How to Fix Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware in WordPress

Having a WordPress site or blog is a dream come true for most people as it is often a great way to get an audience and to earn some income on the side. As is the case with many other businesses, there are challenges to achieving this and the one we are going to be discussing today involves a malware infection that affects many WordPress sites.

What is Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware?

Does your WordPress site show ads that you have not sanctioned – ads that display adult content, illegal drugs, fake promotions, and malicious links? Or does your anti-malware solution say that your site has been hacked? If that is the case, then you are probably a victim of either the Wp-Feed.php or Wp-Tmp.php malware.

These two malware entities will hijack your site and post ads that you would not normally post. The ads don’t even generate revenue for you instead they will make Google, your hosting service provider, and other search engines discriminate you. Not to mention, you run the risk of losing some of your audience as some of the ads are outrageously offensive.

Once the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php malware infect your computer, they will stay hidden from you and in most cases, it is Google that detects something is wrong with your site by which time, it will be too late as Google will de-rank and demonetize your site for spamming activity and for displaying inappropriate ads.

Why Does My WordPress Have Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware?

After infection by the the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php malware, it is only natural to wonder why your site got infected in the first place. There are many potential reasons:

Pirated Theme

If you are using a pirated WordPress theme, wonder no more why your site is infected. Pirated themes are laden with all kinds of malware and you are lucky that the infection on your site is not that dangerous, given that some malware can delete all the files and folders on your site, including downloads. Others can even lock you out of your own site!

So, if you can buy a premium theme from any of those online vendors, please do so. Or simply hire a WordPress developer to do the heavy lifting for you.

Security Plugin and Certificate

Is your site secured by a security plugin of any kind? Do you have an SSL certificate? These security precautions go a long way in making sure that malware entities never find their way to your site or that cybercriminals have will have it easy when hacking your site due to lax security measures.

Hackers

Another source of infection is hackers. They might have gained access to your site and manually installed the malware. To guard against this, use strong passwords, limit the number of people with admin credentials, and use the two-factor authentication method.

Updates

WordPress updates patch any vulnerabilities that the WordPress CMS has, thus sealing the loopholes that malware entities use to infiltrate computers. Make sure that you seal such loopholes by constantly updating your WordPress CMS to the latest version. It is after all free.

How to Remove the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware

To successfully remove any malware entity from your computer, you first need to address the most obvious source of infection i.e. your computer. To do this, download a premium anti-malware tool such as Outbyte Antivirus. Use it to verify that the files, apps and settings on your PC do not play host to any malware entity that might be working in tandem with the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php viruses.

You might also need the capabilities of a PC repair tool when doing this, especially if you are able to run the site on a local server. The repair tool will point you to the files and folders that are using the most network and computing resources and you can use that information to isolate the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php scripts.

Manually Removing Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware

While you can manually remove the files from your computer, it is not recommended as the WordPress CMS is a rather complicated software. Messing with the wrong files can cause your entire site to go down. But if you still insist on removing the file manually, here are the steps to take:

1. Login to the hosting account of your WordPress site.
2. Go to cPanel > File Manager > public_html.
3. Look for the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php files and delete them.

It is that easy, the only thing you have to do is to take extra precautions so that you don’t interfere with the WordPress file systems.

How to Prevent Infections by the Wp-Feed.php and Wp-Tmp.php Malware in WordPress

Now that you have removed the malware from your site, how do you prevent future infections? For starters, find a reliable security partner that will notify you of any malicious activities. Secondly, always buy your WordPress themes from trusted vendors because if something is not right, you will have someone to complain to. You also need to scan your site regularly as it is easier to deal with a minor infection than a full-blown infestation. Most importantly, limit the ability of random people posting attachments on your site as that will minimize the risk of infection.