What is FTP? Why use it to clean hacked websites?

The File Transfer Protocol (FTP) is a network protocol used to transfer files between a client server and a network. In other words, it is through FTP that we get text and images onto a website.

Why is FTP used to clean up a website?

Not only is FTP used to insert files into a website, It’s also necessary for removing malicious files left by a hacker. Let’s take a look at what FTP is and why we need access to it when cleaning infections and removing malware from websites.

To clean a hacked site, Sucuri analysts need FTP or SSH access to your hosting account. This way, we can evaluate and scan every file located on your website.

Note: If you require us to access via SSH, contact our team on live chat or email so that we can help you obtain our public SSH key and the IPs we’d connect from to keep access limited.

Where to find your website’s FTP information

FTP information can be found on cPanel or your host’s dashboard. Each hosting company has a unique setup for FTP access. We’ve listed links for a number of popular hosting companies below to help you find your FTP information.

• Bluehost
• Cloudways
• cPanel
• DigitalOcean
• Dreamhost
• GoDaddy
  • Linux (cPanel)
  • Managed WordPress
  • Web/Classic (Hosting Control Panel)
  • Windows (Plesk)
• HostGator
• InMotion Hosting
• Media Temple
• Rackspace
• SiteGround
• tsoHost
• WP Engine

Cleaning up a hacked website

Sucuri has a team of analysts who are ready to help clean up any website. If your website is hacked, we will take care of it for you. Providing the correct FTP information will expedite the clean up process and enable our analysts to connect to your website files right away.

Watch this video to see how you can open a malware removal request:

If you still cannot find your FTP information, our team can help you locate it. Chat with us and our team can recommend alternate access credentials to ensure your clean up process is not delayed!