Case Study: How TRW Consult Secured a 45-Site Publishing Network After a Major Malware Incident

CASE STUDY: How TRW Consult Restored and Secured a Network of 45 Compromised Websites for a Global Publishing Client

Industry: Digital Publishing
Engagement: 45 Websites
Service Areas: Cybersecurity, Malware Recovery, Hardening, Performance Stabilization, Multi-Site Governance

Executive Summary

A multinational publishing client engaged TRW Consult after discovering severe instability, recurring downtime, and confirmed malware infiltration across 45 of their websites. The breaches were complex, coordinated, and deeply embedded.

TRW Consult executed a full ecosystem recovery, restoring stability, removing all malicious footholds, and implementing a modern, hardened security architecture capable of withstanding the volume, sophistication, and persistence of today’s internet threats.

Within weeks, the client’s entire digital network was:

• Cleaned and fully restored
• Re-secured with enterprise-grade hardening
• Reinforced with intelligent firewalls and threat filters
• Stabilized against bot traffic and resource overload
• Protected with a long-term defensive strategy

The Challenge

Before engaging TRW Consult, the client had been experiencing:

• Repeated system crashes
• Unauthorized file modifications
• Unexplained redirects
• Unusual bot traffic from non-traditional geographies
• Login attempts targeting existing or guessed usernames
• Disruptions during hosting migrations
• Unexpected downtime reported by monitoring tools

The problem wasn’t isolated; it was systemic across dozens of websites, each sharing similar symptoms but with varying degrees of compromise.

They needed a partner who could:

• Diagnose the full scope of the breach
• Isolate the patterns
• Contain the spread
• Restore operational integrity
• Rebuild their security posture
• And implement a long-term prevention strategy

This required a coordinated, multi-phase intervention.

TRW Consult’s Approach

Our team deployed a structured, forensic, multi-layered recovery process across all 45 websites.
The work fell into four major pillars:

1. Deep Diagnostic Investigation

We conducted a full-spectrum assessment that examined:

• File integrity and unauthorized changes
• Theme and plugin abnormalities
• Suspicious execution points
• Server-level inconsistencies
• Authentication vulnerabilities
• Bot patterns and overload points
• Weaknesses in the client’s existing security stack

This phase provided a clear threat map and a workable plan of attack.

2. Systematic Malware & Backdoor Removal

Each site was cleaned using TRW Consult’s established, secure methodology.
This included:

• Removing injected code
• Isolating compromised components
• Restoring damaged system files
• Neutralizing recurring backdoors
• Validating core installations against trusted baselines
• Repairing functionality impacted by the infections

This eliminated the breach at its roots, rather than masking the symptoms.

3. Architecture Hardening & Defensive Reinforcement

Once the environments were clean, TRW Consult implemented a comprehensive hardening framework tailored to multi-site publishers.

This framework covered:

• Secure configuration hardening
• Intelligent firewall rules
• Brute-force protection
• Login and authentication reinforcement
• Controlled script execution
• Directory shielding
• Threat-aware bot rate limiting
• User privilege auditing
• Removal of exploitable legacy pathways
• Strengthened file permissions
• Isolated execution boundaries

This transformed the ecosystem from vulnerable to resilient.

4. Stability & Performance Recovery During Hosting Transition

Many infections surfaced during hosting migrations.
To prevent recurring instability, TRW Consult:

• Rebuilt clean site structures
• Stabilized execution behavior
• Implemented load-safety rules
• Reduced server strain from hostile traffic
• Optimized caching layers and request handling
• Ensured compatibility with hosting restrictions (such as Agency plan limitations)
• Restored uptime across all monitoring systems

After these deployments, sites stopped crashing, even under heavy attempted access by bots.

Results

TRW Consult delivered a complete turnaround:

✔ 45 Websites Fully Recovered

Every compromised asset was restored to a safe, operable condition.

✔ Zero Recurrence After Intervention

Aggressive reinfection attempts failed due to the hardened architecture.

✔ Uptime Restored Across the Network

Monitoring tools showed stabilization within days.

✔ A 90%+ Reduction in Hostile Traffic

Firewall intelligence and bot controls sharply cut abusive access attempts.

✔ Strengthened Security Posture

The client now operates with a more modern and robust foundation than ever before.

✔ Improved Long-Term Governance

TRW Consult implemented a predictable, documented framework for sustainable security management.

Why This Case Matters

This engagement demonstrates a core truth:

Security cannot be delegated to chance.
It must be engineered.

Multi-site publishers, nonprofits, schools, media companies, and organizations with large WordPress portfolios face invisible risks daily.

Most only realize the severity of those risks after infections start spreading, at which point the cost of inaction becomes significantly higher.

TRW Consult provides the discipline, structure, and resilience required to protect digital ecosystems at scale.

Conclusion

The client’s network is now secure, stable, and fortified, and TRW Consult continues to monitor their environment as part of an ongoing partnership.

For organizations managing multiple websites, this case study stands as a reminder that proactive security is no longer optional. It is the foundation of digital continuity, reputation protection, and operational peace of mind.

Thinking About Your Own Websites?

TRW Consult offers:

• Full-site malware cleanup
• Advanced security hardening
• Pre-migration integrity audits
• Bot traffic analysis
• Performance and stability optimization
• Custom-built security frameworks for multi-site publishers

If your website has ever:

• Gone down unexpectedly
• Displayed unfamiliar files
• Suffered slowdowns
• Attracted unusual traffic
• Failed a malware scan
• Been hacked before
• Or if you simply want to prevent a problem before it starts…

Our team can help.

Ready to Secure Your Digital Assets?

If your website has ever shown signs of malware infection, unexplained downtimes, strange PHP files, bot-storms, or sudden performance drops, you may already be exposed. TRW Consult provides enterprise-grade diagnostics, deep-clean remediation, server-level hardening, malware containment, and long-term protective architecture for publishers, brands, and organizations managing multiple digital assets.

Request a Diagnostic or Security Hardening Today