Thanks for reaching out. Getting hacked is never fun but hopefully Wordfence can help you get sorted out. The error you posted points to a DNS issue and while that could be a temporary thing with the network, it is also possibly a sign that the attacker screwed up some parts of the code needed to connect. You can always download the plugins from the www.ads-software.com repository and update them manually by unzipping them and uploading the folder directly via FTP to the /wp-content/plugins folder.
You can try going to the WordPress Dashboard > Updates page in the left side navigation on your site and either update your WordPress version or reinstall the version if yours is the latest version of WordPress available. I know that sounds like you might lose everything reinstalling WordPress but what it does is only remove and reinstall the core WordPress files. /wp-content is untouched so you don’t lose anything and this might fix the problem. If that gives the same cURL error you can manually the awesome folks at Kinsta have a guide to show you how here:
https://kinsta.com/blog/reinstall-wordpress/
Once you get Wordfence installed you can use Wordfence to clean your site. ?Even if you have already cleaned it, we have?a guide available here?that can help you make sure you didn’t miss anything.??I do have some suggestions to help you with this.
Make sure and get all your plugins and themes updated and update WordPress core too. If you are on an older branch (WordPress 4.x etc) because you wanted to wait before installing the latest version because of Gutenberg or a custom theme compatibility you still need the latest update in that version. Those can be found here: https://www.ads-software.com/download/releases/
WordPress sometimes even patches their older releases if a vulnerability that was found so make sure to update your version if needed.
If you or a ‘helpful developer’ installed any nulled plugins or themes (they might also be suspiciously deeply discounted premium plugins or themes) get rid of them by replacing them or purchasing them. Download new copies of any of these from the official sources. Using the same plugin/theme files and just installing a real license will not remove the malicious code often included in them. See this post to understand why nulled themes and plugins are bad:
https://www.wordfence.com/blog/2019/11/wp-vcd-the-malware-you-install-on-your-own-sites/
As a rule, any time I think someone’s site has been compromised I also tell them to update ALL their passwords for their hosting control panel, FTP,??WordPress admin users, and database.??
Additionally you might find the WordPress Malware Removal section in our free Learning Center helpful.
If you are unable to clean this on your own there are paid services that will do it for you. Wordfence offers such a service for this. Regardless if you choose to clean it yourself or let someone else do so, we recommend that you make a full backup of the site beforehand.
I hope this helps.
Mia
