Malware, WordPress Security, and AI Detection

In WP Legends Episode 128, Thomas Raef, Owner of WeWatchYourWebsite, shares his journey from programming in the early 1970s to building one of the most deeply informed website security platforms in the WordPress ecosystem. From the IBM PC era and the Melissa virus to modern malware detection, Thomas explains how his obsession with root cause analysis, automation, and proactive defense shaped decades of work protecting websites at scale.

We dive into how WeWatchYourWebsite evolved from early security appliances into a real-time website monitoring platform, why hackers increasingly target authentication rather than core vulnerabilities, and how Thomas trained a purpose-built AI malware engine on hundreds of thousands of malware samples. The conversation also explores why WordPress is safer today despite facing more attacks than ever, why server-level protection matters more than plugin-level scanning, and what hosting companies should be doing when infected sites are used to attack others.

Visit Us: https://seahawkmedia.com
Learn more about WeWatchYourWebsite: https://wewatchyourwebsite.com/
Follow Thomas Raef on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/in/thomas-raef-74b93a14/

Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:38 Guest introduction
2:28 Thomas Raef story and how he got started
9:33 Early days before WordPress and comparison to McAfee and Norton
14:50 What’s the biggest underlying cause of reinfected websites?
18:54 Choosing the We Watch Your Website name and domain origin
19:47 What We Watch Your Website does and who it serves
23:21 How long did you work with Bluehost?
26:25 Are your customers global or focused in specific regions?
29:13 Thomas Raef on building an LLM for malware analysis
31:59 Is WordPress safer today or just more attacked?
33:32 Thomas Raef on how We Watch Your Website differs from tools like Imunify360 and Monarx
39:26 Rapid fire
47:11 Closing thoughts

Music Credits:
Valdez Off Crenshaw by Terrace Martin
Live Like Legends by Ruelle Nightcore Remix

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