Use CodeGuard change notifications to identify unexpected file changes and backup problems. An alert is useful only when a monitored person or address receives it and knows how to investigate.
IN THIS ARTICLE
01 Set up review
- Confirm the account's notification email and the site's email-notification settings.
- Make sure the responsible team can receive the messages and has a backup reviewer during absence.
- Open a recent ChangeAlert and compare added, modified or deleted paths with approved website work.
- Check the associated backup status and timestamp in the dashboard.
- For unexplained changes, preserve the details and involve the site's developer or security contact.
02 Interpret the signal
Plugin updates, cache generation and legitimate publishing can change files. An unexpected executable file or widespread unexplained modification deserves investigation. A change report by itself does not establish that a site is malicious or that every changed file is safe.
Common questions
Can I turn notifications off?
The site settings provide notification controls, but arrange another active review method before disabling them. Otherwise failed backups or unexplained changes can go unnoticed.
Is a ChangeAlert the same as a malware finding?
No. Change detection and a malware classification are different observations. Review the specific alert type and the security features included in the plan.
Why are there many expected changes?
Check caches and temporary paths, then adjust exclusions only after confirming those files are not needed for recovery. Do not hide all changes just to reduce notifications.
Keep a record of planned deployments so the reviewer can quickly distinguish expected events from unknown ones. For an unexplained alert, give us the site, backup timestamp, changed paths and recent maintenance context rather than forwarding an unrelated full backup.