Web Developer Ditches $500 Security Fix And Cleans Up Over 5,000 Malware Hacks Using Defender

When New Now Creative had their site hacked, they paid a security company hundreds of dollars to fix it.  This time around, when their client’s site got infected with malware, they simply used Defender to get rid of 5000+ hacks.

Getting your own site hacked when you’re supposed to be the expert is not only embarrassing, it’s every website owner’s nightmare!

This is what happened to Victoria Gabaldon, co-founder of New Now Creative Agency.

“My own site got hacked…a very expensive fix!”

Years ago, Victoria’s own site got hacked and she hired a well-known security company for a very expensive fix.

Last year, while visiting an old client’s site, she was horrified to discover that her client’s site had been hacked.

Google’s automated malware-detection system had placed a warning page on the site requiring removal of the malware and securing the site before they would restore it on their search results.

Victoria immediately let her client know that the site was infected with malware and contacted a specialist in malware removal for a quote.

The malware removal company quoted Victoria $499.99 per year to secure the site or $49.99 per month for emergency hack repair and blacklist removal.

“WPMUDEV made me look like THE superhero!”

Victoria’s client was worried about the cost. While searching for cheaper and effective alternatives, Victoria came across Defender, WPMU DEV’s security and malware removal plugin.

As she recalls, “I must have come across something from WPMUDEV can’t recall what it was exactly….but I do remember getting on with chat and them telling me that the plugin COULD clean up a site….needless to say I was quite skeptical but knew my client couldn’t afford what the other places were asking, so I told them I would do it at a highly discounted rate and they agreed to let me try since this was my first stab at it ;} gratefully they knew me well enough to trust me for the ride…”

In Victoria’s own words, here’s what she did next:

“Knowing I could use Defender to remove malicious code, I installed Defender Pro and began removing the 5000+ issues. I even jumped on live chat a few times for reassurance that I was doing it right. I was able to fix it with Defender Pro and get it all cleaned up and resubmitted to Google and clients were SOOOO thankful! WPMUDEV made me look like THE superhero! I even managed to switch to WPMU DEV hosting! Thanks to you all!”

“I’m most impressed by how good it is at removing malware.”

This experience not only taught Victoria how to better take care of all her clients’ sites’ security and prevent issues in the future, but she now uses Defender to provide a service fixing hacked websites.

When asked what features of Defender she uses and relies on the most, here’s what she said:

“Just about everything it offers! On most sites, I use the firewall, masked login area, and 2FA. But I’m most impressed by how good it is at removing malware.”

Web Security Is an Ongoing Concern

One last thing I asked Victoria to clarify, was the cost of fixing her client’s site had she gone with the original quote, as I checked that security company’s website and was a little confused by their pricing model.

Here’s her response:

“It is $49.99/month so technically, yes, would have got it fixed for $49.99 and then could have canceled the subscription, but then there would be no further security on the site unless they pay that monthly or the $499 for the year which we all found to be completely outrageous! Especially since WPMU DEV has much superior security and pricing!”

We’d like to thank Victoria for sharing her experience with us.

In addition to web/blog design, web development, website management, and training, Victoria, Nino, and her team of professionals provide a full range of services helping individuals, businesses, and organizations from offline start-up to online marketing, and assisting clients in all areas of creative design, marketing strategy, and branding.

For more details, contact Victoria and her team at New Now Creative.

Download Defender for free or become a WPMU DEV member with our 7-day free trial and get access to Defender Pro and all of our plugins, plus secure managed WordPress hosting, 24/7 live chat support, and more!