{"id":39466,"date":"2013-11-25T22:29:58","date_gmt":"2013-11-25T16:59:58","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/?p=39466"},"modified":"2026-10-13T13:42:35","modified_gmt":"2026-10-13T08:12:35","slug":"find-bad-malware-links","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/","title":{"rendered":"How to Find Malware Links on Your Website (and Remove Them) 2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>You could be linking to malware without knowing it. A site you linked years ago may now host malicious software, or spammers may have slipped bad links into comments. In 2013 I ran a Wordfence scan and found several such links on QuickOnlineTips, in comments, articles and even old cache files, and deleted them. Here&#8217;s how to find <strong>malware links on your website<\/strong> in 2026.<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-39469\" src=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/malware-comments.png\" alt=\"Malware links on your website found in comments\" width=\"500\" height=\"390\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/malware-comments.png 500w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/malware-comments-150x117.png 150w, https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-content\/uploads\/malware-comments-300x234.png 300w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 500px) 100vw, 500px\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Quick answer:<\/strong> Run a full scan with a security plugin like Wordfence, which checks your posts and comments against Google&#8217;s list of unsafe sites. Also check your site with Sucuri SiteCheck and Google Search Console&#8217;s Security issues report. Delete or unlink anything flagged, clean spam comments, and keep comment links nofollow and moderated.<\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_89 counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-custom ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<label for=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af5012c78a6f\" class=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-label\"><span class=\"ez-toc-cssicon\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #1a202c;color:#1a202c\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/label><input type=\"checkbox\"  id=\"ez-toc-cssicon-toggle-item-6af5012c78a6f\" checked aria-label=\"Toggle\" \/><nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#Tools_to_find_malware_links\" >Tools to find malware links<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#How_to_clean_up\" >How to clean up<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#Prevent_new_malware_links\" >Prevent new malware links<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#FAQ\" >FAQ<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#Can_linking_to_a_malware_site_hurt_my_SEO\" >Can linking to a malware site hurt my SEO?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#How_do_hackers_add_hidden_links\" >How do hackers add hidden links?<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2013\/11\/find-bad-malware-links\/#How_often_should_I_scan\" >How often should I scan?<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Tools_to_find_malware_links\"><\/span>Tools to find malware links<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li><strong>Wordfence:<\/strong> the scan option &#8220;Check the safety of your site&#8217;s URLs&#8221; compares links in posts, pages and comments with Google Safe Browsing.<\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/sitecheck.sucuri.net\/\" rel=\"noopener\" target=\"_blank\">Sucuri SiteCheck<\/a>: free remote scan for malware, blacklisting and suspicious links.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Google Search Console:<\/strong> the Security issues report flags hacked content and harmful links on your own site.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Safe Browsing site status:<\/strong> check individual domains you link to; see <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/06\/google-safe-browsing-diagnostic-page\/\">how to check Google Safe Browsing status<\/a>.<\/li>\n<li><strong>Link crawlers:<\/strong> Screaming Frog or Ahrefs Site Audit list every outbound link so you can review old domains.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_to_clean_up\"><\/span>How to clean up<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ol>\n<li>Back up the site.<\/li>\n<li>Run the scans above and export the list of flagged URLs.<\/li>\n<li>Edit posts to remove or replace bad links; use a search-and-replace plugin for many.<\/li>\n<li>Delete spam comments and comment author links pointing to bad sites.<\/li>\n<li>Clear all caches (plugin, server and CDN).<\/li>\n<li>Rescan to confirm everything is clean.<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Prevent_new_malware_links\"><\/span>Prevent new malware links<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<ul>\n<li>Moderate first-time commenters and use anti-spam tools.<\/li>\n<li>Keep WordPress, plugins and themes updated so hackers can&#8217;t inject links.<\/li>\n<li>Recheck old outbound links once a year; expired domains are often bought by spammers.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Compare protection options in our <a href=\"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/2009\/07\/wordpress-security-plugins\/\">WordPress security plugins<\/a> guide.<\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"FAQ\"><\/span>FAQ<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Can_linking_to_a_malware_site_hurt_my_SEO\"><\/span>Can linking to a malware site hurt my SEO?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Yes. Browsers may warn visitors and Google can flag your pages if they link to harmful sites.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_do_hackers_add_hidden_links\"><\/span>How do hackers add hidden links?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Through outdated plugins, stolen passwords or vulnerable themes, often hidden with CSS or in the database.<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"How_often_should_I_scan\"><\/span>How often should I scan?<span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p>Schedule automatic scans at least weekly; Wordfence can do this for free.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>You could be linking to malware without knowing it. A site you linked years ago may now host malicious software,&#8230;<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":39469,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_kad_post_transparent":"","_kad_post_title":"","_kad_post_layout":"","_kad_post_sidebar_id":"","_kad_post_content_style":"","_kad_post_vertical_padding":"","_kad_post_feature":"","_kad_post_feature_position":"","_kad_post_header":false,"_kad_post_footer":false,"_kad_post_classname":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[6,7,41],"tags":[17],"class_list":["post-39466","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-blogging","category-security","category-search-engine-optimization","tag-wordpress"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39466","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=39466"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39466\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":65500,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/39466\/revisions\/65500"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/39469"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=39466"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=39466"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.quickonlinetips.com\/archives\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=39466"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}