Request a review

StopBadware performs independent reviews of websites that are blacklisted for badware by our data providers. StopBadware currently has three main data providers: Google, GFI, and NSFocus. These companies provide StopBadware with regularly updated lists of URLs that they have detected as bad. If your site is listed as bad by Google or another of the companies that provides data to StopBadware, you can request an independent review. Please read our review process FAQ before requesting a review!

Independent review process FAQ

How does StopBadware’s independent review process work?

When you request a review of your site, we ask the data provider(s) to check your site again. If the data provider(s) still think your site is bad, the site will enter our testing queue. Our testing team will check the site carefully to see if we can find any badware. If we find badware, we notify you and close the review. If we do NOT find badware, we'll ask the data provider(s) to remove your site from the blacklist(s) or send us more information on why they think the site is bad. If, at any point during this process, the data provider(s) stop listing your site as bad, we notify you and close the review.

How long does an independent review take?

StopBadware’s review process is completely manual, which means each review gets a real live staff member who checks the site for badware. Because of this, independent reviews typically take at least a few days, and they can sometimes take longer. Note: If Google is the company listing your site as bad, you can request an automated malware review from Google Webmaster Tools. A malware review from Webmaster Tools is the fastest way to remove your site from Google’s blacklist.

How long does it take for the warnings to disappear?

If your site is removed from the blacklist(s), Google’s and Firefox’s warnings should disappear within a few hours.

I'm the owner or administrator of a large number of blacklisted sites. Can I request a review of all of them simultaneously?

If you own or manage more than 20 currently blacklisted URLs and have removed badware from all the affected sites, you may request a bulk review. You can do this by contacting us.

If your website is listed as bad by Google or another data provider, please follow these steps:

Clean up your site. Most blacklisted sites we see have been infected with some badware without the knowledge or permission of their owners. If you have not already taken steps to clean up your site, get started here.
Check your site. Badware frequently hides in multiple files, some of which may not be easily visible. Before requesting a review, check your site with a URL scanner or other tool to make sure you have cleaned up all badware. Some third party resources are available in our additional resources page.
Request a review. There are two ways to do this:
- If Google is the only data provider blacklisting your site, you can request a malware review in your Google Webmaster Tools dashboard. No account? You can sign up for free. A malware review from Webmaster Tools is the fastest way to remove your site from Google’s blacklist.
- Enter your site’s URL in the search box below and complete the review request form for an independent review by StopBadware.
Prevent future infection. Once your site has been removed from the blacklist(s), it’s extremely important to secure it as much as possible against future attacks. Badware distributors often place backdoors on compromised sites. These backdoors allow them to reinfect good sites after those sites have been cleaned up and taken off blacklists.