WordPress opens up many doors for you. It is your responsibility to protect your WordPress account from attacks. About three fourth of all WordPress websites have impaired security which makes them vulnerable to malicious attacks. It is evident that getting your site hacked will be damaging for your business. You do not want to rebuild your reputation after a hacking attempt. A security attack will also severely impact your website ranking on various search engines.
There are many security issues that your website will be vulnerable to. No matter how many these issues are, protecting your website against security threats is also easy. Following are the ten most common security issues that your WordPress website will face and tips on how to fix them.
A Strong Password is Essential
After creating an account on any platform, the very basic advice that you get is to create a strong password. Having eight-digit numbers or your own name as a password does not work well against hackers. If you want to protect your WordPress account, you have to create a strong password. Include alphabets, numbers, and alphanumeric symbols.
In case it is not already clear, please consider using unique passwords for different platforms. The more different the password is the better chance of your account being protected. You can use a plugin for the enforcement of a strong password policy on WordPress. A strong password will protect you from a brute force attack. Also, consider including CAPTCHA as added protection.
Limit the Login Attempts
Typically, there is no limitation of login attempts to your WordPress account. A visitor then can type out variations of usernames and passwords indefinitely until they get in. This is a significant security issue often encountered on WordPress. Luckily, this issue can be easily resolved.
You can limit the login attempts on WordPress websites as the admin. This is a plugin that will prevent hackers from taking unwanted advantage of your account and content. The plugin also helps in fixing this issue by straight out blocking the IP address from where the login attempts were being made.
Two-factor authentication
Many platforms that work on both web browsers and mobile applications have two-factor authentication facilities. This is an effective way of protecting your account from a brute force attack of account login.
A two-factor authentication sign-in would include typing the username and password and then waiting for a one-time password sent to your phone via the registered number or a link through which you have to confirm that it is you who has attempted to log in. Just use a plugin that will automatically ask for two-factor authentication each time you log in to your WordPress account.
Keep WordPress Updated
It cannot be stressed enough that keeping the platform updated with the latest version will be a great way to ensure the security of your account. Typically, updates are introduced when a security issue or bug crops up. The update provides that several privacy issues are fixed with each update. Refusing those updates would put your account at risk. An older version is a less secure version.
This should be a priority to you as all hackers know about the flaws in the older versions. They will then try to attack your account based on the previously seen security flaws. While an older version would succumb to this threat, a newly updated version will provide added security to your account. Opt for automatic updates to save time and effort.
Change your Default Username and Login URL
Once you create a WordPress account, you can immediately change the login URL and default username in the admin panel. This change can only be done if you have the admin information and credentials.
WordPress Login URL: Changing the login URL is essential as it makes it difficult for hackers to attempt a brute force attack. Use the WPS Hide Login plugin to change the login URL.
WordPress Default Username: Do not name the admin username as admin. This is supremely easy to guess by anyone wanting to hack into your account. Use a plugin to change the default username.
Permanently Delete Unused Themes and Plugins
Trying out new themes and plugins on WordPress will give you first-hand experience on how they work. Sometimes you might want to keep using them, and other times, you choose to deactivate them after trying them out. This becomes a security issue for your WordPress website.
Always remember to properly uninstall the themes and plugins, not in use. While you are trying out new themes and plugins, always go for the most updated version, as it will have fewer chances of giving way under attack.
URL Hacking and SQL Injections
SQL injections are commands in the SQL language that are aimed at compromising the SQL database and make the sensitive information within the website more vulnerable to attacks. URL hacking happens when a hacker modifies the website’s URL and can possibly trigger attacks on the website.
The WordPress websites hosted on Apache servers have procedures in place to counter these attacks. Every Apache server is already installed with a file .htaccess, which deals with the access rules of the website.
Protect your Sensitive Files
There are specific sensitive files that you will have to protect from people with malicious intent. These files are meant to be accessed only by the owner and should be protected to maintain the privacy of your website. This sensitive information can be protected with .htaccess. You can use some codes to hide sensitive information and also protect your account from people wanting unauthorised access.
Web Hosting
Investing in the right hosting service for your website is an essential factor that cannot be overlooked for protection against wordpress security issues. If you want to build an online presence, it is essential to have a secure WordPress hosting provider. This will up the security of your website significantly and will have backup options to fall back onto in case something goes wrong. The recovery strategy will not only protect your content but also the sensitive data on your website in case something goes wrong.
Scheduled Backups are your Friends
This is not a strict security measure but a tip that will help your website get back online in case any incident that compromises your website happens. Having all your data backed up is a great idea, especially if you are building a business. Backup son WordPress are of two types:
- Offsite Backup: The UpdraftPlus plugin allows for the backing up of all of your WordPress data. It will enable the data to be stored in a third-party storage location.
- Local Backup: This backup is done via the server of the hosting provider. The hosting providers can allow the data to be stored either manually or automatically on their own servers.
JustHyre
JustHyre is a team of WordPress Engineers who will help with the protection of your WordPress website. You can ask for their assistance and from design to development, JustHyre has a wide range of services that will come in handy when you are building your own website. With transparent and fast communications, your problems will be heard and solved in an instant. JustHyre knows it is vital to be aware of where changes are to be made and take the necessary steps to protect your website.
The Takeaway
If you follow through with these security tips, you can optimise the protection of your website and build a business that is protected from the threat of attacks. You can also opt for the services of JustHyre, who are WordPress experts and will help you build your site and then protect it against malicious threats.