When it comes to running your Wordpress website, you want to make sure that you abide by the WordPress security best practices.
Considering the dangers that can come from online threats, it’s imperative that you’re doing so safely and effectively.
Regardless of the kind of site you run, everyone can benefit from following these WordPress security protocols.
CHAPTER ONE
Understanding The Possible Threats
The internet is a big place, and threats can come from anywhere.
An estimated 63% of computers are controlled by hackers (source) and that percent will rise if we don’t stay vigilant.
Why do you need to know this?
It’s important that you recognize all of the potential areas where your WordPress site could be vulnerable.
Online threats can come from anywhere.
This includes the computer you use to update your website. The basic security steps start at you computer.
You should have a firewall and a computer virus scanner to prevent getting hacked.
Another form of threat that are most common are sent via email.
Every day, millions of emails are sent, so it makes sense why hackers and viruses are sent through email. Just like this one…
It looks legit right?
There are 6 well-known types of threats that can take advantage of your WordPress security vulnerabilities:
Viruses and Malware
In many cases, the threat will come from malicious software trying to access your website and possibly your computer. These programs can target sensitive information, or they could simply try to disrupt your site’s systems, causing it to crash.
Ransomware
Ransomeware is fast becoming a favorite scheme among hackers. Threatening your site with an attack unless you pay a fee to keep it safe. The United States is by far the most vulnerable country, with almost two-thirds of victims willing to pay the ransom, which means that it will only get worse over time.
SQL Injection Attacks
SQL injection is a common form of attack. SQL inject can steal user information such as credit card, passwords, etc.
But in most cases, it is used to take over websites. As reported by Acunetix, SQL injection is a high severity vulnerability. 23% of the scans they executed were vulnerable to SQL injection.
Big Brother Is Watching
Recently, we’ve seen situations where governments are using targeted attacks to disrupt systems or retrieve potentially sensitive information. Whether it’s Russia hacking the US election or North Korea trying to access bank software, sometimes the threat can be much more than a hacker in a basement.
Email Scams and Phishing
Sometimes, the call can be coming from inside the house, especially if hackers have access to accounts that are in your contact list.
This way they can gain entry much more easily without having to rely on brute force attacks.
Denial-of-Service Attacks
Attempts to disrupt the network by cutting out service. Networks are invaded with high volumes of connection requests, shutting it down.
Brute Attacks
If you’re not familiar with a brute force attack, it’s when hackers overwhelm your security systems with wave after wave of software. Eventually, the system crashes, and they can access all of your sensitive data.
So What Can You Do About It?
First and foremost, you can understand where your WordPress security vulnerabilities lie and take steps to correct the issue.
In many cases, simply updating your WordPress and taking extra precautions about storing sensitive data can be all you need to make sure that your site is safe.
The other part of being safe on the internet is that if you become vulnerable, you can put others at risk. If your site gets infected, it could spread to your users without their knowledge and become an even bigger problem.
Also, considering that WordPress is an open-source program, if you are hacked, then it could affect the millions of people who rely on the system to run their sites.
In the end, we must all do our part to ensure that we are following WordPress security best practices.
CHAPTER TWO
How Is WordPress Affected by These Threats?
Since WordPress is an open-source platform, that means that anyone can go in and make updates to it. It also means that anyone can create programs and Plugins to work with WordPress. While this level of interactivity can be beneficial for a lot of reasons, the fact is that it also opens it up to a fair amount of risk.
Is WordPress Safe to Use?
At its core, WordPress basic programming is more than secure enough for users to utilize it without worrying about surprises lurking inside the code. The problems begins when you forget to update your WordPress install or when you start to adding plugins and other add-ons. According to research, over 83% of sites that used WordPress were vulnerable to attacks.
In many cases, the threat will come from malicious software trying to access your website and possibly your computer. These programs can target sensitive information, or they could simply try to disrupt your site’s systems, causing it to crash.
Out of the ten most insecure plugins, half of them were commercially available for purchase. That shows how easy it can be to become a victim of online threats.
For most WordPress users, they think that all plugin codes have been tested and retested for security breaches, but many of them aren’t.
In fact.. some security plugin can be vulnerable to attack, which means that you can’t even trust plugins designed to keep you safe. In many instances, site builders believe that they can make simple changes that will offer total protection, or they believe that they are not important enough for hackers to target.
This is a mistake. WordPress protection is needed If you want to follow the best security practices for WordPress. You need to be proactive, not reactive.
Always Do Your Homework
Considering that plugins and other add-on programs are the most significant source of vulnerabilities, you have to take extra precautions to ensure that what you’re using is safe.
I will go over some more details about testing plugins later. The important thing to keep in mind is that you want to plan for the worst and hope for the best. As soon as you let your guard down, your site can be attacked.
CHAPTER THREE
Don’t Make These WordPress Mistakes
Many users, especially first-time users, make some common mistakes. Absent-mindedness or just not knowing what to do will make a website easy to hack. Before I jump into getting your website protected, here are some common mistakes to avoid.
1. Bad Hosting Company
While the onus is ultimately upon you to make your site secure, the fact is that you are only part of the equation.
If you have a bad hosting company that doesn’t offer secure servers, then you could be setting yourself up for failure. 41% of blogs get hacked because of their web host. (I’ll share with you my top hosting companies in chapter 5.)
Be sure to use reputable hosts to get your site online, and check to see if they follow WordPress security best practices.
2. Not Updating Your WordPress Plugins and Installs
How often are you updating your WordPress Install and plugins?
Furthermore, do you have the latest version of WordPress and all of your various plugins?
Go to your WordPress Dashboard and click Updates.
You will see all the updates you need to update.
Updates come out all the time, which means that if you don’t stay on top of them, you could wind up with obsolete WordPress install or plugins, which is a hacker’s dream.
3. Using Weak Password
For many people, their passwords can be their undoing. If you are using the same one for multiple sites, that means that hackers can access each one if they figure it out.
Similarly, if you use simple passwords that are easy to crack, you are leaving the keys in the front door of your house. Not only should you have a strong password (including letters, numbers, and capitalizations), but you should change it often so that it never becomes a problem down the line.
How To Change Your Password In WordPress: Click on users
choose your user account. WordPress will choose a random password for you.
4. Not Removing Inactive Plugins
It’s easy to accumulate plugins and other old data remarkably fast. Unfortunately, as it sits around unused, it can be exploited by hackers to gain access to your site.
Even if the information itself is not “valuable,” it could be hiding a clue that they need to figure out the best way to get into your website.
5. Who Do You Trust?
Never download a plugin from a source that isn’t reputable. WordPress.org popular is a good place to start.
There are several ways to verify the source, including looking at user reviews and number of downloads. But it’s better to keep a sharp eye on all WordPress plugins, especially if they are new or seem too good to be true.
6. Failing to Backup Your Website
Backups are crucial to securing information. Even if your website is hacked, you can recover any files.
The Ransomware attack proved how difficult it can be to recover stolen data and media. I will cover backups in more details in
CHAPTER FOUR
How To Use Plugins to Your Advantage
Plugins are useful tools that will enhance your website, and make it more enjoyable.
Even though I’ve been highlighted the fact that third-party programs such as plugins can be a huge part of the security problem, the reality is that many of them can be incredibly helpful.
Before I give you access to the top security plugins for WordPress, these are steps you need to make sure you are choosing the right plugin.
How to Verify if a Plug-In is Safe
As you have probably noticed, plugin links go to the WordPress page that describes the plugin, rather than the original site itself.
The reason I did that is so that you can pay attention to a few critical points.
1. Number of Active Installs
This shows you how many people are using the plugin. The higher the number, the better the odds of it being more trustworthy, as more people are using it and providing sample data.
Last Updated
You want to avoid plugins that haven’t been changed or amended in the last six months or so. Since hackers are always trying new attacks, it’s imperative that your plugin stays up to date.
Rating
while this is not a perfect way to monitor the validity of a plugin, it can provide valuable insight when you read what other users have to say.
Be sure to read both positive and negative reviews to get a better sense of what to expect.
Support
This metric shows how many problems have been resolved in the last two months.
Now that you can know how to choose the right plugin for your business, below are my picks for the top WordPress security plugins.
Top WordPress Security Plugins
iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)
IThemes Security Plugin This is the number one plugin to keep your site safe, and it comes from the team at iThemes.
It is highly rated and will provide comprehensive security for your site, such as making sure your software is up-to-date and that you are protected from brute force attacks.
