How do you ensure that WordPress is secure in 2021
How to protect my WordPress website from hackers
WordPress security is critical for my business.
WordPress security is an important topic for website owners. Google blacklists over 10,000+ websites per day for malware and over 50,000 per week for phishing.
WordPress security best practices should be a top priority if you want to protect your website. We will be sharing all the top WordPress security tips in this guide to help you protect it from malware and hackers.
See Also: How To Increase Website Speed in WordPress
These are just some of your concerns if WordPress is something you manage. We totally get it. We are here to help. So, let’s get started.
WordPress Is Secure
WordPress Security is probably the first thing you are asking. For the most part, yes. WordPress often gets a bad rep for being susceptible to security vulnerabilities, and therefore not being a safe platform for businesses to use. This is because WordPress users often continue to use industry-proven security practices that are not safe.
Hackers keep their cyber-crime under control by using obsolete WordPress software, nulled WordPress plug-ins, bad system administration, inadequate credentials management, and a dearth of Web and security expertise among non-techie WordPress user. Even industry leaders do not always use the best practices. Reuters was hacked as they were using an old version of WordPress.
Security is not about completely secure systems. These systems might not be practical or possible to maintain. Security is not about eliminating all risk. It’s about taking all possible controls within reason that can improve your overall posture, decreasing the chance of being hacked, and making it less likely that you become a target. WordPress Security Codex
Every year, thousands are hacked or compromised on WordPress websites all over the globe. It is normal to wonder about WordPress’ security. So let’s start with the basics: is WordPress secure?
It’s not an easy question to answer. Here’s a better way to view it:
WordPress’s platform is secure. Core WordPress offers the necessary security mechanisms to ensure your website is safe. WordPress’ core is also protected by the WordPress community and WordPress team who work 24/7 to make sure it is safe.
Website owners create vulnerabilities and risks for WordPress websites if they do not follow recommended WordPress security measures.
We have now understood this. Let us now look at ways to protect your WordPress website from hackers.
How to Secure WordPress Sites
WordPress can seem intimidating to new users. But that’s not the case. WordPress security can be implemented by anyone, even if they are security experts.
Here are 11 points that will help you to secure your WordPress site.
1. Secure Hosting
How secure does your WordPress hosting platform look? This answer will directly impact the security of your website. A WordPress host with security features is equipped to handle the most current technologies and software that can protect your website.
An insecure WordPress host, on the other hand exposes your website to multiple risks. Moving to a managed hosting provider that offers more security is a smart move if your site is still hosted in a shared host.
2. Create Strong Passwords
Login screen
It is because of weak passwords that brute force attacks and other login page attack methods work. While they may be easier to remember (password or 123456), weak passwords pose a constant threat for your WordPress security.
Configuring strong passwords using a combination of upper- and lowercase alphabets, numbers and special characters is one of the easiest ways to make WordPress secure.
3. Enable Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
You can secure your login pages by using strong passwords and the industry-recognized 2-factor authentication (2FA) measure. After 2FA is in place, users need to go through a 2-step process to sign into their account. They must first enter their credentials and then enter a unique password sent directly from their mobile phone.
Installing 2FA plugins such as Google Authenticator and WP2FA on your WordPress blog is all that’s required.
4. Protect against Brute Force Attacks
Brute force attacks on WordPress are the most widespread. Hackers use automated bots in this attack to guess the right combination of username and password to access your website. They do this in order to penetrate WordPress accounts, especially admin accounts.
How can brute-force attacks be stopped? Multiple WordPress security features can be applied to your site, such as limiting the number failed logins (up to three) and installing the secure CAPTCHA Tool to quickly detect automated robots.
5. Use a WP Security Plug-In
MalCare
WordPress security plugins will detect malicious malware and then remove it from your site. Some security plugins come with firewall protection. This protects your WordPress site from malicious traffic and monitors it for any suspicious connections.
MalCare and other popular security plugins are simple to install. They use deep scanning technology to instantly detect and remove any malware variants. You can also use features like the inbuilt firewall and WordPress Hardening to protect your site from further attacks.
6. Keep your website current
System update
WordPress sites that are out of date and have older versions can be a security problem. It is best to upgrade WordPress versions regularly to make your WordPress site secure. You should also update any plugins/themes you have installed to the most recent version of WordPress.
Manage multiple WordPress sites? You can do a bulk update by using a WordPress management tool, such as ManageWP and MainWP.
7. Back up your website regularly
Even though it is not strictly a security measure we recommend regular backups for your entire WordPress site. These backups will protect your website and database files from being hacked or crashed. A backup will allow you to quickly restore your compromised website without any additional downtime.
How do you backup your website. You can manually backup your site, but this can be tedious work. It is possible that the site crash caused your backups to be corrupted. BlogVault, a popular backup plugin, stores backups on separate servers.
BlogVault
It is very easy to use.
8. Add an SSL Certificate
To protect your WordPress website from hackers, the next step is to change it from HTTPS to Secure HTTP. HTTPS-enabled WordPress sites are more secure, as they encrypt all data between the website (and the user’s computer).
How do I implement this measure? You will need to install an SSL certificate (shorthand Secure Socket Layer) on your website. Installing an SSL plugin, such as Let’sEncrypt or your current webhost will give you an SSL certificate.
Let’s get encrypted
9. Change Your Default Username from “Admin”
If you’re still using “admin” as your default username, it’s time to change it. Hackers may use this vulnerability in order to guess your administrator’s username and gain access to your crucial admin account.
You can create a username for an administrator from your WordPress account.
10. Harden Your WP Site
WordPress hardening is one of the recommended measures by WordPress security. This includes 12 steps that can help protect your website from any future attacks. These measures include disabling the file edit, changing the security keys and blocking plugin installs. To implement these measures, you will need to have a basic understanding of WordPress and some technical know-how.
You can find a simpler way to apply these hardening methods. MalCare, a security plugin, has in-built hardening capabilities that can be enabled in a matter a few mouse clicks. This is thanks to the WordPress hardening mechanisms integrated into their user interface.
11. Limit User Access to Your Site
Sign off
Last, but not least: you must restrict access to your site by users. Restrict the administrator or super-administrator rights of WordPress users to improve website security. Based on the job roles of each user, assign roles to users with less privileges like contributor, subscriber, editor.
You can assign user roles and modify them using your WordPress host.
Fixing a Hacked WordPress Site
Many WordPress users do not realize the importance and necessity of website security backups until their website is compromised.
A WordPress site can be time-consuming and difficult to maintain. Let a professional handle it.
Hackers place backdoors onto affected websites. If the backdoors aren’t fixed correctly, then your website is likely to be hacked once again.
Sucuri, a professional security company, will fix your website to ensure it is secure again. It will also protect your site from future attacks.
This step-by-step guide will help you fix your hacked WordPress site.
Summary
You can increase your WordPress security in many ways, as you can see. There are many ways to keep your WordPress site secure. These include using smart passwords and keeping the core and plugins current. You can also choose a secure managed WordPress host. Many of you consider your WordPress site to be both your business and your income. Therefore, it is important to make the necessary security changes as soon as possible.
Are there any WordPress security tips you think we have missed? We would love to hear from you in the comments.