If you are building a website or already running one, it’s imperative to take into consideration the security of the website. Talking about the security breach on a website, the two most common terms that we get to hear are malware and viruses.
A security breach in a WordPress website is not an uncommon incident that most webmasters and web developers face. However, there is some confusion among newbie webmasters about the distinction between website malware and viruses.
In this blog post, I’ve shared some of the significant differences between having malware and viruses on a WordPress site.
What is malware?
Malware, in its broader sense, encompasses a wide range of security threats, including backdoors, phishing, redirects, spyware, and viruses. Malware scripts or codes are created & injected to harm, exploit, or sometimes even to get unauthorised access to a website.
What is a virus?
A virus is a specific type of malware. It’s no different from a biological virus that tends to spread across the host (a website in case of technical viruses and a body in case of a biological virus).
Are malware and viruses harmful to WordPress websites?
Yes, malware or viruses can badly affect the performance of your WordPress site in many ways:
- They can slow down the loading speed and overall performance of your WP site.
- Your users’ sensitive data can be leaked.
- Google may blacklist your website and take down your SEO rankings.
- Your users may see a warning message when trying to access the website on their Chrome browser.
Key differences between malware & viruses
Behaviour
- Malware: The malware on a WordPress site may spy, steal, lock, delete, or damage the site or the server.
- Virus: It mainly spreads by infecting WordPress files and replicating itself.
Definition
- Malware: A Broader term for any harmful software (virus, worm, trojan, ransomware, spyware, etc.).
- Virus: Specifically, malicious code that attaches to files and spreads.
Examples
- Malware: Ransomware, spyware, trojans, worms, rootkits.
- Virus: CIH, Melissa, ILOVEYOU, Michelangelo.
Dependency
- Malware: Malware can operate independently (e.g., ransomware).
- Virus: Viruses need a file or a program to be attached to.
Impact on Website
- Malware: Wide range – data theft, spying, website slowdown, etc..
- Virus: File corruption, slowdowns, crashes, and spreading infection among WordPress files.
Detection
- Malware: For a web developer, it can often be harder to detect, as it can remain hidden (stealthy).
- Virus: Most experienced WordPress developers can easily detect it once it replicates and corrupts files.
Main Objective
- Malware: Data theft or taking control of a website.
- Virus: Damage, corruption, or disruption of web pages.
Evolution
- Malware: Continues evolving with many new forms (ransomware, cryptohackers).
- Virus: Older and less common today compared to other malware.
Activation
- Malware: May activate silently without user knowledge.
- Virus: Often activates when an infected file/program is executed.
User Interaction
- Malware: Can install silently without user action (drive-by downloads).
- Virus: Needs a user to run the infected file/program.
Securing a WordPress site
Below are a few things that most WordPress developers perform to secure a website (don’t try to DIY, as some of these steps may require technical expertise).
- Updating/upgrading the WordPress site’s core, themes, and plugins.
- Use strong, unique passwords for all accounts.
- Regularly back up the site.
- Installing & configuring SSL & Firewall.
- Changing the default admin username and URL to a custom one that’s hard to guess for hackers.
- Restricting the file’s access permissions.