This complete guide will help you secure your WordPress website! Learn the essential tips to protect your site against hackers, malware, and security threats.
Are you going to set up a new site on WordPress? It sounds good. WordPress is actually an open-source website creation tool based on PHP and MySQL.
It is the most commonly used Content Management System and blogging platform; almost 29% of websites are developed on WordPress. It’s easy to use and has lots of powerful tools and plugins, customizable themes and loads of features offered by the WordPress platform.
Besides this, WordPress is often vulnerable to hacker attacks. But WordPress is not responsible for being on the list of hacker attacks. It is the user’s fault he isn’t able to protect his site.
There are safety measurements, precautions, tips and tricks to avoid hackers attack. I listed some very basic tricks to secure a WP website.
Secure your WP Site from Brute Force Attack
Brute force is the simplest method (based on trial and error method) to obtain personal information and PIN code in order to gain access to someone else’s site or server to do something suspicious.
It is specifically designed software that automatically tries again and again until it is successful!! It is recommended to use the following steps to secure your site from brute force attacks.
- Two-factor authentication 2FA
- A limited number of login attempts
- Customize admin login URL
Two Two-factor authentication is the simplest way to get rid of brute-force attacks. It simply added another step for logging in, that’s some security questions, Captcha verification or mobile-generated codes.
A limited Number of Login Attempts will help to block hackers trying to log in by repeated attempts. There is a plugin, ‘WP Limit Login Attempts,’ used for this purpose.
Settings >> WP Limit Login
Customizing the admin login URL is strongly recommended. By default, it is set to wp-admin or wp. Login. It is vulnerable to hackers attack. So, to customize the admin login URL, follow these steps
- Dashboard >> Plugins >> WPS Hide Login Install this plugin and then go to the next step
- Configure this plugin
- Settings >> General >> WPS login Hide
- Enter the custom login URL in the text box and save the changes
Password Protected WP-Admin Directory
It is one of the most important directories of your WP website, and of course, it should be password protected. If you neglect this part then your whole website may get damaged. It is recommended only the administrator can access this directory. Here is a guide on how to password-protect the wp-admin Directory.
Database Security
Database security is also a matter of great concern. Updated your database regularly. First, you have to change default database prefixes, set a strong password and finally back up your database.
Strong Password Is Recommended
The most effective tip is to choose passwords wisely and change your password frequently. It makes your life easy and protects your website. In order to choose passwords, keep in mind it should be a combination of lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers and special characters. There are password generator tools also available, you can utilize them also.
A Simple Tip for Multi-Author WP Sites
You may have multiple users, authors or external contributors. Here are some precautions every user should keep in mind.
- Strong Password: Force all users for strong passwords.
- Limit Dashboard Access: If you are an admin of a multi-user website, then limit the access of users. By default, in WP, every user can access the dashboard or admin area. WP has a strong user management system.
- Whenever you add a new user to your website, you have to select a user role for them. It means you are assigning capabilities and responsibilities to the user. Don’t give access to the dashboard or admin area.
- Dashboard >> People >> Role
- Select a role for a particular user by drop-down list.
Switching to HTTPS
Use SSL or HTTPS to transfer data between the user and the server. SSL ensures that the data transfer is safe and less prone to password, or other credentials intercept. Besides security, it also helps in Google’s ranking.
You get an SSL certificate for your website. There are open-source certificates available, or you can buy from third-party companies as well. Some hosting companies are also offering free SSL.
Use Updated WP, Themes and Plugins
It is recommended that you have to use an updated version of WP and its plugins and themes. WP often releases updated versions and fixes security issues and bugs.
Whether you have an updated or outdated version, you should hide your WP version. Outdated WP versions are affected by commonly affected by Pharma Hacks.
Pharma Hacks is a type of malicious code inserted into outdated WP and plugins. As a result, when search engines crawl the website, they come up with redundant pharmaceutical product ads. This can easily be avoided by updating WP regularly.
Keep an Eye on Your WP Files
For added security, monitor WP files. If there are unusual changes observed in your WP files, you have to track these changes. Wordfence is the most effective and most commonly used plugin for your file security.
It scans and monitors incoming traffic, tracks and monitors the changes made in your files and updates you.
Web Application Firewall
It is a website security and monitoring service that monitors your website traffic protectsand it from phishing, malware, malicious or other suspicious activities. There are several firewall plugins available.
Backup Your WP Website
After paying a lot of attention to your security you are not 100% secure. It is a good practice to keep a backup of your website and its database. Whenever anything goes wrong you can easily restore your lost data.
Keeping an off-site backup is better. There are many backup plugins available; you can go for any of them.
Wrap Up
The tips stated above are primitive security measures for your newly launched websites. These simple yet most important tricks can be set up by a non-professional person as well.
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