WordPress site redirecting to spam: a hidden backdoor diverting mobile visitors to a scam page

WordPress Site Redirecting to Spam? Find the Redirect and the Backdoor

If your WordPress site is redirecting to spam, it has been hacked. Malicious code on the server or in the database is sending some of your visitors to a scam page, often only phone users and logged-out guests. The redirect is only the symptom. The backdoor that planted it will put it back unless you find that too.

The short answer

  • A WordPress site redirecting to spam has been hacked; the redirect is a symptom of a backdoor, not a plugin setting.
  • Cloaking hides it from logged-in and desktop users, so test with a mobile user agent via curl and a phone on cellular data.
  • Check .htaccess or server config, home and siteurl in wp_options, theme JavaScript, the database, and plugins including mu-plugins.
  • Remove the backdoor, regenerate salts, change every password, purge every cache, then request a Google Search Console review.

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