Malware. We have covered this topic in recent weeks due to some major attacks where malware was injected into millions of WordPress websites, plenty of which were owned by small businesses. Malware makes it possible for hackers to carry out a variety of functions both to and from your website, many of which can cause harm to the health of the website and any other integrations you may have attached to it. This week, we will focus on one of the major uses of malware: stealing from your lead generation. 

Malware makes a whole list of functions possible for hackers to perform on your website (or to take from it!) These include disabling core functionality, monitoring your activity remotely, and spying on and stealing your information. Your accounts and all information inside them can be accessed, making it possible for any information, such as generated leads, to be taken. Some malware attempts to work as hidden as possible so that information can be logged in real-time.

An example of this can be seen from a small business website that had recently been infected with malware. The malware can then make it possible for the hacker to “siphon” leads generated from your contact forms and other entries through your site to themselves. Once a hacker obtains enough leads, most likely from a collection of other websites they have infected with their malware, they sell them to ad networks. They can also be sold to lead generation companies that could very well end up being sold to your competitors! 

There isn’t an attack on the list of problems that malware stealing leads can cause for your website that should be overlooked. Any attack creates a compromise in the security of your website and should be remedied immediately. Give OCGnow a call today at (904) 600-3600 and schedule a 17-point security inspection of your online presence to be sure your brand is performing at its best and standing strong against online threats.