Website Malware Removal and Security Hardening
Website malware removal is the cleanup of a hacked site: finding the injected code, removing it, closing the vulnerability that let it in and getting warnings lifted from Google and your host. It is for any business whose site is redirecting, blacklisted or sending spam. Brand Overture cleans and hardens WordPress and Shopify sites from Phoenix.
Your site is sending customers somewhere it should not
It usually starts with a customer. They clicked your link and landed on a pharmacy page, or Chrome showed a red warning, or your emails started bouncing because the domain is blacklisted. You log in and the admin looks normal. Behind it, injected code is sending your traffic elsewhere, creating hidden pages for someone else’s SEO, or harvesting form submissions.
Deleting the obvious file does not fix it. Attackers leave backdoors, and the vulnerability they used, an outdated plugin, a weak password, a pirated theme, is still open. The site gets reinfected in a week.
How we remove malware and secure the site
We start by taking a full backup of the infected site, so nothing is lost and we can trace what happened. Then we scan every file and database table, compare core and plugin files against clean copies, and remove injected code, rogue admin users, scheduled tasks and backdoors.
Next we close the door. Everything gets updated, unused plugins and themes are deleted, passwords and keys are rotated, file permissions are set correctly and a firewall is configured. On Shopify stores, we audit theme code and app permissions, since that is where compromised code hides on a hosted platform.
Then we submit the site to Google for review to clear the warning and work with your host and email provider to get off blacklists. You get a written report of what was found, what was removed and what was changed.
What you have afterward
A clean site that loads for customers without a warning. Email that arrives. Logins that only you hold. Monitoring that tells us if something changes, and a backup schedule that means the worst case is a restore, not a rebuild.
We have taken over sites other agencies left infected or abandoned. If yours is one, book the free 30-minute call or send the URL now. We will tell you what we see and what it will take to fix.
What Google measures. What we build to.
Core Web Vitals are Google's own speed and stability scores. Every site we launch is checked against them first.
LCP Largest Contentful Paint
How long until the main content is on screen.
- Good
- under 2.5s
- Needs work
- to 4s
- Poor
- over 4s
INP Interaction to Next Paint
How fast the page reacts when someone taps or clicks.
- Good
- under 200ms
- Needs work
- to 500ms
- Poor
- over 500ms
CLS Cumulative Layout Shift
How much the page jumps around while loading.
- Good
- under 0.1
- Needs work
- to 0.25
- Poor
- over 0.25
Thresholds published by Google for web.dev. Our standard is the target every launch is held to before it goes live.
What's included
Everything in scope. Nothing vague.
Your written scope lists each item, so you know what you are paying for before work starts.
- Full backup of the infected site before anything is touched
- File and database scan against clean core, theme and plugin copies
- Removal of injected code, backdoors, rogue admin users and scheduled tasks
- Updates, password and key rotation, file permissions and firewall
- Google Safe Browsing review request and blacklist removal
- Shopify theme code and app permission audit
- Written report of what was found, removed and changed
From first call to takeoff.
One person, Terrence, runs every step. Here is the sequence.
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Contact and backup
Send the URL. We take a full backup of the infected site so nothing is lost and the attack can be traced.
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Scan and remove
Every file and database table is scanned and compared against clean copies. Injected code, backdoors and rogue users come out.
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Close the hole
Updates, rotated credentials, correct permissions, a firewall and removal of anything unused. The way in is shut.
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Clear the warnings
We submit the site to Google for review and work with your host and email provider to get off blacklists.
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Report and monitor
You get a written report. Monitoring and maintenance are there if you want someone watching from now on.
Proof from real work.
Real clients, real builds. No invented numbers.
Site rescues
Much of our security work starts with a site another agency built and left behind: an infection that keeps returning, an admin full of unknown users, plugins years out of date. We clean it, find how it got in, close that door and document everything, so the owner knows what happened and what is different now.
Pricing. No dollar figures on a web page can be honest without knowing your scope. After a free 30-minute call you get a fixed scope and price in writing before any work starts.
Questions about website security & malware removal.
How much does malware removal cost?
It depends on how deep the infection goes, how many sites share the hosting account and what state the site was in before. After a look at the site you get a fixed price in writing before any work starts.
How long does website malware removal take?
It depends on the size of the site and how long the infection has been there. After the first scan we tell you what we found and how long the cleanup will take, and we start on the backup immediately.
Will the hack come back?
Not through the same door. Removing the malware is half the job. The other half is closing the vulnerability, rotating credentials and hardening the site. Ongoing monitoring catches anything new before customers see it.
Will Google remove the warning?
Once the site is clean we request a review through Google Search Console. Google rechecks and lifts the warning when it finds no malware. We also handle host and email blacklists, which are separate processes.
Can you keep the site secure afterward?
Yes. Our maintenance plans include updates, backups, security monitoring and a direct line to Terrence. Most infected sites got that way because nobody was watching. Having someone watch is the fix.