With all the news about cyber-crime and hacking, it is high time that we webmasters, start exercising the best security practices for our website. Not only will it help to safeguard our site from potential hackers, but it will also keep us clean in Google’s eyes.
For example, every week the search engine giant blacklists over 20,000 websites for having malware, and over 50,000 websites for potential phishing. You might become a victim as well if your site doesn’t adhere to all the latest security guidelines.
Now, for the purpose of this read, we will be taking a look at some of the best tips and tricks to reinforce your WordPress security. Whether you are new to WordPress, or a years-old veteran, you should come by some valuable information to keep you on top of all security threats.
But first, let’s cover the basics.
The Importance of Thinking About Your WordPress Security
If hackers gain access to your website, they can potentially lock you out. They will have complete liberty over all the user data stored on your site including the passwords, and other sensitive information.
They can even distribute malicious software to your users and cause severe problems. This will not only hamper your online business but your reputation as well.
But you can avoid all these dire situations if you follow specific guidelines and maintain all the latest security practices.
Keeping Your WordPress Up-To-Date
One of the main selling point behind WordPress is its open-source nature. But this is also one of its greatest security threats. The WordPress source code can be viewed by everyone – even the hackers. So if someone finds a crack in the CMS’s line of defense, then they can easily break into any WordPress website.
Luckily WordPress is very secure and it isn’t easy to find a breakable code. Furthermore, Automattic – the company behind WordPress, roles out iterative updates with security patches and bug fixes to keep the defense as strong as ever. So don’t forget to keep your site updated to the latest version of WordPress.
This also goes for all the plugins and themes you have installed on your website. The hackers can break into your site through the security gaps in your plugins and themes. So you should always keep them updated as well. And if the developer hasn’t uploaded the product for a while, then it is time to search for an up to date alternative.
Make logging into your Website more Secure
The login page of your WordPress website has “wp-admin” as the default slug. On top of that, the username is also set to “admin” by default. So the hacker only has to guess the correct password, which is easy using a brute force algorithm, and they will have access to your site.
This risk can be easily mitigated if you change the default “wp-admin” and the default username to something other than “admin.” On top of that, you can limit the number of login attempts to your website, which will block users who have provided multiple wrong passwords in a row.
Why You Should Back Up Your WordPress Website
It is better to be safe than sorry. And so it is important to keep a backup of your website, for the off-chance that things go wrong. Let’s say in the unfortunate event that a hacker infiltrated you site and controls all your precious data. They can delete them or ask you for ransom.
But if you have a site backup, then you don’t have to fall to the mercy of the hacker. There are plenty of plugins in the market which can help you take backups of your WordPress website. For example, you can install UpdraftPlus on your backend, it will start taking automated backup of your website.
And speaking of plugins….
The Benefits of Installing Security Plugins and Firewalls
Just like installing anti-viruses and anti-malware software on your PCs and Macs, you can do the same for your site as well. They will help clean your site from malware and even protect it from hacking attempts, and a firewall, and much more.
With cybercrime rising day by day, you should always consider installing a security plugin for your WordPress website. It isn’t a heavy invest either, and many of them are available for free.
Sucuri offers a complete security solution to help protect your site.
Do not use NULL Themes and Plugins
If you don’t know, NULL Themes and Plugins are basically hacked/cracked products. In other words, these are pirated versions of the premium themes and plugins, distributed for free. Using NULL these and plugins will get you into a lot of trouble, and we are not solely talking about copyright infringement.
The person who has cracked the theme might infect it with some other malicious code. Once you install the theme on your site or server, they can easily hack into your site or send through more malicious content.
Therefore, it is always advised to get your plugin and themes from reputed developers and from a trusted marketplace like ThemeForest.
In Conclusion:
So these were some of the basic tips and tricks you should follow to keep your site safe from the hackers and other security threats. Do let us know if you found the read to be helpful, and if you did, don’t forget to share it with your friends you also have a hosted WordPress website.
Again, if you wish to add to the list with some of your own ideas for improving WordPress security then comment down below. All of us, including your fellow readers, will love to learn more techniques for improving security.
