I’ve been working with websites for over a decade and I’ve seen firsthand the damage that malware can do.
It’s not a matter of if but when a site will get hit.
That’s why I always recommend having a reliable malware scanner in place to help you spot an infection as soon as it happens.
Protect Your WordPress Site Like a Boss! 🛡️ Get Jetpack Protect Now!
Why You Need a Malware Scanner
Protect Your WordPress Site Like a Boss! 🛡️ Get Jetpack Protect Now!
Imagine this: you’ve poured your heart and soul into building your website and then BAM! It gets hit with malware.
Suddenly your site is down your reputation is tarnished and you’re scrambling to fix the damage.
Not only can malware wreak havoc on your site but it can also steal your customers’ data leading to a loss of trust and potentially even legal issues.
10 Best Tools to Check Your Website for Malware and Virus Infections
Thankfully there are a ton of great tools available to help you keep your website safe.
Here are 10 of the best broken down into categories to make it easy for you to find the right one for your needs:
WordPress-Specific Malware Scanners
These are the best options if you’re running a WordPress website.
They are designed specifically for the platform so they can catch vulnerabilities that other scanners might miss.
Jetpack Protect: Your WordPress Security Guardian
Jetpack Protect is like having a dedicated security guard watching over your WordPress site.
It’s a free plugin that’s super easy to set up in just one click.
It goes beyond just checking for malware.
It also keeps an eye out for vulnerabilities that hackers could exploit to inject malware in the first place.
Think of it as proactive security.
The real magic happens when you upgrade to the paid version.
Then Jetpack Protect can scan your entire site for tens of thousands of known malware definitions making sure you’re protected from the latest threats.
What Makes Jetpack Protect Stand Out?
- Automatic Scans: You don’t have to remember to run scans manually. Jetpack Protect does it all in the background so you can focus on running your business.
- Decentralized Scanning Technology: This technology scans your entire site including the admin area themes and plugins using Jetpack’s servers. This means it won’t slow down your website like some other server-side scanners can.
- Regular Updates: The vulnerability database is updated by WordPress security experts as soon as new threats are discovered so you’re always protected against the latest malware.
- Clear Notifications: If Jetpack Protect finds an issue it’ll notify you via your Jetpack dashboard and provide easy-to-understand instructions on how to fix it.
- Integration with WordPress: Since it’s made by Automattic the team behind WordPress.com Jetpack Protect integrates seamlessly with any WordPress site.
Wordfence: A Comprehensive WordPress Security Suite
Wordfence is another popular choice for WordPress security.
It’s more than just a malware scanner; it offers a whole suite of features to protect your site.
Wordfence’s Key Features:
- Malware Scanner: Wordfence’s malware scanner automatically checks your website for malware viruses and other vulnerabilities. It scans your entire website including plugins and themes looking for things like malicious redirects backdoors and code injections.
- Real-Time Database Updates: A team of website security experts constantly updates Wordfence’s database with new malware and virus definitions. With a premium subscription you get those updates in real time so you’re always protected against the newest threats.
- Malware Quarantine: If Wordfence detects malware it automatically quarantines infected files preventing them from doing any harm to your site.
- Malware Removal (with Premium Plans): Wordfence can help you recover from simple malware attacks by replacing damaged WordPress files with a clean version and deleting malicious ones. Some of the higher-tier subscription levels include complete malware removal.
Things to Consider:
- Configuration: You need to configure Wordfence to make sure it’s fully protecting your site.
- Email Alerts: Wordfence sends email alerts but sometimes they can flag legitimate changes as a concern. If you’re not familiar with website security these alerts might cause some confusion.
- Free Plan Limitations: The free version of Wordfence has a 30-day delay between new malware discoveries and when the free plan updates its database. So you might be vulnerable to newer threats for a while.
MalCare: Automatic Malware Removal for WordPress
If you’re looking for a hands-off solution that can automatically remove malware MalCare is a great option.
It’s a WordPress-specific plugin that offers automatic malware scanning and removal as well as a web application firewall.
What Makes MalCare Special?
- Automatic Scanning: MalCare automatically scans your entire site including admin files plugins and themes.
- Secure Scanning: It temporarily copies your files to its servers to conduct each malware scan which means scans won’t slow down your site.
- File and Database Monitoring: MalCare monitors your website’s files and databases and will alert you if it detects any changes that could be malicious.
- Automated Malware Removal: The premium version offers automatic malware removal. This is a huge time-saver if your site gets infected.
Other Benefits:
- Easy Installation and Setup: MalCare is easy to install and set up and its automatic scans mean you don’t need to worry about remembering to scan your site.
- Email and Live Chat Support: MalCare offers email support for all users and live chat support for premium users.
Free Malware Scanners for Any Website
These scanners are great for checking the front end of any website for malware.
They’re a good starting point but they don’t offer the same level of comprehensive protection as the WordPress-specific scanners.
Sucuri SiteCheck: A Quick and Easy Front-End Scan
Sucuri is a well-known name in website security and they offer a free malware scanner called SiteCheck.
It’s a simple web-based scanner that allows you to check the front end of your site for malware by entering its URL.
Sucuri SiteCheck’s Benefits:
- Easy to Use: You just enter your website URL and it’ll give you a quick scan result.
- WordPress Plugin: If your site is built using WordPress Sucuri offers a basic plugin that will check your site’s WordPress core files for any changes.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Manual Scans: You have to remember to run the scan manually to ensure you spot any malware or virus infections.
- Limited Coverage: The free version only checks the front end of your site so it won’t detect any malware that’s hidden on the back end.
IsItWP Security Scanner: Malware Blocklist Checks and More
IsItWP’s Security Scanner is another free tool that offers a quick way to check your website for malware.
What Makes IsItWP Stand Out?
- Simple Interface: It’s super easy to use. Just enter your website’s URL and the scanner will get to work.
- Malware and Blocklist Checks: In addition to checking your site for malware and viruses IsItWP’s scanner also checks if your site is listed in Google’s Safe Browsing and other malware blocklists.
Google Transparency Report: Check Your Safe Browsing Status
Google’s Transparency Report has a dedicated section for its Safe Browsing technology.
You can check your website’s Safe Browsing status to see if Google has flagged it as unsafe.
Easy and Free: This is a quick and easy way to see if your site has any potential problems. It’s completely free to use.
Premium Malware Scanners with Automated Features
These are the heavy hitters of the malware scanning world.
They offer a range of premium features including automated scanning server-side scans malware removal and more.
SiteLock: Automated Scans Malware Removal and More
SiteLock offers a range of malware detection and removal services including a free online malware scanner.
They also have premium plans that offer automated scans notifications and even automatic malware removal.
SiteLock’s Premium Features:
- Full Website Scanning: Premium customers can scan their entire website including admin pages plugins and files using SiteLock’s cloud servers. This helps ensure that your site isn’t slowed down by the scan process.
- Additional Security Checks: Premium scans also check for other security concerns such as SQL injections cross-site scripting and your website’s status on malware blacklists.
Things to Consider:
- FTP/SFTP Details: To use SiteLock’s premium features you need to provide FTP/SFTP details which might not be intuitive for everyone.
Detectify: For Complex DevOps Environments
Detectify is designed specifically for complex DevOps environments.
It’s more advanced than most other scanners on this list and it can be configured to run either on-demand or scheduled security scans that cover your entire website including back-end resources.
Detectify’s Key Features:
- Comprehensive Scans: Detectify looks for a wide range of security risks and vulnerabilities including SQL injections authentication vulnerabilities and SSL issues.
- Hacker Community Intelligence: Detectify uses a unique list of exploits gathered from the hacker community to help keep your site protected from the latest threats.
- Integration with Your Workflow: Detectify can integrate with tools like Slack or Jira to let you know about scan results and take action quickly.
Things to Keep in Mind:
- Complexity: Detectify is more complex to set up than many other options due to its wide range of options and scan profiles. You might need the help of a DevOps specialist to get it integrated with your website.
Quttera: Patented Malware Detection Technology
Quttera offers a range of solutions to check your website for malware including a free online malware scanner.
They use a patented malware-detection algorithm that claims to be able to detect previously unknown malware.
Quttera’s Unique Features:
- WordPress Plugin: Quttera’s free plugin will scan your entire WordPress site for malware including admin pages and plugins.
- Detailed Reports: Quttera provides a detailed report after each scan identifying malicious or suspicious files and your site’s status on common malware blocklists.
Things to Consider:
- Manual Scans: Quttera’s free scanners require manual scans so you have to remember to check your site regularly.
Choosing the Right Malware Scanner for You
The best website scanner for you depends on a few things mainly your platform and your comfort level with technology.
- WordPress Websites: If you’re running a WordPress website Jetpack Protect or Wordfence are excellent options. They offer automated scans regular updates and comprehensive protection for your entire site.
- Any Website: If you need a quick and easy way to check the front end of your site Sucuri SiteCheck or IsItWP Security Scanner are great choices.
- Automated Scanning and Malware Removal: If you want the most comprehensive protection including automated scans and malware removal consider premium options like SiteLock or Quttera’s ThreatSign! product.
- Complex Environments: If you’re working with a complex DevOps environment Detectify is a powerful option but it requires more technical expertise.
Keeping Your Website Safe
A malware scanner is a great first step but it’s just one part of a comprehensive security strategy.
Here are a few more things you can do to protect your website:
- Keep Your Software Up to Date: Regularly update WordPress your plugins and your themes. Security updates are often released to patch vulnerabilities so staying up to date is crucial.
- Use Strong Passwords: Don’t use easy-to-guess passwords. Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters numbers and symbols.
- Be Careful About What You Download: Only download plugins and themes from reputable sources. Be cautious of free plugins and themes as they may not be well-maintained or secure.
- Use a Web Application Firewall: A web application firewall (WAF) can help protect your site from attacks by filtering malicious traffic.
- Back Up Your Site Regularly: If your site gets infected with malware you’ll be glad you have a backup. You can easily restore your website from a backup if you need to.
By following these tips and using a reliable malware scanner you can significantly reduce the risk of your website being compromised.
It’s a little bit of effort but it’s worth it to keep your site safe and running smoothly.
Protect Your WordPress Site Like a Boss! 🛡️ Get Jetpack Protect Now!