How to Protect Yourself from Malicious Code in Image File
A hacker may make a file containing malicious code and format the file to appear as an image. The image will follow the PNG format. This is done to appear to be a common and harmless file that any website might typically have. Protect yourself from malicious code in an image file.
How You Get It
There are many ways the image file could have been placed on your website, but there are too many to cover all of them. It most likely came from a plugin or theme you installed on your site, which included the malicious file. Often, you would have no idea you were uploading an infected file to your site, as the hacker would make the plugin look as legitimate as possible.
What It Does
Once the file is on your site, the hacker can control your site and manipulate it in several ways. You may not notice anything at all, or you may see signs of a malicious image file placed on your site:
- Your site starts redirecting to another site
- Links to another site start appearing on your site
- Unwanted advertisements may appear on your site
- Search engines and browsers may start warning that your site is dangerous
- Your site may simply break and show a white page or an error message.
There are other ways it may manifest itself or not manifest itself at all. Instead, it may work quietly behind the scenes, gathering data and using your processing power.
What to Do If You Have It
If you aren't sure how to identify compromised files or correct them, consider a professional malware cleaning service like SiteLock to clean the site for you. It can also help protect against image file malware.
If you are a developer or familiar with the website, consider the following courses of action.
- Identify and remove the infected social file, identify any other files that have been changed, and make corrections as necessary.
- If you know when the file was placed on your site, replace your website with a clean copy from a backup taken before the infection.
- Have a professional malware service like SiteLock: Security for Small Businesses clean the site for you.
Summary
Hackers may use an image file to add malicious code and infiltrate your website. You may unknowingly upload the image through plugins or themes, thereby giving a hacker control over your site. To protect your website, you can use malware-cleaning services like SiteLock.
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You may also refer to our Knowledge Base articles to help answer common questions and guide you through various setup, configuration, and troubleshooting steps.