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SMART Patch Alert Resolution

SMART Patch Alert Resolution

The product that you received an alert regarding is your SMART/Patch feature. This scan runs along side of your normal SMART scanner and detects any vulnerabilities within your files, themes, and plugins for WordPress and Joomla sites.

Step 1: Launch your SiteLock Dashboard:

  • If you have purchased services directly from SiteLock you can go to our website and select LOGIN at the top righthand corner or click here. Your username will be the email address that you signed up for our services with. You may need to request a password reset if you are unable to sign in.
  • If you purchased our services through one of our hosting partners, you can launch the dashboard by signing into your hosting control panel and following their instructions. You may need to search their knowledge base for instructions on how to do this.
  • First you will want to check what level of service you have. You can do so by clicking on the Settings button.
  • You will then click on SMART/PATCH Settings.
  • By default, SMART/PATCH is set to “Scan automatically but do not patch.”
  • You will want to toggle the option to see if you have the option to “Scan and Patch Automatically”. If you do not have this option you are on the “Warn Only” plan and will proceed to the following steps.

**You do always have the option to upgrade to the next level of service to allow for the automatic patching. To upgrade you will need to contact the billing authority of your services (SiteLock directly or your hosting provider)

Step 2: Checking the Vulnerable Files:

  • Once you have logged into your dashboard you will want to click on View Details.
  • This will then bring you to a page that will list all the days the scan has failed.
  • By clicking on the most recent date, this will then allow you to see the file paths for the vulnerable files detected. Again, these can be core files, theme files, or plugin files.

The best thing to do at this time would be to log into your CMS Portal and checking for any necessary updates. By always keeping your website up to date, it will help keep your files less vulnerable as the updates usually include security patches.

Step 3: Checking for updates in your CMS:

  • Checking for updates is as easy as logging into your admin account. Once you log in you will see alerts letting you know that the core files need updating or theme and plugin files need updating (extensions for a Joomla site).

WordPress Admin:

Joomla Admin:

Once the needed updates have been made the SMART/Patch scan will run its daily scan and clear.

Hopefully, this guide was able to resolve your issue. Please let us know if you still require assistance by submitting a Support request through your SiteLock Dashboard, calling 877-563-2832, or opening a chat by visiting SiteLock.com.

Thank you for being a SiteLock customer and have a wonderful day!

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