Should you experience an attack on your Joomla! website, HostPapa offers a range of malware detection and security services from SiteLock, a third-party web security specialist.
In this guide, we’ll go through the steps required to scan, detect, and remove malware from your site using SiteLock Shield. This service provides continued protection for websites and online stores with a comprehensive range of features, including:
- SiteLock Trust Seal
- Daily malware scan up to 500 pages
- Daily vulnerability scans
- Automatic malware removal
- Daily FTP scanning
- Spam and blacklist monitoring
- SSL support
- DDoS monitoring
- Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Activating SiteLock Shield
After you purchase SiteLock Shield, the service can be activated from the HostPapa Dashboard.
Select My Services from the navigation bar, then click the + button next to Website Protection to expand the panel.
Now, click the SiteLock Shield link to view the service details and then the Launch button to proceed.
The first time you launch SiteLock Shield, you will need to accept SiteLock’s Terms of Service, using the Proceed button.
The SiteLock Shield dashboard
You can now view the dashboard, which details recent scans, available security advisories and other features. While the screenshot below shows clean scans, your site may show red alert notifications if an exploit has been found.
Review your SiteLock Shield settings
Click the Settings link in the sidebar to review the SiteLock Shield configuration. In Download Settings, you’ll see that the service is preconfigured with FTP access credentials for your server.
If required, you can tweak the FTP download speed and Maximum Download Time settings to reduce your site load.
The SMART Settings page is where you can choose to have detected malware automatically removed from your site, or opt to simply receive a notification about the issue. Make your selections and head back to the dashboard.
Run a malware scan
Hover over the Malware Scan icon and click the magnifying glass to run a site scan.
The scan will be queued for a short time and will run in the background. Any malware detected will be automatically deleted (depending on your settings). Continue to run other available scans, as required.
Once the scans have been completed, click the Advisories icon to view output reports. These provide details of potential risks and tips to further protect your site.
Also see: What to do when your Joomla! website is hacked
If you need help with your HostPapa account, please open a support ticket from your dashboard.