As the internet becomes increasingly integral to daily life, website security is more important than ever. Hackers can gain access to sensitive information, like credit card numbers and social security numbers, through websites with weak security. This can lead to identity theft and financial fraud.
Your website’s CMS (content management system) works as the backbone of your entire setup. The most prominent CMS today is WordPress which is being used by over 455 million across the globe. Naturally, WordPress is a lucrative target for cybercriminals and highlights the fact why WordPress security should never be ignored.
WordPress or another other CMS, while 100% security may be a myth, there are a few things you can do to ensure your website is secure from external and internal threats.
Strengthening Login Credentials
According to studies, around 8 percent of hacked WordPress websites are due to weak passwords. However, as the largest self-hosted blogging tool in the world, WordPress has a responsibility to its users to keep their information safe. One way it does this is by natively offering two-factor authentication (2FA).
Two-factor authentication is an extra layer of security that requires not only a username and password but also something that the user has on them, like a phone. This makes it much harder for someone to hack into a WordPress account, even if they have the login credentials.
WordPress offers 2FA through several different methods, including SMS text messages, email, and authenticator apps. Which method you choose is up to you, but we recommend using an authenticator app like Authy or Google Authenticator.
Secure Hosting
A website is a powerful tool that can help businesses of all sizes reach new customers and grow. However, a website is only as secure as the hosting provider that it uses. That’s why it’s important to choose a secure website hosting provider when setting up your website. Here are two things to look for in a secure website hosting provider:
1. Industry-Leading Security Measures: A good web hosting provider will have industry-leading security measures in place to protect your website from hackers and other online threats. This includes things like firewalls, DDoS protection, and malware scanning.
2. Regular Backups: In the event that your website is hacked or compromised, regular backups will ensure that you can quickly restore your site to its previous state. A good web hosting provider will perform regular backups of your site automatically.
While checking for secure hosting, you can look up reliable WordPress agencies, one being WebHeroe, a Spanish WordPress agency.
Updated Plugins
The reason why WordPress powers millions of websites and blogs is its user-friendliness and free plugins. Although WordPress is good at adding new features and constantly issues security patches, zero-day vulnerabilities can be a calamity.
Therefore, always keep your plugins up to date because newer versions of plugins often fix security vulnerabilities that older versions had. Outdated plugins can cause compatibility issues with other plugins or with WordPress itself.
Additionally, newer versions of plugins usually have new features and improvements that can make your site run better. So next time you see a plugin update available, don’t ignore it – go ahead and update!
Hiding WordPress Login URL
There are a few reasons webmasters might want to change the default WordPress login URL. By doing so, you can help keep your site more secure from hackers and bots who try to gain access by brute force. Additionally, it can also deter casual users from trying to snoop around areas of your site they shouldn’t be.
If you’re running a membership site or online community, you may also want to change the login URL to something more branded and memorable for your users. By making it easy for them to find and login, you can reduce frustration and increase adoption.
Whatever your reason for wanting to change the WordPress login URL, it’s actually quite easy to do. There are a few different methods you can use, including plugins and editing code directly.
Login Limit Plugin
As a website owner, it’s important to make sure that your site is secure. One way to do this is by using a WordPress login limit plugin. This type of plugin will help to protect your site by limiting the number of failed login attempts.
There are many benefits of using a WordPress login limit plugin. By limiting the number of failed login attempts, you can help to prevent hackers from gaining access to your site. Additionally, this plugin can also help to improve the security of your password.
If you’re looking for a way to improve the security of your website, then we recommend that you consider using a WordPress login limit plugin.
Security Plugins
Using a security plugin is a must. There are many security plugins available for WordPress, but not all of them are created equal. Do some research and find a plugin that suits your needs. (We recommend looking into Wordfence or Sucuri.)
Once you’ve found a plugin, install it and activate it. Follow the instructions on the plugin’s settings page to configure it properly.
Most security plugins will offer features like blocking IP addresses, two-factor authentication, malware scanning, and more. Choose the features that are most important to you and make sure they’re enabled.
Keep your security plugin up to date by installing new versions when they’re released.
Sharing Admin Access
If you’re planning on giving someone else access to your WordPress admin panel, there are a few security precautions you should take first.
For starters, be sure to create a separate user account for the person to whom you’re granting access. That way, if their account is ever compromised, your main admin account will remain safe.
Next, be sure to set strong passwords for both your main admin account and the new user account. Use a combination of letters, numbers, and symbols to make it as difficult as possible for hackers to guess.
Take Away
Malicious actors are continuously coming up with new ways to use a company’s online presence against them, while cyber security specialists are always coming up with new ways to resist them.
This is the never-ending cycle of cybersecurity, and we’re all trapped in its center. Your WordPress site is just like any other website on the internet when it comes to cyber-attacks. However, by following the above-recommended tips and hacks, you can secure your WordPress website from cyber criminals or at least reduce the risk of being attacked.