Title: wp2shell deleted users
Last modified: August 1, 2026

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# wp2shell deleted users

 *  [Karen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kindpreneurs/)
 * (@kindpreneurs)
 * [1 month, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp2shell-deleted-users/)
 * Two users have disappeared off my site. We are a marketplace and these 2 users
   have a role of vendor – meaning they are a seller, with a shop, products, orders,
   reviews, customer messages etc. Our hosting company told us this happened due
   to the wordpress version 6.9, that were affected by the wp2shell malware that
   has hacked millions of sites worldwide. We have tried reverting to a back up 
   of the site and the users are there, however when we update wordpress we are 
   prompted to also update the wordpress database, doing this then deletes these
   2 vendors again 😢

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

 *  Moderator [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * (@threadi)
 * [1 month, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp2shell-deleted-users/#post-18981279)
 * The security vulnerability known as _wp2shell_ was fixed by the WordPress community
   in versions 6.8.6, 6.9.5, and 7.0.2. You can find details here: [https://wordpress.org/news/2026/07/wordpress-7-0-2-release/](https://wordpress.org/news/2026/07/wordpress-7-0-2-release/)
 * Which version of WordPress are you _currently _using?
 * Which version do you _want to_ update to? You don’t have to switch to 7.0.2; 
   you can also update to 6.9.5 if you aren’t already using that version.
 * Which plugin are you using for this marketplace? Is it up to date? I’m asking
   because these WordPress updates do not affect existing users or any other data.
   A database update through a WordPress update only changes structures in the database,
   not content there.
 *  Thread Starter [Karen](https://wordpress.org/support/users/kindpreneurs/)
 * (@kindpreneurs)
 * [1 month, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp2shell-deleted-users/#post-18981309)
 * Hi [@threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/) thank you so much
   for replying 😊 
   When the users vanished, we were on wordpress version 6.9. So
   when I reported the users missing, my hosting company said it was due to the 
   wp2shell malware so they updated wordpress to 7.0.2. However that obviously did
   not magically restore the 2 users.So I restored a back up of my live site from
   a few hours earlier to my staging site to test.The users were present, however
   I was then prompted on my site to update the wordpress database and the 2 users
   then vanished again.For our multi vender marketplace we use Dokan Lite and Dokan
   Pro. I have reported the incident to the Dokan plugin developers too, but they
   have not responded. My hosting company have also only responded one since I raised
   the emergency ticket 3 days ago. My site is in maintenance mode and my sellers
   are becoming anxious (as well as me!)
 *  Moderator [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * (@threadi)
 * [1 month, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp2shell-deleted-users/#post-18981315)
 * Unfortunately, that doesn’t quite answer my questions, so I’m still unsure what
   kind of system you currently have.
 * The database upgrade notification only appears when WordPress itself is being
   updated. My guess would therefore be that, after restoring the backup, you were
   back on WordPress 6.9.0, and WordPress detected that an update needed to be installed(
   which, in that sense, is correct, since it’s a security update). I don’t know
   which version you’ll have after this upgrade; you’ll have to check that yourself.
   Based on the database update, my guess is that you ended with version 7.0.2, 
   which _may _not be compatible with the plugins you’re using – and that, in turn,
   could be causing your problem.
 * As I mentioned earlier, however, this update doesn’t affect any data. Users –
   especially if there are only two of them effected – don’t just disappear because
   of it. So I still think a plugin you’re using is the cause here. Dokan Pro is
   a commercial plugin, and we [can’t help you with it here in the forum](https://wordpress.org/support/guidelines/#do-not-post-about-commercial-products).
   You’ll have to wait for a response from them.
 * In the meantime, though, I would strongly recommend that you make sure your project
   hasn’t been hacked. You can do this with a security plugin or by running a scan
   with Sucuri: [https://sitecheck.sucuri.net](https://sitecheck.sucuri.net) – if
   you don’t have a security plugin yet, pick one out here: [https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/security/](https://wordpress.org/plugins/tags/security/)
 * If you’re looking for personal assistance with this – because the feedback you’ve
   received from your service providers so far hasn’t been enough – you’re sure 
   to find someone here: [https://jobs.wordpress.net/](https://jobs.wordpress.net/)

Viewing 3 replies - 1 through 3 (of 3 total)

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## Tags

 * [deleted users](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/deleted-users/)
 * [marketplace](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/marketplace/)
 * [vendors](https://wordpress.org/support/topic-tag/vendors/)

 * In: [Fixing WordPress](https://wordpress.org/support/forum/how-to-and-troubleshooting/)
 * 3 replies
 * 2 participants
 * Last reply from: [threadi](https://wordpress.org/support/users/threadi/)
 * Last activity: [1 month, 3 weeks ago](https://wordpress.org/support/topic/wp2shell-deleted-users/#post-18981315)
 * Status: not resolved

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