WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS), which accounts for 43.2 percent of all websites. Unfortunately, its widespread users attract a wide range of cyber-criminals, who know how to take advantage of the platform’s weak security to commit any kind of fraud and other illegal activities.
However, this does not imply that WordPress’s security system is insufficient; security breaches can also occur as a result of users’ failure to recognize the need for security. I will advise you to take help from a WordPress expert who will help you if the situation occurs. But if you want to take care of basics, it is prudent to put in place preventative security measures prior to an attempt to hack your site.
Now there are many causes of why your WordPress site can get hacked. Following that, we’ll look at several ways for improving WordPress security and protecting your site against various threats. We will discuss best practices and recommendations for utilizing WordPress, both with and without plugins, in the following piece.
What Happens When You Get Hacked?
Revenue and reputational harm, lost data, the malware installed on your site that can infect visitors, and ransomware that closes down your site until you pay the hacker – none of these possibilities seem particularly pleasant, do they? Nonetheless, this is precisely what you run the risk of if you neglect WordPress security concerns.
Additionally, Google may blacklist you if you continue to engage in this type of behavior. Consider the danger of losing all of your SEO work in one fell swoop if anything like this happens. Isn’t that a little terrifying?
In conclusion, if your website is vital to the operation of your organization, protecting it should be a top concern.
As an added precautionary measure, Google blacklists roughly 20,000 websites per week for malware and approximately 50,000 websites per week for phishing scams.
Especially if your website is intended for commercial purposes, you must pay close attention to the security of your WordPress installation.
A business owner’s responsibility to secure the facility is similar to that of securing the actual retail structure. It is your responsibility as an internet business owner to protect your company’s website.
Now, let’s look at some security measures you need to take so that your website won’t be hacked.
Choose a good hosting provider
The most straightforward method of ensuring the security of your website is to pick a hosting service that has multiple layers of protection.
In the short term, it may seem like a good idea to go with a low-cost hosting business because it will free up money for other uses in your organization. However, resist the desire to yield to it. In the worst-case scenario, it could trigger recurring nightmares. You could lose all of your data and have your website redirect to another location.
Your website’s security improves immediately when you pay a little more for a trustworthy hosting firm. In addition, you may greatly speed up your WordPress site by using a high-quality WordPress hosting company.
WPEngine is our preferred host despite the fact that there are other options. In addition to regular virus scans and help available around the clock, they provide a wealth of security measures. And to top it all off, their pricing is very competitive as well.
Always create backup
With the help of this tip, you can’t avoid hacking; however, it is possibly the most important measure you can take in the event that your website is ever compromised because of any issue.
If you frequently backup all of your data from your website, then you will be able to quickly restore it if ever that kind of scenario arises. You run the risk of losing everything you’ve ever generated, posted, or written on your website if you don’t have a backup.
The method you utilize to back up your WordPress site is governed by the sort of hosting that you are currently utilizing. Consult with your hosting provider to see if they give backups as part of their package of services.
Use strong passwords
Something you must check right away is your WordPress passwords, particularly the administrator password, which you should double-check immediately.
Avoid using simple passwords that are solely made up of letters; instead, use strong passwords that are made up of letters, numbers, and symbols, among other things.
For eg:
EasyPassword (Simple)
E@$yP@$sw0rd (Strong)
Lolyoucanthack (Simple)
!0!you(@nt!-!@cK (Strong)
You can update the password for any user by selecting USERS / ALL USERS from the left-hand navigation menu. EDIT can be found in the list of users, and you can find it by scrolling down to the password area.
Make fewer login attempts, and change your password frequently
Allowing hackers to make an unlimited number of username and password tries on your login form is exactly what they’re looking for. It is inevitable that your login information will be discovered if you allow them to continue their attempts endlessly. The first step you should take to avoid this is to limit the number of attempts you have at your disposal.
It is possible to set a restriction on the number of possible login attempts using some specialized plugins. There are two really popular methods available, both of which are entirely free of charge: Logic LockDown and WP Limit Login Attempts.
Additionally, by resetting your passwords on a regular basis, you lessen the likelihood of a hacker successfully gaining into your site. Despite the fact that I do not mean on a daily basis when I say “often… Once every two to three months would be plenty. Diversification takes away from the delight of individuals who are striving to enter into the industry.
Install a firewall
A firewall is a device that sits between your WordPress site’s network and all other networks, automatically blocking any unauthorized traffic from entering your network or system. Firewalls work by preventing direct connections between your network and other networks, thereby keeping harmful activities away from your network.
Before making a decision on any of the items on this list, take the time to carefully analyze which type of firewall and plugin will work best for your specific requirements.
Keep WordPress updated
One more thing which is very important and you have to make sure of is that the WordPress installation is up to date. Because WordPress software updates are carried out on a regular basis so that the performance of the system and the security flaws can be discovered if there are any.
When it comes to the majority of WordPress core releases, automatic updates are available, which means that your site will be updated in the background without you having to do anything. Larger releases, on the other hand, must be manually executed – make a backup of your site first!
When new versions of WordPress are released, they will be visible in your WordPress dashboard. To take action, simply click on one of the icons. Maintaining plugins and themes on a consistent basis is also a smart idea.
Update All Themes and Plugins
It is vital that all themes and plugins are kept up to date at all times. When WordPress is installed, it includes a function that automatically updates all plugins. It is possible for publishers to ensure that their programs are always up to date by enabling the auto-update option. The use of an out-of-date plugin is a common source of hacking incidents.
It is possible to disable the automatic update option for a variety of reasons, but the downsides are rare. For example, an upgraded plugin may be incompatible with other plugins that have already been installed.
Enabling auto-updates, on the other hand, is usually a good choice for websites that do not change frequently.
Two-factor authentication
Google, Facebook, and Twitter are just a few of the well-known online businesses that allow you to enable it for your individual accounts. Additionally, you have the option of incorporating the same functionality into your WordPress website.
As a next step, you’ll want to download and launch an authenticator application on your smartphone. There are a plethora of choices available, including Google Authenticator, Authy, and LastPass Authenticator, among others.
To begin, you must first download and install the Two Factor Authentication plugin from the WordPress plugin repository. After two-factor authentication, navigate to the ‘Two Factor Authentication’ link in the WordPress administration sidebar.
Users are required to log in twice when using two-factor authentication. The first step asks you to enter your username and password, Whereas the second needs you to authenticate with a separate device or app.
Protect the wp-admin directory
The wp-admin directory is the beating heart of any WordPress website. As a result, if the integrity of any area of your website is compromised, the entire website may be compromised.
Using a password to protect the wp-admin directory is one method of avoiding this situation. With the help of this WordPress security mechanism, the website owner can gain access to his or her dashboard by entering two passwords. Two separate security measures are in place: one protects the login page, and the other covers the WordPress administration portion of the website.
This is frequently achieved through the use of cPanel to adjust your hosting configuration.
Use SSL
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) encryption is an efficient method of protecting your administrative data. SSL encrypts data transmitted between a user’s browser and a server during transmission. An SSL certificate can be obtained in one of two ways: through the use of a third-party certificate authority (CA) or through a government-issued certificate authority (CA).
a) You can purchase one from a third-party provider for a small fee.
b) Inquire with your web hosting provider about one. Occasionally, this is bundled in as a free extra with specific hosting packages. According to your host, you may be able to obtain one without incurring any further fees.
Why Is It Important to Invest in WordPress Security?
It’s no surprise that WordPress is one of the most frequently used content management systems available today, and with good reason. This website builder is simple to use, offers dozens of themes and plugins, and helps in creating any type of website you want. Consequently, it should come as no surprise that WordPress is used to power more than 40% of all websites on the internet.
However, it comes with a cost in terms of desirability. WordPress is a popular target for hackers. Sucuri reports that WordPress site owners are responsible for 94 percent of all website cleanup requests in 2019, representing a 4 percent raise over the previous year. Consider the fact that in less than 36 hours in December 2021, 13.7 million attacks were conducted against 1.6 million WordPress sites worldwide.
Wrapping it up
WordPress is a comprehensive and widely used content management system (CMS) that allows anyone to create a website from the ground up. However, because of its broad use, it has become a favorite target for cybercriminals, including hackers.
To your advantage, there are some safeguards you can put in place to keep your WordPress site safe. Please keep in mind, however, that you are not obligated to accomplish all of the tasks outlined in this section. By adhering to the most fundamental best practices, you will be well ahead of the curve.
After that, put into practice what you are capable of. Security is an evolutionary process rather than an all-or-nothing concept, as is often assumed. You can always do more, but the most important step is to get started in the first place.
