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Website security needs to be taken seriously. The landscape of potential threats constantly changes as hackers innovate new methods and discover exploitable flaws in existing software. A WordPress site is no less vulnerable to attack than any other. Once you start adding up themes and plugins, hackers have many avenues for assault.
Protecting your WordPress site requires forethought, constant maintenance, and a few tricks up your sleeve. Read on as we reveal our top security tips to make your WordPress site impenetrable.
1) Regular Updates
WordPress itself is regularly updated, and you must use the latest versions. Every time WordPress updates, it improves its cybersecurity through minor tweaks to its code. If any bugs are revealed, leaving WordPress insecure, it will be patched promptly in an update. Whenever you’re using an outdated version of WordPress, you’re vulnerable to attack.
It’s easy to forget to update WordPress, but it’s announced in your dashboard whenever there’s a new version. Look at the top of the page for information about new releases, and follow the link to update.
2) Keep Themes And Plugins Updated
Your themes and plugins are valuable accessories for your WordPress site and a potential vulnerability. Fortunately, the best plugins are tightly secured. Still, just like the site itself, they’ll be updated occasionally to strengthen their security or patch flaws, so you need to maintain the latest version. In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins and Appearance to see announcements about updates.
3) Limit User Login Attempts
When users log into your site, give them a few chances to get the right combination of username and password – after three attempts, prompt them to answer security questions or change their password. If you give users infinite opportunities to combine usernames and passwords, you’re opening up your site to brute-force hacker attacks.
You can use plugins to limit user attempts – remember to keep them updated!
4) Back-Up Frequently
Frequent backups of the data on your site give you ultimate protection should the worst come to pass. Whenever you back up your site, you make a carbon copy of it, and should you lose your data, you can restore it from your backup, picking up from where you left off. UpdraftPlus provides free and premium backup solutions and is just one of a range of plugins that can give you the ultimate protection.
5) Limit User Permissions
If multiple people have access to the back office of your WordPress site, then you will be exposed to a host of security vulnerabilities. However, not everyone has to have an all-access pass behind the scenes. In the Users tab of the WordPress dashboard, you can appraise users’ access and the extent of that access. Some users can be set as contributors or editors, limiting what they can do on your site.
Generally, everybody should have access to the tools required to do their job, not more. The more functions a user can access, the greater the risk to your site.
6) Renaming Your Login URL
“WordPress provides you with default URLs from which you can access your site, but these generic URLs are also easily guessed by hackers,” says Michael Goddard, a WP developer at Write My X and Next Coursework. “Almost anyone can find your login screen and start guessing passwords.”
Fortunately, some plugins allow you to customize your login page. By creating a unique login location, hackers will find it harder to find your front door, let alone a breakthrough.
7) Scan Your Site
A WordPress site’s vulnerability to malware and viruses is much the same as your computer’s, so give it the antivirus treatment and scan your site regularly for any nefarious code. This is done through specialized plugins like CodeGuard, which will automatically delete anything suspicious.
8) Keep Your wp-config.php Safe
Protecting your wp-config.php is an important step towards a secure WordPress site because it is one of the most important files. The wp-config.php file is at the heart of your WordPress site and contains the data your site needs to function, making it a hot target for hackers and bad actors seeking access to your site.
“You can move the wp-config.php file to make it harder for hackers to locate without impacting your site at all,” Juanita Barber, a tech lead at Britstudent and 1day2write, says. Shift it up a step in your WordPress root directory. Your site will function identically, but one of your core files will be buried.”
9) Utilize SSL
Whenever you visit a webpage, your web browser and the server communicate, sending data back and forth. SSL (Secure Socket Layer) lets you encrypt that data, providing a secure connection between server and browser when anyone visits your site. Having SSL will also boost your SEO, as Google’s rankings favor SSL-equipped sites.
Sometimes, your hosting provider offers SSL certification as an optional extra; occasionally, it’s even included as a standard feature. If not, third-party providers can provide you with SSL.
10) Install A Firewall
You can utilize firewalls to protect your WordPress site in two ways – effectively giving you two layers of firewall security. Firstly, your computer should have a firewall installed as part of a broader cybersecurity and antivirus software package. This protects you in the first instance from hackers accessing your WordPress site through vulnerabilities on your computer itself.
You can enhance firewall security by implementing a second firewall to prevent malware, viruses, and hacker attacks directed at your WordPress site. Several good plugins provide firewalls for your site, often including virus scanners and other measures.
Safety First
Your WordPress site’s security is essential to your business. Getting lazy with plugin and theme updates will leave you open to vulnerabilities that could cause chaos on your site, so regular maintenance is essential. Use our security tips to protect yourself and your WordPress site, front and back. Safety first.
Author Bio:
Katrina Hatchett, a blogger at Write my dissertation and writer for Origin Writings, has been in the tech industry for two decades. She developed her skills as a hacker in the late 1990s before working with organizations to provide cybersecurity consultancy. She also writes for Thesis Writing Service blog.
Nicely decorated tips. I totally agree with your discussion. All the 10 security tips are a must for WordPress.