Abhishek Chauhan
Security is a topic of high importance for every business owner. WordPress core software is highly secure and audited on a daily basis by hundreds of developers.
In this blog post, we are mentioning various auctionable steps that you can take to protect your website against WordPress vulnerabilities such as Backdoors, Pharma Hacks, Denial of Service, Malicious Redirects, Brute-force Login Attempts, etc.
Step by step process to keep your WordPress site secure
- Secure WordPress hosting
WordPress security is much more than just locking down your site. Saving money on your website by opting for cheap hosting services can cause various issues like getting your data to be erased or your URLs redirected to somewhere else.
Providing a bit more to a quality hosting company means adding additional layers of security to your website. You can go with the hosting provider that provides multiple layers of security and can significantly speed up your website.
2. Use Strong Username and Password
If you are using a common username (like your own name, pet name, etc.) and plain passwords such as ‘123456’, ‘abc123’, etc. may be easy to remember and also extremely easier to guess and might get easily cracked by a hacker without much hassle.
Make a complex password that contains nonsensical letter combinations and special characters such as %, &, or ^.
3. Limit login attempts
By default, WordPress allows users to try login unlimited times. Don’t let unlimited username and password attempt to your login form, as it can help a hacker succeed in getting your login data.
Limiting the available attempts is the first thing you can do to prevent that. Though various hosting services and firewalls take care of it for you, you can do it by installing a plugin like Limit login attempts reloaded.
4. Enable two-factor authentication
Two-factor authentication requires a user to login via a two-step authentication method. First, it includes username and password; second, it requires authentication from a particular device or application. Two-factor authentication is used by various popular platforms. So, you can add the same functionality to your site.
5. Use HTTPs – SSL certificate
You can make your site secure by installing an SSL certificate and running your site over HTTPs. SSL is one of the important security measures for any site that processes sensitive information, such as passwords and credit card details. Without SSL, data of the user’s browser and your web server delivered in plain text that can be readable by a hacker. The average price of an SSL is around $70-$199 per year.
Additionally, making your site SSL enabled will be helpful in boosting SEO and getting a positive first impression of your visitor’s.
6. Install a firewall
A firewall acts as a shield between the network hosting your WordPress site and all other networks. It automatically prevents unauthorized traffic from entering your system or network from outside.
Using a WordPress firewall plugin ( also known as Web Application Firewall (WAF)) is one of the easiest ways to protect your site and gives you confidence about your WordPress security.
7. WordPress security plugins
Though the WordPress core software is very secure, installing plugins and themes can leave your website vulnerable. On average, more than 18 million websites get infected with malware every week.
A security plugin will protect your website against brute force attacks, keep confidential files secure, and notify you when a security threat is detected. Various WordPress security plugins such as iThemes Security, Sucuri Security, SecuPress, etc., provide great solutions to better protect your WordPress site. But if your website is still facing some security issues from hackers, you can avail wordpress development services or can take help from agencies to protect your website.
8. Database security
There are some ways to provide security to your WordPress database, such as using a strong database name or using a different database table prefix. By default, WordPress uses wp_ for table prefix, and changing it to something else like 51xw_ can be much more secure.
9. Backup your website
It is highly recommended to backup your database at regular intervals to restore the database if something wrong happens like system crashing. Generally, you should maintain at least three backups and store them at different places or forms such as DVDs/CDs, different hard drives, your email account, etc.
10. Perform regular security scans
A WordPress security scan reviews the files that run your website and detects harmful codes placed by attackers. It is good to run routine check-ups on your site’s security. You can perform it at least once a month, and the frequency should increase based on the popularity and visibility of your site. Various plugins can scan your site for you, such as Wordfence, Jetpack, Titan, WP Cerber, etc.
Conclusion
Even applying all security measures, 100% security can not be guaranteed. Though WordPress itself is an incredibly secure platform for building websites, implementing these steps will ensure that your website is in the best possible position to fight off a potential cyber attack.
