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10 Security Tips For An Impenetrable WordPress Site

Website security needs to be taken seriously. The landscape of potential threats is always changing 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 any number of avenues for assault.

Protecting your WordPress site requires forethought and constant maintenance, as well as 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 it’s important that you’re using the latest releases. Every time WordPress updates, it improves its cybersecurity through small tweaks to their 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 Whenever you’re using an outdated version of WordPress, you’re vulnerable to attack.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 whenever there’s a new version it’s announced in your dashboard. Keep your eye on 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 but they are also a potential vulnerability. Fortunately, the best plugins are tightly secured, but just like the site itself they’ll be updated from time to time to strengthen their security or patch flaws, so you need to maintain the latest version. In the WordPress dashboard, navigate to Plugins and Appearance respectively to see announcements about updates.

3) Limit User Login Attempts

When users are logging into your site, give them a select 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 – just remember to keep them updated!

4) Back Up Frequently

Frequent backups of the data contained on your site gives 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 which can give you the ultimate protection.

5) Limit User Permissions

If multiple people have access to the back office of your WordPress site then this opens you up 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 the access users have and the extent of that access. Some users can be set as contributors or editors, limiting what they can do on your site.

As a general rule, everybody should have access to the tools required to do their job, and not more. The more functions that a user has access too, 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. “This means that almost anyone can find your login screen and start guessing passwords.”

Fortunately, there are plugins which allow you to customize your login page. By creating a unique log in location, it’ll be harder for hackers to find your front door, let alone break through.

7) Scan Your Site

The vulnerabilities that a WordPress site has to malware and viruses is much the same as how your computer can be vulnerable, so give it the antivirus treatment and scan your site on a regular basis 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 this is one of the most important files. The wp-config.php file is at the heat of your WordPress site and contains the data that your site needs to function – this makes it a hot target for hackers and bad actors who are seeking access to your site.

“You can move the wp-config.php file to make it harder for hackers to locate without imacting your site at all,” Juanita Barber, a tech lead at Britstudent and 1day2write. “Simply 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 are communicating, 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 SSL certification is offered as an optional extra by your hosting provider and occasionally it’s even included as a standard feature. If not, third party providers can provide you with SSL.

10) Install A FireWall 

There are two ways you can utilize firewalls to protect your WordPress site – effectively giving you two layers of firewall security. Firstly, your computer should have a firewall installed as part of a broader package of cybersecurity and antivirus software. This protects you in the first instance from hackers accessing your WordPress site through vulnerabilities on your computer itself.

You can take firewall security to another level by implementing a second  firewall to prevent malware, virus and hacker attacks directed at your WordPress site. There are a number of good plugins which provide firewalls for your site, often including virus scanners and other measures too.

Safety First

The security of your WordPress is essential to your business. Getting lazy with updates of plugins and themes 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 at the front and back end. 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.

  1. Nicely decorated tips. I totally agree with your discussion. All the 10 security tips are a must for WordPress.

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