Malware that infects WordPress is quite different from ordinary computer viruses. Here is an explanation of what makes them different.


Cannot infect PCs and MACs directly

The malware that infects WordPress is written in the same PHP program (or JAVASCRIPT) that WordPress runs on. This PHP program is only executed by the server software. (In the case of JAVASCRIPT, it will only run on browsers with strict security restrictions.)

Therefore, unlike software that can infect your PC or MAC, you will not be infected with a computer virus that can run on your PC or MAC OS simply by accessing the site because the server has been compromised by malware.

(However, if WordPress malware prompts users to download or install malicious software, or sends users to another malicious site where they download and execute a virus, the PC or MAC may also be infected.)

Directly written to the server remotely over the network

While computer viruses often require some action on the part of the user, such as executing or installing the program, WordPress malware is written remotely and directly to the server by a hacker through a vulnerability in the site.

Most program vulnerabilities are caused by the inadequacies of the creator of the plugin, theme, etc. Generally, when a vulnerability is discovered, the creator plugs it and releases an update.
Therefore, it is important for security reasons to keep WordPress up-to-date.

Parasitic in legitimate files

While computer viruses are often stand-alone executable binary software, many types of malware that infect WordPress are parasites that write into legitimate files on WordPress.

Therefore, if you delete the malware-infected files, the functionality of the legitimate WordPress files will also be erased, which may lead to site malfunctions.

Unusually large number of malware code variations

Unlike computer viruses, which are spread by a single virus or a large number of different variants, malware that infects WordPress has a much larger number of variations in its code.

It can be different from site to site, or even from file to file.
For this reason, the malware scanning plug-ins we develop do not detect individual malware in a categorized manner, but rather detect tampering from a short and extensive set of malware patterns.

We hope you will take advantage of the free malware inspection detection in the past.
Free] WordPress:Malware Scan & Security Plug-in [Malware and Virus Detection and Removal].

Purpose of Malware

The purpose of computer viruses is to steal personal information of users of that computer, encrypt files and demand money, etc. In some cases, individuals are harmed, but in the case of WordPress malware, such as increasing the number of hits or search rankings of any given site, malicious Many types of malware induce users to take actions on the web.

In addition, its targets are often intended to cause widespread and shallow damage or profit for a large number of users surfing the Web, rather than for individual users.

We believe that WordPress malware and tampering countermeasures are necessary in accordance with these characteristics.

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