back online quickly and avoid a repeat.
Recognising a hack
Many owners discover the problem when a browser throws a malware warning, a search engine flags the site, or the hosting provider suspends the account. Sometimes it’s as simple as noticing unexplained redirects or unfamiliar content on your pages. If this sounds familiar, assume your site is compromised and act swiftly – leaving a hacked site online risks infecting visitors and creates legal trouble.
In case the worse has already happened, here’s a step‑by‑step recovery plan to help recover your hacked Joomla site:
Stay calm and take the site offline
- Create a complete backup of your files and database on your local machine.
- Rename the website directory or protect it with a password via
.htaccessso no one (including bots) can access it. - Put up a simple maintenance page – “Site is undergoing maintenance” is better than announcing you’ve been hacked.
- Once you’ve copied everything locally, delete the infected files from your server.
Taking the site offline limits the damage and stops attackers using your server to spread malware or send spam. Don’t rely on Joomla’s built‑in offline mode – it doesn’t prevent direct access to scripts via a browser.
Analyse the breach and find the vulnerability
Restoring an old backup without closing the security hole is pointless. Identify how the attackers got in by checking timestamps for unexpected file changes, reviewing access and error logs, and comparing your files against a clean Joomla installation. Don’t forget to run anti‑virus software on your own computer – malware on your workstation can leak FTP credentials to attackers. If you feel out of your depth, call in a professional: this stage is often the hardest.
Change every password and username
Assume all access credentials are compromised. Change your hosting panel, database, FTP, Joomla administrator and email passwords. Avoid obvious usernames like admin and use passphrases with numbers, symbols and mixed case. If multiple people access the site, make sure they also reset their passwords on clean machines.
Rebuild on a clean foundation
Delete the compromised Joomla installation entirely. Install a fresh copy of the latest supported version and restore your clean content and templates only after you’ve patched the vulnerability. Reinstall only the extensions you trust, and update them immediately. Skipping this step leaves backdoors behind.
Harden your Joomla site for the future
- Keep core and extensions up to date. Out‑of‑date software is the number one reason we see hacks.
- Remove unused and vulnerable extensions. Stick with reputable developers and uninstall anything you don’t need.
- Use strong credentials and two‑factor authentication wherever possible.
- Schedule regular backups and test restoring them. A working backup makes recovery less painful.
- Check your server configuration. Misconfigured PHP settings, file permissions and database privileges often create unnecessary openings.
Security isn’t a one‑off job. Make updates and backups part of your routine, and treat server settings with respect. Many “mystery” hacks we encounter turn out to be nothing more than overly permissive file permissions or outdated PHP versions.
Our agency’s view
We’ve helped countless Joomla site owners wake up from security nightmares 🙁
In almost every case, the root cause was mundane: failing to update Joomla core or extensions, using dubious third‑party software or leaving a server misconfigured. It’s rarely the work of a genius hacker – more often it’s an automated script exploiting a known flaw. That’s why our advice is blunt: stay on top of updates, remove what you don’t need and respect your server’s security settings. A little prevention saves a lot of panic.
If you’re not comfortable handling the technical details, there’s no shame in asking for help – we’d rather you recover quickly and avoid legal headaches than struggle in silence.
Key takeaways
- Take your site offline and create a full backup before doing anything else.
- Investigate the breach and look for the security hole; don’t just restore an old backup.
- Change all credentials – hosting, database, Joomla admin and email.
- Worst case: rebuild on the latest Joomla version and reinstall only trusted extensions.
- Stay vigilant with updates, backups and server configuration.
