Having an online presence in the form of a website is great but is it secured?
WordPress website security is a big concern nowadays.
WordPress is one of the best CMS in the market and every online website builder gets attracted to it.
Nevertheless, hackers see it as an opportunity to steal valuable things from your websites such as information, methods, and even web traffic. As a result, your WordPress blog will be ineffective and might face catastrophic outcomes if it persists.
How to Keep Your Website Secure?
Below are some tips that can help you to make your WordPress website more secure and away from the threat of hacking.
Update to get the current version that’s secure
The latest WordPress version is the most secure and effective version you can get. All software contains bugs and security vulnerabilities. Having the latest version of a product reduces potential issues.
Other things to watch are plugins and themes as they have full access to WordPress. WordPress also conducts a lot of security checks which consists of the best ways to remove any glitches from their older versions.
You have to know that the newer versions do not have any previous anomalies, making way for you to prevent any hackers you have encountered in the past. You just have to make sure that the version of your WordPress site is always updated.
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Disable and remove themes that you’re not using
If you are like the majority of bloggers, you have tried several different themes for your blog. More than likely, you now have a few different unused themes and plugins that are installed.
Each installed theme and plugin is a potential WordPress website security hole.
Keeping unused themes and plugins up-to-date is a waste of time.
Instead, deactivate all plugins and that you don’t need or use. Remove unused themes from the server too.
Eliminate unnecessary installations
Remember that everything you’ve installed lands in standard locations.
A hacker can simply search your site, and take advantage of known holes. It is irrelevant that you are not using the package.
Never download and install codes that aren’t from a trusted source
Just like you shouldn’t click on email attachments coming from people you don’t trust, you shouldn’t install software on your blog from untrusted sources. Only download the codes from the authors’ website.
Since WordPress and most themes and plugins are released as open-source, anyone can modify the code with malicious intent and put up the badware for download to unsuspecting web surfers.
There is a penalty for being an early adopter! Allow other people to work through the holes and security issues before you attempt to use the package.
Watch out for JavaScript includes
Many web analytics services and ad networks require you to add some JavaScript to your blog pages. The authors of that particular JavaScript have almost wholesale permission to do anything with your web page.
You should be unwilling to have JavaScript put on your website by an entity you are not familiar with. You would be more receptive to a legitimate, well-known ad network and web analytic providers such as Google AdSense and Google Analytics.
Ad networks also pose another problem if you don’t have control over who is allowed to advertise on your network. Google applies the guilt by association principle: If you are advertising for a site that has badware on it, your site may be blacklisted too.
Use strong passwords
One of the most important factors to consider to make your site secure is to choose a strong set of passwords. Utilize 10 or more characters in making your passwords. Likewise, make sure to mix letters, numbers, and special characters with your passwords to avoid having the chance to be hacked. You should even avoid using “admin” as a username on your site.
Choose only the best plugins
For your WordPress to flourish, it is a must to install the best plugins. Nevertheless, too many plugins will slow down your website. In addition, plugins that came from third-party providers may be badly coded. You need to know that a badly coded plugin may allow hackers to infiltrate your site. With that being said, choosing only the best plugins must be considered.
Connect to WordPress on a secure Wi-Fi spot
A lot of people think that it is safe to log in to their WordPress sites from everywhere. It is a big NO especially if you want to protect your website. You should connect to WordPress only through a secure network. Unsecured networks such as public Wi-Fi might let everyone explore your username and password.
Hackers today can do practically anything that they want just to infect certain targeted websites. Moreover, if you really want to secure your WordPress site, do not attempt to open it when you are in public. It is the most effective way to help you get rid of threats to your website.
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Regular Backups
Are you willing to risk losing your blog if something happens? You don’t have to do it manually, there are plugins that will back up your database in a timely manner. For instance, WP DB manager.
Protect your wp-admin folder
This folder has some PHP files that are vulnerable. Just like the folders above, you don’t want anyone gaining access to this folder either. Use any security plugin that can set a password to restrict access to this folder.
It will double your WordPress website security and every time you will access your wp-admin folder it will ask you for a password.
Consider changing your login username
By default the username for the administrator is admin. Guess what? Half of your login protection is known by almost everyone. If you are worried that someone might be able to crack your password, then changing the administrator username could stop them.
Create a 2nd username for posting
Set this 2nd user as a contributor, or author only.
Ending Note
The tips mentioned above can greatly optimize your WordPress security. Having a WordPress site free from any attacks will help you go on with your business with peace of mind.
It is a must to establish the best security to help your site be safe at all times. All you have to do is to know the best methods that can help maximize your WordPress website security.