In an average week, WordPress sites must defend themselves against multiple hack attacks. That’s why a little attention and care goes a long way toward ensuring the security of your site.
If you’re not taking care of your website’s security, you could be losing traffic and money to hackers. This can be a huge problem for your business.
1. Use Strong Passwords
WordPress is a great way to build a website, but it’s still vulnerable to hacker attacks. As such, it’s important to use strong passwords when using WordPress.
A strong password should include a combination of upper and lower case letters, numbers, and symbols. This will make it difficult for hackers to guess your password, which will ultimately protect your website from security breaches.
The best way to keep your passwords secure is to use a password manager. These tools will store your passwords in an encrypted and secure database, which will allow you to access them whenever you need them.
2. Change the Default Admin Username
Changing the Default Admin Username is one of the most important security tweaks you can do to your WordPress website. Using a WordPress site without changing the Default Admin username can put your website at risk from cyber attacks and data breaches.
By default, WordPress assigns the default username ‘admin’ for your administrator account. This makes it easier for hackers to try and break into your website by brute force.
However, if you want to change the Default Admin Username, there are a few ways to do this. You can do it manually via phpMyAdmin or you can install a plugin that makes the process easy.
3. Change the Default Login URL
Changing the Default Login URL is a great way to lock down your WordPress admin. It also helps prevent spammers from using your site for malicious purposes.
However, it’s important to note that changing the Default Login URL doesn’t protect your site from hackers in its own right. It must be paired with other security measures to truly protect your website.
A password is one of the most crucial aspects of WordPress security. You should use a strong, unique password that isn’t easy to guess.
Adding security questions to the login screen is another good way to prevent unauthorized users from accessing your site. Moreover, it can help deter automated hacking attacks.
4. Install an SSL Certificate
Having an SSL Certificate is a must for any website that requires users to provide their personal information or credit card numbers. This includes ecommerce sites, online services, or any other site that collects data.
Thankfully, installing an SSL Certificate is a relatively simple process that doesn’t require a tech wizard. Many hosting companies will include SSL with their subscriptions or offer it for purchase from third-party vendors.
An SSL certificate secures and encrypts all of the information exchanged between a website server and a browser or web application, making it difficult for hackers to intercept and gain access to sensitive information. Having an SSL Certificate is especially important for websites that collect passwords, credit card information, or other sensitive information.
5. Enable Two-Factor Authentication
Enabling two-factor authentication is an important security step when using WordPress. It adds an extra layer of protection to your site’s login page and can help prevent brute force attacks.
It uses a second method of login verification – typically a text message (SMS), phone call, or time-based one-time password (TOTP) – in addition to username and password.
It’s a good idea to backup your verification codes and keep them somewhere safe. This will help you recover from a password reset or if someone has disabled two-factor authentication.
6. Disable File Editing
When using WordPress, it is important to disable the built-in file editing feature in the dashboard. This will prevent hackers from adding code to your site that could lead to security vulnerabilities and other issues.
In addition, it will also stop hackers from distributing malware and launching DDOS attacks.
Hackers often use plugins to launch DDOS attacks that can disrupt your website’s performance and damage your reputation in the market.
To avoid this, you should only install and use plugins that are legitimate and have been tested and scanned for vulnerabilities. You should also ensure that the plugin you install is updated to the latest version.
7. Disable PHP File Execution
WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) that allows anyone to create websites. However, hackers can target WordPress sites because they can easily exploit vulnerabilities in plugins.
One of the most common vulnerabilities is Cross-Site Scripting (XSS). This vulnerability allows attackers to inject malicious code into your website.
This can cause a variety of problems, including allowing hackers to steal user information and data from your database. It also can lead to downtime and decrease traffic on your site.
Fortunately, there are some easy ways to toughen up your site’s security. For instance, disabling PHP file execution in certain directories is a great way to protect your WordPress site from malware.
8. Change the Database Prefix
The WordPress database is a very valuable target for hackers. It contains a lot of important information, including users data, site URLs, posts, and comments.
Changing the database prefix is very important to protect your site from SQL injection attacks. The default WordPress prefix of wp_ is known to hackers, which makes it easier for them to identify and attack your database.
If you want to change the database prefix, it is recommended that you do so on a staging site to make sure it doesn’t break your website. This is especially important if you plan to migrate your site or update your theme. It is also possible to use a plugin to automate the process. But be aware that this can be a dangerous operation. It may break your website or cause data loss. You should always back-up your database before making any changes to it.
9. Change the Default Admin Email Address
If you are using WordPress, you need to change the Default Email Address to protect your website from malicious attacks. This is because your website uses this email to send important notifications such as auto-updates and comment moderation notices.
Changing the default email address is easy and should not take you much time at all. The best way to do this is by installing a plugin that bypasses the email verification step.
To do this, install and activate the Change Admin Email plugin. Once it’s installed, you can change the admin email by visiting Settings => General from the Dashboard side menu.
This method requires phpMyAdmin, but it’s a fast and simple way to update the admin user-level email address without needing to verify the new address. The new address will be added to your database instantly.
10. Install a Security Plugin
A security plugin is one of the most important things you can do to protect your WordPress website. It can prevent hackers from getting into your site and damaging it.
A good security plugin will also keep your users safe and secure from attacks. It can also scan your website for vulnerabilities and fix them before they get worse.
Besides, it can also help you repair corrupted files on your site. This feature is especially useful if you want to repair WordPress core files and themes that are vulnerable.
Best-in-class security plugins are able to block threats by intelligently blocking any combination of ranges of IP addresses, specific web browsers, or web browser patterns. These features can stop threats like spamvertizing, bots, or referring websites that are trying to infect your site.
