You’ve finally done it. After weeks (or maybe months) of late nights coding, designing, and tweaking, your website is live. It feels like opening the doors of a brand‑new shop on a busy street—ready to connect with the world, share your latest online innovation, or grow your business. But then, you peek into your server logs, and something unsettling jumps out at you.
Dozens, maybe hundreds, of strange requests are hitting your site every single day. They’re not from your friends, customers, or even curious visitors. They’re requests for weird‑looking files like:
GET /pm.php
GET /vxrl.php
GET /shell20250630.php
GET /.git/config
GET /phpinfo.php
GET /backup
You don’t remember creating any of these files, so what’s going on? Welcome to the world of reconnaissance traffic.
What Is Reconnaissance Traffic?
In the military, reconnaissance means scouting—surveying the terrain, spotting weaknesses, and gathering intelligence before an attack. In cybersecurity, hackers (and the bots they program) use the same principle. Before they can break in, they need to know if your site has any doors left unlocked.
That’s what those suspicious requests are: automated scanners “knocking” on thousands of potential entry points, looking for just one mistake that lets them in.
And here’s the kicker—it’s usually not personal. These bots crawl the internet 24/7, targeting millions of websites indiscriminately. If your site responds the wrong way, you become their next victim.
Why Hackers Do Reconnaissance
Think of it like burglars walking down a street, trying every car door. They’re not looking for your car specifically—they’re just waiting for someone who forgot to lock up. If they succeed, their goals can vary:
- Full server takeover: If they find a hidden web shell, they can run commands, upload files, and control your hosting environment.
- Data theft: Config files often store database passwords, API keys, or cloud credentials. If exposed, these open the door to your entire data store.
- Resource abuse: Sometimes they don’t care about your content at all. They just want your server’s power to send spam, host phishing pages, or mine cryptocurrency.
- Blackmail or defacement: Hackers may replace your homepage with a message, or worse, lock your files and demand ransom.
The Usual Suspects: Groups of Targeted Files
When you look at the names of these files, they might seem random. But they actually fall into clear categories of hacker interest:
1. Web Shells (Backdoors)
Examples: pm.php, vxrl.php, shell20250630.php, wsback.php, w3llstore.php
These are malicious PHP scripts hackers often upload after exploiting a vulnerability. They act like hidden control panels, giving full access to your server. Attackers scan for them just in case your site (or previous site owners) were already compromised.
2. Diagnostic and Information Pages
Examples: phpinfo.php, info.php, server-info.php, env.php, version.php
These are not malicious by themselves. In fact, developers sometimes use them for testing. But they leak sensitive details: your PHP version, server software, and installed extensions. For hackers, that’s a treasure map of vulnerabilities.
3. Sensitive Configuration Files
Examples: config.php, .env, .aws/credentials, .git/config
These files often contain secrets—database credentials, API tokens, or even full code history. If exposed, they hand attackers the keys to your kingdom.
4. Backup and Forgotten Copies
Examples: /backup, /old, /new, /home, /main, backup.zip
Many developers keep old versions or backups on the server. Hackers know this and scan for them, hoping to download your entire codebase or database in one click.
5. WordPress Targets
Examples: /wp, wp-gr.php, wp-atom.php, /wordpress/
Even if you don’t use WordPress, bots will still try. With WordPress powering a huge chunk of the web, it’s one of the most common attack surfaces.
6. Test and Development Files
Examples: test.php, init.php, inputs.php, new.php, file32.php
Harmless names, but dangerous if left behind. These files are often created during development or debugging, and they sometimes expose raw server info or insecure code.
How to Protect Your Website from Reconnaissance Traffic
You can’t stop hackers from scanning your site—but you can control what they find.
1. Never leave sensitive files public
- Delete or restrict access to test files, backups, and old versions.
- Ensure
.env,.git,.aws, andconfig.phpare not publicly accessible.
2. Disable phpinfo() and debug tools on production
- These are great during development, but dangerous in the wild.
3. Use server-level restrictions
- Block access to sensitive paths via
.htaccess(Apache) ornginx.conf. - Return
403 Forbiddenfor directories like/backup,/config, or.git/.
4. Keep software updated
- Outdated CMS, plugins, and frameworks are hacker favorites.
5. Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
- Tools like Cloudflare, ModSecurity, or Sucuri can filter out a lot of malicious noise before it even hits your site.
6. Monitor your logs
- Reconnaissance traffic never stops. Regularly checking your logs helps you spot patterns early.
The Reality of Running a Website
The first time you see reconnaissance traffic, it can feel unsettling. Why would anyone target your small blog, side project, or online shop? But here’s the truth: they’re not targeting you. They’re targeting everyone.
Hackers and bots don’t discriminate. They cast a wide net, hoping a small percentage of sites will have unlocked doors. Your job is simply to make sure your doors are locked tight.
So don’t panic when you see strange requests for vxrl.php or phpinfo.php in your logs. Instead, take it as a reminder: running a website isn’t just about design and content—it’s about defense too.
After all, the internet is a busy street. And while you can’t stop people from walking by, you can definitely keep them from breaking in.
Final Thought: Next time you launch a site, remember: being online means being visible not just to your audience, but also to the bots and bad actors lurking in the digital shadows. Stay prepared, stay updated, and treat your server logs like the radar screen that keeps you ahead of potential threats.
