Catch the file nobody added to Joomla

A Joomla site is built from extensions, each one a folder of code. An attacker who gets in adds one more file to one of them, and the site carries on as before. Alertica checks the site's files every day and tells you the day a file appears or changes. There's no extension to install, our team sets it up with you on Pro, and there's a free plan that never expires.

  • Ready-made checks for Joomla 3, 4 and 5
  • Free plan that never expires

Running in three steps

  1. Connect your site

    Add the site with an SFTP, FTPS or FTP login. Alertica only lists files, so a read-only login is all it needs, and it finds Joomla by itself.

  2. Turn on Joomla Protection

    Pick Joomla as the platform. The checks cover the administrator, every kind of extension and the core, with nothing to configure.

  3. Choose who hears about it

    Add the people who look after the site, by email or SMS, with Slack coming soon. The first scan reports anything suspicious that's already there.

What gets watched on your Joomla site

The checks are set for Joomla's own folders, from your extensions to the images your editors upload.

  • Extensions nobody installed

    Joomla's plugins, components and modules all run code on your site. Any file added, changed or deleted in them raises an alert, your own updates included.

  • Your site settings

    configuration.php holds your database password. Alertica alerts you when it changes, and when a copy of it turns up.

  • Joomla itself

    Any change to Joomla's own code and the administrator. Your own updates show up too, so you can tell them from someone else's.

  • Your templates

    The code that draws every page of the site. Code added there reaches every visitor, so anything added or changed raises an alert.

  • Scripts among your images

    The images folder is for pictures and documents your editors upload. A script there is a red flag, and so is a fake login page planted to steal passwords.

  • Files that shouldn't be there

    Database tools left behind, known hacking tools, scripts disguised as images, and backups anyone could download.

Why Joomla sites pick Alertica

  • Outside Joomla

    A security extension runs inside Joomla, so an attacker who can change your files can disable it. Alertica runs on our servers and only logs in to read.

  • Nothing new to patch

    Every extension you add is one more thing to keep updated. Alertica adds nothing to the site, so there's nothing to update and nothing new to break.

  • Secure by design

    Alertica reads file names, sizes and timestamps, never what's inside them. The login is encrypted with AES-256, and every account uses two-step sign-in.

  • Proof of every check

    Scan history keeps every scan, including the ones that found nothing, so you can show when the site was last checked and what it found.

Questions Joomla site owners ask

What Joomla Protection covers, how it handles updates, and what it costs.

Looking after several Joomla sites? Talk to us about all of them
  • Which Joomla versions does it support?

    The ready-made checks cover Joomla 3, 4 and 5, on any host where you can log in over SFTP, FTPS or FTP. A site still on Joomla 3 gets the same checks as one on 5.

  • Does it check my extensions for known vulnerabilities?

    No. Alertica doesn't test extensions for flaws. It tells you what happened after: a file added to an extension, a changed configuration.php or a script in images. Keep extensions updated, and let Alertica catch what gets through.

  • Will a Joomla update set off alerts?

    Yes. An update changes files in the core and the administrator, and the alert shows the change was yours. The cache, tmp and logs folders are skipped, so they don't add noise.

  • Is it safe to give Alertica access to our site?

    Yes. Alertica is agentless and read-only: it lists files and never opens, changes or deletes them. The login is encrypted with AES-256, and every Alertica account uses two-step sign-in.

  • What does it cost?

    Free covers one site with a weekly scan and the site-wide security check. Pro is $20 per site per month and runs every check daily, with SMS alerts and setup and onboarding with our team. Compare plans

  • Do I need to install an extension?

    No. Alertica connects with the SFTP or FTP login you give it and only lists files. There's no extension, no agent and nothing on the server to keep updated.

Ready-made checks for other platforms

Know what changed on your Joomla site

Tell us about your site. We'll turn on Joomla Protection with you and go through the first scan together.