WordPress is a popular content management system (CMS) used by millions of websites around the world. Because it is so widely used, WordPress is a popular target for hackers.
WordPress is also an open-source platform, meaning that its source code is available for anyone to view and modify. This makes it easier for hackers to find and exploit potential vulnerabilities in the system.
Many WordPress users do not keep their software up to date, making it even easier for hackers to gain access to their websites.
Improving the security of a WordPress website is essential for protecting the website and its content, users, and reputation from attacks, hackers, and malicious threats.
The hackers love nothing more than easy targets and one of the ways to beat them is to make it hard for them to hack. They are humans, eventually, after many attempts, they would give up.
In this article, I will go through a few steps that you can take today to secure your WordPress website.
Strong Password
It is unbelievable how many people use their kids’/pets’ names as passwords. Another common practice is using the same password for everything.
I understand how important it is to keep your website secure. One of the key ways to do this is by using strong and unique passwords for your WordPress website and all of your user accounts.
Strong passwords are long, complex, and random, making them difficult for hackers to guess or crack.
Unique passwords are different for each of your accounts and are not used for any other websites or services.
By using strong and unique passwords, you can help protect your website from potential attacks and keep your information safe.
Updates
One way to do this is by keeping your WordPress software and plugins up-to-date.
WordPress and plugin developers release regular updates that fix security vulnerabilities and bugs, so by staying on top of these updates, you can protect your website from known security risks.
Plus, you’ll get the latest security features and protections for your website. So, make sure to keep your WordPress software and plugins up-to-date to help keep your website safe.
Security Plugin
This is usually not required as most WordPress hosting providers take care of it. However, if your WordPress website is under regular attacks and your hosting provider doesn’t have measures to prevent it then it’s a good idea to use a security plugin.
These tools can help protect your website from things like malware, brute-force attacks, and unauthorized access.
Security plugins come with features like malware scanning, firewalls, and login protection that can help prevent and detect security threats, and keep your website safe from attacks.
Some popular security plugins for WordPress include Wordfence and Sucuri Security. So, if you want to keep your website secure, consider using a security plugin.
2 Factor Authentication (2FA)
This is a security measure that adds an extra layer of protection to your user accounts.
With 2FA, you need to provide two pieces of evidence to access your account, like a password and a code sent to your phone.
This makes it harder for hackers and attackers to gain access to your account and keeps your website safe from unauthorized access.
You can use a plugin like Google Authenticator or Duo Security to enable 2FA on your WordPress user accounts. So, if you want to keep your accounts extra secure, consider using 2FA.
SSL / HTTPS
They are used interchangeably by many, however, they are not the same thing. Your website needs to have both an SSL certificate and HTTPS.
HTTPS is a security protocol that encrypts the communications between your website and its users.
This means that any information that’s sent between your website and its users is scrambled so that only your website and the user can read it.
This helps protect your website from things like man-in-the-middle attacks, where someone tries to intercept the information being sent between your website and its users.
SSL, on the other hand, is a security certificate that authenticates the identity of your website. This means that it proves to your users that your website is who it says it is, and not some fake website that’s trying to trick them.
By using HTTPS and SSL, you can help keep your website and your users’ information safe.
Backup
Always and, I mean it, always have an automated backup system for your WordPress website. Regardless of how small your website is, you need backup.
You can always use a free backup plugin that will automatically backup your website to your local computer, Google driver, Dropbox or somewhere else. The plugins create and store backups of your website, including its content, settings, and files.
This is really useful if your website gets hacked or attacked, and you need to restore it from a backup.
You can use a backup plugin like UpdraftPlus or BackWPup to create and store backups of your website and make sure you have a fallback plan in case of an emergency. You can also use cloud backup systems for an extra cost.
So, if you want to protect your website, always have a backup.
Firewall
If you want to keep your WordPress website safe from malicious traffic, it’s a good idea to use a firewall.
A firewall is a security tool that monitors and controls incoming traffic to your website, and blocks or allows traffic based on pre-defined rules and criteria.
This can help protect your website from things like malware, spam, and brute-force attacks. It can also alert you to potential security threats and vulnerabilities.
If your website is under constant attack use a plugin. In most cases, the hosting company has measures in place.
Another, very reliable and free service is Cloudflare. They are one of the leading service providers in the world you can try them.
Security & Monitoring Service
These services can monitor and protect your website from vulnerabilities and threats.
They come with features like malware scanning, firewalls, and intrusion detection that can help prevent and detect security threats, and keep your website safe from attacks.
Some popular security and monitoring services for WordPress include Sucuri and Cloudflare. They both are free services and Cloudflare’s free tier is very generous.
Good Hosting
The quality and reliability of your web hosting provider can have a big impact on the security and performance of your website.
So, if you want your website to be secure and perform well, make sure to choose a secure and reliable web hosting provider.
These providers can help ensure that your website has the resources and support it needs to stay secure and perform well.
Educate
it’s important to educate yourself and your users about WordPress security best practices.
This can help you and your users understand the risks and threats that are out there, and what you can do to protect your website and its content.
You can learn about WordPress security best practices from the WordPress website, the WordPress community, and other sources, and share this knowledge with your users to help them stay safe and secure.
That’s it.
It is not possible, unless you have the resources and skills, to make your website completely hack-proof. However, by following the steps listed above can help you protect your WordPress website from potential security risks and threats.
