How to work with a scan report

The threat of hacking is a very serious issue. That’s why it’s important to pay attention to the security of your cPanel account.

Our Shared Hosting servers have an effective firewall system along with a set of other security measures. However, cPanel account protection also depends on you. By scanning your hosting space for viruses, trojans, malware, and other threats, you ensure its safety.

To locate any malicious software in your cPanel, you can either use Virus Scanner in your cPanel, or contact our Support Team. We will perform on-demand scanning of your hosting account to ensure it is clean and secure. A detailed report will be provided so you can examine it.

How to locate your scan report

How to read your scan report

How to locate your scan report

Once the scanning process is complete, a report is uploaded automatically to your cPanel account. To locate it, follow the steps below:

1. Log in to your cPanel.
2. Navigate to the Files section >> File Manager:

3. Go to the /home/cPanel_username directory. The scan report is uploaded to it.

Usually, its name contains your cPanel username and the date when the file was generated, e.g., scanreport-nctest-Mar_17_2020_16h_53m.txt.

4. Locate the file, right-click >> choose the Edit option.

The scan report will be opened in a new browser window. Now you are ready to examine it.

How to read your scan report

Below you can find a shortened example of a scan report provided by our Support Team:

----------- SCAN REPORT -----------
TimeStamp: Wed, 26 Feb 2020 01:31:39 -0500


Scanning /home/cPanel_username:

'/home/cPanel_username/.bcwfgi.php'
# ClamAV detected virus = [YARA.php_malware_hexinject.UNOFFICIAL]

'/home/cPanel_username/old/wp-admin/cfgs.php'
# Known exploit = [Fingerprint Match] [PHP Exploit]

'/home/cPanel_username/old/wp-admin/images/align-lefts.png'
# Suspicious image file (hidden script file)

'/home/cPanel_username/public_html/assets/asset/js/plugins/editors/codemirror/mode/clike/index.html'
# Suspicious file type [application/x-c]

'/home/cPanel_username/public_html/assets/asset/js/plugins/uploaders/plupload/files/Moxie.xap'
# (compressed file: Moxie.dll [depth: 1]) MS Windows Binary/Executable [application/x-winexec]

'/home/cPanel_username/public_html/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Filesystem/Filesystem.php'
# Regular expression match = [symlink\s*\(]

'/home/cPanel_username/example.com/wp-content/plugins/contact-form-7/wp-contact-form-7.php'
# Script version check [OLD] [Contact Form 7 v5.0.5 < v5.1.3]

'/home/cPanel_username/example.com/wp-content/themes/weddingvero/auto-install/uploads/espresso/tickets'
# World writeable directory


----------- SCAN SUMMARY -----------
Scanned directories: 8221
Scanned files: 77818
Ignored items: 217
Suspicious matches: 893
Viruses found: 743
Fingerprint matches: 85
Data scanned: 5245.76 MB
Scan time/item: 0.013 sec
Scan time: 1149.580 sec

Pay attention to the main body of the report. It contains the following information:

path to the directory or file (e.g. '/home/cPanel_username/public_html/vendor/laravel/framework/src/Illuminate/Filesystem/Filesystem.php') ;
scan result (e.g. # Regular expression match = [symlink\s*\(]).

Taking into account the scan result, you will need to perform certain actions to keep your account secure. Most cases are described in the table below:

NOTE 1: Make sure to create a backup of your cPanel before making any changes.

NOTE 2: Files with randomly-generated names (e.g. bcwfgi.php) almost always contain malicious code. These files do not belong to any CMS and must be deleted.

Result	Description	Action to take
# ClamAV detected virus	Antivirus software has found a potentially dangerous file with malware.	Remove the file.
# Suspicious file type [application/x-c] # MS Windows Binary/Executable [application/x-winexec] # (compressed file: Moxie.dll [depth: 1]) MS Windows # Binary/Executable [application/x-winexec] # MS-DOS Binary/Executable [application/x-dosexec]	Antivirus software has found Windows binary or executable files. Such files cannot be executed on a Linux-based OS. You would not normally expect to find one within a cPanel account . You can discover a Trojan file among them.	Remove the file.
# Linux Binary/Executable [application/x-sharedlib]	Antivirus software has found Linux binary or executable files. Such files can be executed on a Linux-based OS. Still, you would not normally expect to find one within a cPanel account. If a Linux binary or executable file is located in a cPanel account, it is most likely an exploit that remains hidden.	Remove the file.
# Known exploit = [Fingerprint Match]	Antivirus software considers a file as an exploit. An exploit can be a program, a piece of code, or even just a string of characters. It takes advantage of a program. Then, this program acts in an unexpected way, which results in undesirable behavior. Also, exploits are maliciously used to gain unauthorized access.	Unless you know the purpose of this file, remove it from your cPanel. If it is related to installed software and you need it, either clean it or upload again from a trusted source. PLEASE NOTE: It is strongly recommended that you use content only from the official source.
# Symlink to	The file is a symbolic link. It consists of a special type of file that serves as a reference to another file or directory. Some default files require symlinks for the proper work of cPanel services: '/home/cPanel_username/.cagefs/opt/alt/phpXX/link/conf' '/home/cPanel_username/access-logs' '/home/cPanel_username/.cagefs/tmp/mysql.sock' But the custom symlinks (e.g. a symlink to files outside of your cPanel account) may cause serious security breaches.	Pay attention to the custom symlinks. Such files should be removed from your account. Symlinks to default cPanel files can be ignored.
# Socket	A socket is typically used to transfer data between two separate processes. You would not expect to normally find one within a cPanel account.	Unless you know the purpose of this file or it is related to the software installed from the trusted source, remove it from your cPanel.
# Regular expression match = [symlink\s*\(]	A file contains 'symlink(s)' expression as a comment or variable.	It is a false-positive. The file can be ignored.
# Regular expression match = [\n(?!\s(//\|\#\|\)).*/etc/passwd]	A file contains '/etc/passwd' expression as a comment or variable.	It is a false-positive. The file can be ignored.
# Regular expression match = [\n(?!\s(//\|\#\|\)).*\.ssh/]	A file contains '/.ssh' expression as a comment or variable. Such files are potentially harmful to your account as they allow remote access using SSH keys.	Unless you know the purpose of this file or it is related to the software installed from the trusted source, remove it from your cPanel.
# Universal decode regex match	A file contains some string encoded with a common encoder, e.g. base64. They are often used to hide malicious code.	Unless you know the purpose of this file or it is related to the software installed from the trusted source, remove it from your cPanel.
# Script version check [OLD]	The installation, plugin or theme version is outdated. Software updates are important because they check for the bugs and vulnerabilities found in the previous versions. A ‘hole’ in one can affect your entire installation as well as your cPanel account.	Ensure that your installations are up to date.
# World writeable directory	Permissions for a directory are set to 777. It is recommended to have default permissions assigned to website files and folders. They are 644 for files and 755 for folders. However, it is safe to have permissions set to 777 for default cPanel folders: /home/cPanel_user/.cagefs/var/cache /home/cPanel_user/.cagefs/var/php /home/cPanel_user/.cagefs/var/run	Update permissions for the indicated directory.
# Scan Timeout (30 seconds) while processing	The scan process has been interrupted.	You can put in a request to our Support Team to scan it additionally.
# Clamd Error for	Antivirus software considers that the file is located inside the service directory, therefore, it should not be scanned.	The file can be ignored.

Once all measures are taken, it’s time to create an up-to-date backup of your account. This can easily be done with the built-in backup tool located in your cPanel. For more details, check out the following article.

That’s it!

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Updated

3/11/2024

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