Security is a topic of great concern. And that’s true for a WordPress website as well. Because WordPress is a popular and highly used website building platform, WordPress websites are a good target of hackers. Though WordPress is generally a secure platform for the website, the easy access to information and the advanced technology contribute to the increased risk of security threats. And, of course, the lack of proper website security and safety measures on the part of site owners makes the website more vulnerable. In an analysis performed on 8,000 infected websites, it was found that 74% of these were WordPress websites (source – WP Manage Ninja). Also, WordPress based websites face up to 90,000 attacks every minute (as per Wordfence reports).
Does that mean WordPress is not a good option for website development?
It’s not like that.
You must be knowing that WordPress powers a whooping number of websites (all sizes and types) across the world!
All you need to do is little care.
Preventing your WordPress website from hackers is not a big deal. It doesn’t call for many efforts. With just a few simple methods, you can keep your website and its data secure. Well, what are those techniques?
That’s what we are going to see in this blog. Read till the last to find easy-to-implement WordPress security hacks.
But before that, let’s have a quick look at the most common types of WordPress Security Issues.
Not being up-to-date makes your website more vulnerable because you remain distant from security updates and the latest functionality of the software.
It’s a method where attackers, by taking advantage of the opportunity that an unsafe WordPress website presents, injects malware or malicious code into a website.
In this cyberattack, the attackers, by interfering with the network, make an online service unavailable for the users or inaccessible to them. It’s a serious issue that over-burden your server and, eventually, crash it to cause harm to your business.
You must have got an idea of what we are trying to say! Brute-Force Login attempt is an unauthorized login effort. It’s guesswork wherein hackers do trial and error. They try multiple combinations of alphabets, numbers and symbols for the password, discovering encryption key, etc., so that they can access your website.
You must have come across this at least once! Here, attackers send spammy links through email or messages, pretending to be the brand, hoping that the receiver will perform the desired action. If that happens, you are trapped. And the chances of getting into the trap is higher here because they try to appear as genuine as they can, so you can’t resist.
Visuals like images, infographics, etc., play a critical role in captivating the audience. But hosting it on the server requires space and bandwidth. And the shortcut for this that saves resources is hotlinking. It’s a method that lets you have visuals on your website without actually uploading them. Is it?
Yes, in hotlinking, people link the visuals from other websites to theirs. And mostly, they do this without your (site owner’s) permission. These embedded images serve their purpose. But what about you? It’s trouble because they use your hosting bandwidth and burden your website.
With Secure Socket Layer, take your website to HTTPS. It helps in establishing a secure connection between the server and the browser.
Updating your website and its components (themes, plugins, etc.) is significant because, with updates, comes more functionality. Updates take care of any security flaws – bugs, viruses, or any other security problem. So, by installing updates, you can shield your website.
There are several security plugins in the WordPress plugins library to offer comprehensive security to your website. Use them.
While picking themes and plugins, looking at the features and appearance (in the case of themes) is not enough. Check the reviews and popularity too. Also, ensure that you get them from a trusted source.
Ensure your username and password is not obvious. Try to be creative with these aspects and come up with unique ideas. Also, make sure that your password is complex. For this, you can use combine words, letters and symbols, but that should be random. Don’t just pick characters from your name, DOB, address, and other easily available details.
For added security, use 2 Factor Authentication. Crossing the two-step login process is not easy. So, with this, you can enjoy much higher website security.
Along with selecting a quality hosting service, you can buy a premium plan from the third-party WordPress website security service provider to get high-end protection from DDoS attacks.
This setting will help you in case of any mishappening. Even if someone with ill intention gets access to your WordPress website’s crucial files, the person won’t be able to make any changes to them.
Set a limit for login attempts. After an X number of failed attempts, your website should get locked for some time. Also, you can put a system in place to record the IP address in case of login failure for tracking.
Even if you think you have robust measures in place to keep your WordPress website secure, pay extra attention to the crucial files, including wp-admin directory, wp-content, wp-includes, and wp-config.php.
Well, when it comes to security, taking measures at the website level is not sufficient. You must see security at the server level also. And to make sure your website server is highly secure; you should partner with a reputed hosting company.
It helps you in an unforeseen situation. Even after all the efforts, if anything happens, you will have an option to restore the data.
The security flaws can cost you huge. They can even destroy your business and reputation, along with being a cause of worry for your website users. Thus, don’t risk your WordPress website – the online face of your business. You have several ways to keep your WordPress website secure. And believe us, implementing them is simple. So, use these website security tips and ensure complete peace of mind for your users and yourself.
And…if you feel that you already have so much to do and this task will increase your burden, you can outsource website security work. But the one you choose for the same should be responsible and trustworthy enough; you can’t take a chance.
You have us. Neel Networks is a website development and maintenance company based in India, serving worldwide. We have enormous experience in the field and can help you keep your WordPress website safe.
