15 Aug WordPress Security Tips to Protect Against Hacking

WordPress is the most popular platform for publishing content alone, and this has made it the target of many cyber attacks. In the world of internet security, no one is safe from attack. Why is WordPress so attractive to hackers? It simply comes down to the numbers. Hackers want to access as many websites as possible, so finding a single security hole in the software that powers so many sites is key to taking many down at once.

Many of the most common attacks are known as “zero day” attacks. It’s given this name because the website owners are given zero days to respond to the attack, so they don’t know about the problem yet. So what can website owners do to protect themselves? Here are security tips to keep your website safe against hacking.

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Choose a Strong Host

Much or your cybersecurity starts at your hosting. While there are many budget hosts available today for WordPress, they might not have the security features you need to keep yourself secure. Learn about how your website host intends to protect your information online, and if there are extra security features already in place.

To learn more about how exactly your host is using your information and how they intend to protect your website data, review their User Agreement. This might be a bit of a bore to get through, but it’s likely to be the most transparent about how they secure data.

Update Your Software

When software is updated, it includes important security patches. You can set WordPress to automatically update, but it’s also worth reviewing the changes with each new update to ensure it contains the latest security features. Your third-party plugins and resources also need to be updated.

When you go without updating, you leave your website vulnerable to known weak areas. These are the holes in security that hackers and bots use to access your data. Finally, review your third-party app and software permissions to ensure they can’t utilize your information without consent.

Backup Systems

Having a backup of your WordPress site is crucial. Anyone who’s ever lost data unexpectedly or encountered an installation problem knows the importance of a recent backup. These can be used if something happens that’s out of your control to restore your website to its latest version. They also provide insight into any weak areas of your website so you can learn more about a problem if you do find yourself facing an attack.

Use backup tools to log changes to your server and your website. Papertrail will automatically parse events for faster log analysis. You can have backups and serve logs downloaded to a cloud-based software or to your local server.

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Password Security

Finally, the last tip is the most obvious, yet also the most underutilized. We all know the importance of choosing a strong password, but how many of us still use the same password across platforms? It’s easy for hackers to guess your password if you’re using something generic or you’ve yet to change from WordPress defaults.

Not only should you choose a password that’s challenging, but you should also introduce a multi-factor authentication system during the login process. This means users will be expected to enter more than the traditional username and password. Added security measures might include an emailed or texted code or a question. This makes it even harder for hackers to log into your website, and it’s just a good habit to get into.

If you’re using wp-admin to log into your website, you can change that to add another level of protection. It’s easy to tell if a website is run by WordPress, and that means people know wp-admin is the gateway to the rest of your website. You can use a security plugin like the iThemes Security plugin to update wp-login or wp-admin to something new.

Protect Your WordPress Website

No matter whether you’re a blogger or a business owner, it’s vital you protect your website from attacks. Cybersecurity is something we all need to be more vigilant about going forward. These tips above will make your website a less tempting target for online attackers so you can feel confident your information is safe.