A judgement call.
WHEN TO TAKE IT DOWN
It is redirecting visitors somewhere harmful It is distributing malware Customer data is actively at risk It is sending spam
WHEN YOU MIGHT NOT
A minor injection with no harm to visitors You can clean it quickly
WHAT TAKING IT OFFLINE COSTS
Lost business while down Search engines finding it unavailable
WHAT LEAVING IT UP COSTS
Harm to visitors Search engines flagging it Further damage
THE BALANCE
For anything harming visitors, take it down.
Reputation damage from distributing malware outweighs a day offline.
HOW TO DO IT
A maintenance page explaining briefly that the site is temporarily unavailable.
Not a blank page or an error.
WHAT TO SAY
That the site is temporarily unavailable and will return.
Not details of the compromise.
FOR A SHOP
Consider whether orders can still be taken by phone or message.
WHAT TO TELL US
Open a ticket. We can advise.
