Discovering your website has been hacked is alarming. Immediate, calm action is crucial to minimize damage and restore security. This guide outlines the essential steps.

First, don't panic. Contact your web hosting provider immediately. Many have security teams that can help contain the breach. Then, take your site offline temporarily with a maintenance page to protect your visitors.

Your next critical steps involve investigation and cleanup:

• Identify the Hack: Look for common signs: defaced pages, strange redirects, unknown admin users, or malicious code injections.
• Scan Thoroughly: Use security plugins or online scanners (like Sucuri SiteCheck) to find malware and backdoors.
• Change All Passwords: This includes your hosting account, FTP, database, CMS admin, and associated email addresses. Use strong, unique passwords.
• Restore from Clean Backup: The safest fix is to restore your entire site from a known-clean backup created before the hack.

If a clean backup isn't available, you must manually remove all malicious code, which often requires professional help. After cleaning, update everything: your CMS (e.g., WordPress), all themes, and every plugin to patch security vulnerabilities.

Finally, implement preventive measures:

• Install a reputable security plugin/firewall.
• Enable automatic updates for your software.
• Schedule regular, off-site backups.
• Use SSL/HTTPS encryption.

Recovering from a hack is stressful, but following this structured process will help you regain control and build a more secure website for the future.