We often don’t worry about security until someone breaks into our house or steals our car. The same applies to WordPress websites, only hackers don’t just break into your site, they wreak havoc across the Internet.
Fortunately, you can protect your site by following some simple steps. The first step is to make sure you are using a trusted plugin developer.
Upgrade to the latest version of WordPress
WordPress is free and open source software that is constantly improved by a large community of developers. As a result, it’s always important to keep your site updated with the latest version of WordPress. These updates are crucial to the security and performance of your website. In addition, they fix bugs and vulnerabilities that hackers may exploit. This is particularly important because more than 45% of the world’s websites are built using WordPress, making it an attractive target for malicious actors.
New versions of WordPress include bug fixes, security patches, and other improvements. Additionally, the core team works diligently to patch any issues that are reported by users. Keeping your site up to date is one of the easiest ways to improve your WordPress security.
It’s also essential to keep your plugins and themes updated. Outdated plugins and themes are at higher risk of being compromised by attackers. Updated versions of plugins and themes will typically fix any security issues and provide you with better compatibility.
If you are on a shared host, most hosting providers will handle these updates for you. However, if you are using a VPS or dedicated server, it’s important to know how to do this yourself. You can use the wp-config file to determine what version of WordPress your site is running on, or you can log into your server and check in FileZilla. This will show you the current version of WordPress.
Besides updating your theme and plugins, you should also ensure that the current version of WordPress is up to date. Most of the time, the WordPress core is updated with new features. The latest version is 5.0, which includes Gutenberg, a new editor for WordPress sites that is both simpler and more powerful. This will help you create rich content more quickly and easily.
The most common reason to upgrade to the latest version of WordPress is to prevent hacks. Many hackers look for websites that are using older versions of WordPress because they are easy targets. In fact, hackers don’t even need a good reason to attack your site; they just want to take advantage of any vulnerabilities they can find.
Limit user access
It’s important to limit user access to WordPress because this prevents hackers from gaining full control of your website. There are several ways to do this, including using a plugin or a code snippet. The end result is that it makes it harder for someone to access your dashboard and snoop around in areas you don’t want them to.
The most important thing you can do is to limit the number of login attempts. This helps to keep your site safe from hack attacks and allows you to monitor suspicious activities. Ideally, you should use a plugin that limits login attempts for all users.
Another security measure is to change the default admin username. This is because the username “admin” is often the first one attackers try to guess when brute-forcing their way into a WordPress website. It’s a simple and effective step that can help prevent hack attacks and keep your website secure.
It is also a good idea to limit the number of times that the same person can attempt to log in. This will help prevent attackers from trying to guess your password and gaining access to your account. You can do this by changing the login page settings in your WordPress dashboard. There are many different plugins that can do this for you, so take your time to choose the best option for your needs.
Lastly, you should set up notifications to alert you of any suspicious activity on your website. These are often the first signs of a breach, and it’s always better to be aware of these problems as soon as possible. You can even use a plugin that can send you a notification when a new login is attempted from an unusual location or IP address.
You should also install a plugin that prevents users from editing theme and plugin files from the Admin area of your site. This can be a huge security risk if someone gains access to these files, so it’s a good idea to disable file editing with a plugin like Sucuri.
Create strong passwords
If you’re running a WordPress site, it’s crucial to ensure that your users create strong passwords. This is especially important because passwords are one of the most common methods hackers use to gain access to a website or account. Hackers are able to crack passwords by using a process called brute force, which involves trying many combinations of usernames and passwords until they find one that works. In addition, they often use publicly available leaked passwords to try to gain access to a site.
Password security is an essential part of a website’s overall security, and WordPress offers a number of ways to improve it. While no website is 100% secure, WordPress has a good track record of catching security issues before they cause harm, thanks to its dedicated team of developers and community reports.
Users should always follow best practices when creating passwords, including avoiding recognizable words or personal information. In addition, they should change their passwords regularly to reduce the risk of a breach. They should also use two-factor authentication, which requires the user to have a mobile device or other proof of identity before they can login to their WordPress site.
The WordPress password security plugin iThemes Security is a great way to enforce strong passwords. It can be set to require a custom password length, certain numerics, upper and lower case letters, and special characters ($,#,%). It can even keep a history of passwords and prevent users from reusing old ones. The plugin is free to download, and it can be used to enforce a variety of password policies on any WordPress website.
The plugin allows you to configure a password policy based on a specific role, and it will automatically force the users to comply with that policy. You can also choose to allow users to reset their passwords in a specific timeframe, and you can configure a maximum limit for how long they can continue using a password. This plugin will help you secure your WordPress website against brute force attacks and other types of threats.
Install security plugins
Security plugins are a must for any website that relies on WordPress as its CMS. These plugins protect the site from hackers and malware, reducing the risk of a data breach or website outage. In addition, they help to prevent brute force login attempts and improve overall website performance.
A good security plugin can protect your website from a wide range of threats, including malware infections, brute-force attacks, cross-site scripting (XSS), and infected or outdated themes or plugins. These plugins can also help to keep your website up to date by detecting the latest version of PHP and notifying you when it’s time to upgrade. Some of these plugins offer a variety of tools, from firewall protection to a password generator and anti-bot detection. Others are more niche, such as those that require two-factor authentication to log in and restrict admin access.
Some of these security tools are available as standalone modules, while others work in conjunction with one another to provide an all-in-one solution for your website. These all-in-one tools can reduce the number of plugins you need to install, ensuring your website stays safe from threats and vulnerabilities.
Many of these plugins offer backup features that can save your website files in case of a malicious attack or a hack. In addition to backing up your files, these security tools can scan your website for malware and other vulnerabilities. They can also monitor live traffic, including bots and human visitors. This is particularly important if you’re managing multiple websites, as you can quickly identify which ones are being targeted by hackers.
The most important step in protecting your website is to keep it up to date. You should always update your themes and plugins to the latest versions and use strong passwords to prevent hackers from gaining access to your content. In addition, it is a good idea to install an SSL certificate, which encrypts your connection and keeps data transfers between your website and the browser secure. These measures are easy to do and can make a big difference in your website’s security.
