How Much Does It Cost to Fix a Hacked WordPress Site?

The short version

A straightforward cleanup from a professional usually costs a few hundred dollars. The price depends on how much damage there is, not on how scary the site looks. A single site with one infection sits at the low end. An online store that keeps getting hacked again costs more.

For reference, our own hacked site cleanup starts at a flat $249. We look at the site first and confirm a flat price for your job. You approve it before we start. There's no hourly billing and no surprise invoice.

What the price should cover

A real cleanup is more than deleting one bad file. Attackers usually leave a backdoor, which is a hidden way back in. Miss it, and the hack comes back. Our cleanup includes:

• Malware and injected code removed
• A search for hidden backdoors
• The database cleaned of spam and redirects
• Unknown admin users removed and passwords reset
• The security hole closed and the site hardened
• A request to Google to lift any "this site may be hacked" warning
• A plain-English report of what happened

Google decides when its warning comes off, so that part is out of anyone's hands.

What makes it cost more

Three things push a cleanup above the starting price:

• Heavy damage, or a site that keeps getting reinfected. There is more hidden code to find and remove.
• A large site or online store. More files, more pages and a bigger database to check.
• Several sites on the same hosting account. An infection can spread between sites that share an account, so each one needs cleaning.

If the job turns out bigger than it first looked, we talk it through with you before going further.

Not sure it's a hack? See how to tell if your site has been hacked and what to do first.

Keeping it from happening again

Most hacks get in through an outdated plugin or theme, a weak or reused password, or a pirated plugin with malware built in. Keeping everything updated is the main defense. Every one of our care plans includes weekly plugin and theme updates, daily backups and daily security scanning. From the Standard plan ($89 a month) up, malware cleanup is included at no extra cost.