Malware keeps creating files

  • I have malware on my website that keeps creating a wordpress folder with an index file, htaccess file and a couple of other files, it also changes the index file and a couple of others.

    i keeps changing them back, deleting the generated files, have changed my password several times, use wordfence and Securi neither have flagged any issues, all plugins/theme are up to date, everytime I think it has gone the net day or two things have changed again.

    What can I do? My hosting company is absolutely useless, they wont help in the slightest and take over a week to respond to anything.

Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)

  • @emmaedeh: please open your own topic for your own issue: https://www.ads-software.com/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/#new-topic-0

    I can help you solve your hacking problems.

    @slowhost
    Could you please verify if you have found any solution to this problem? I have recently encountered the same issue in all of my Bluehost accounts.
    I delete all infected files in the scan report manually twice a day every day for 2 weeks now to ensure the websites function properly.

    I will offer you a few things about the solution. I’ve been dealing with these problems for months. I did everything that could be done, but this malware probably works in the database and with the cron job, adding new plugins to the Plugins folder twice a day. Usually the name of the malware folder is “zywuryro” or similar meaningless folders, and security plug-ins can detect it as harmless.

    As a solution, log in to the File Manager from Cpanel, enter all created files such as php, index and images, clean the codes in them and save them. Remember, you also have malicious files that look like images and you have to understand this. Then right-click on the folder containing the malware and change Permissions. Remove all check marks. In this way, neither you nor anyone else can access/delete the contents of that folder.

    As a second method, you can disable those trying to access that folder by right-clicking on the folder in File Manager and activating Leech Protection.

    If you cannot create a solution, I can help you with security.

    https://github.com/mmbi18/tma1del2oti

    If there are many files and you can’t delete shell files with a specific format, use my plugin. If the hacker develops, I will develop this plugin at all.

    But Ninja Scanner and Ninja Firewall plugins can also help.

    After hacking the password of the database and many users, the hacker may create many applications, delete them, change the password of the database and check the cron job and delete it.

    Adrian M

    (@seitaninstrument)

    I too am having the same problem and I have also done everything above suggested. I also reinstalled the core files. I’ve been fighting this for a month now.

    About the behaviour:
    – on the daily the following files in the root folder are given additional code that point to a .css file (previously .ccss, more about this below in bold): wp-config.php, index.php, wp-settings.php
    – those css files are also generated anywhere within the subfolders. I find them by scanning for their exact names
    – about twice a week or so they additionally create files with more common names such as “options.php”, “profile.php” or “admin.php” that contain obfuscated code and which are also placed anywhere in the subdirectories
    – twice I found radio.txt files all over my shared hosting. The interval was about two weeks.
    – twice I had additional admins which I luckily could delete

    The behaviour suggests a hijacking intention with steps taking place over several days which starts with the first described steps and if you neglect to delete the files it eventually leads further down my list.

    I’ve tried the most popular scanners as well but they don’t detect all the files. @mmbi18 I even tried your plugin which worked but something weird happened recently, like 1 week ago the behaviour changed: Instead of generating ccss files they have switched to generating the same files with the same kind of code but now as css files. I am not sure how that can happen but I have not had any ccss files since.

    I am hosting 4 installations in total but only as a favor for friends. At this point I am considering to uninvite them to their own hostings. And I’ve learned to never again host more than one wordpress site per shared hosting. For 4 years nothing happened but it’s taken this one incident with a security issue with one plugin to mess up my whole server. ?? I did have backups but they unfortunately had already been infected.

    I have some questions for all the experts here:

    1. does anybody know any kind of malware remover that’s open source? I’ve looked at all the popular ones and it looks like they are about 200 $ per site. I can’t pay this money for now.
    2. Is there a tool that makes it possible to scan all installations locally aka on my windows system?
    3. Is it possible that the malware messes with the “last modified” dates to make it harder to find the files? Also why do folders sometimes say they have been modified recently but then there’s no file that’s changed in that folder? If the modified dates of the folders are not a good indicator to find the changed file within them – what is?
    4. Is it possible that there’s a file creating these files from outside my wordpress installations? Frankly, I am not familiar with the files outside my wordpress installations, they were all just there from the start.

    I know these are many questions but besides being in need of help I’m also genuinely curious how these things work. I have been researching it but found many contradictory opinions, and I somehow ChatGPT too has given me unsatisfactory vague responds
    ?? Thanks in advance!

    @seitaninstrument: please create your own topic for your own issue: https://www.ads-software.com/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/#new-topic-0

    @seitaninstrument

    Please share your contact information so we can get in touch, I might be able to assist you.

    What I did was request my hosting provider to scan all my files. Then, using a finder code, I attempted to locate Base64 or other suspicious code that I found in my infected files. After locating them, I deleted them and changed all my login credentials. I can share these finder files for bulk deletion.

    I understand the difficulty you’re facing; I went through a similar experience a year ago, which almost cost me my job. Fortunately, I was able to overcome it. I also implemented SiteLock security for one of my dedicated clients, and it resolved their issues within 24 hours. You might want to consider trying this solution.

    Adrian M

    (@seitaninstrument)

    On threadi’s request, I have opened a new thread for my problem. Link

    @aromeremix thanks so much! I will send you a mail on your email linked from your website. Hope that’s ok ??

    @seitaninstrument
    Feel free to contact me on WhatsApp; I’m more than happy to assist you.

    I got the same issues in 2 sites….

    There are 2 great plugins that you can use to detect the infection .. and figure out where it comes from to take action in this.. WordFence and Defender from Hummingbird. WorkFence not only scan your directory.. it shows you the URL that hacker use to attack your site so you can block this URL.. Usualy wp-login.php, xmlrpc.php, and URLs with these parameters “up_auto_log=”..

    I’m was not expert in wp security, but I think that I know too much more than before… using those plugins.. Even Workfence compare the wrong files against WordPress website plugin database and give the option to repair it. What is very useful and save a lot of time. You must use one of those a time.. no, both.. Using this procedure, I finally could control the attack of the hackers..

    Actually I can see now that my site receive several attacks every day but without successful… until now ?? .. Regards

    Adrian M

    (@seitaninstrument)

    @aflamerich thanks to you too! I will look into this, I just need the time. haha

    I have now moved one site to another server to see if the problem is easier to handle.

    It’s funny though that so many people suggest wordpress. It was the plugin I had installed when the site got infected. However I did not know that it shows the URL that hacker use to attack the site. That might turn out to be useful ?? thanks for that! I will be back.

Viewing 12 replies - 16 through 27 (of 27 total)
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