The COVID-19 pandemic has already stretched the health care systems across the globe. It is making a tremendous financial stress for business as well. During tough times like these, we tend to see cyber criminals taking advantage and make money out of someone’s misery.

As a leading web development company in the USA, we noticed that these hackers are using this opportunity to take health care systems and critical infrastructure organizations as hostages, making the global crisis worsen further.

Hacking and Ransomware attacks during COVID-19 situation

Proof point, a California based cyber Security firm, tracked 75 million coronavirus-themed malicious messages and phishing emails in one of the weeks in April.

• An American Biotechnology firm, 10X Genomics, faced a ransomware attack and data theft issue recently.
• In another such incident, the Czech Republic’s largest hospitals had to switch off IT systems and shift acute patients to another facility due to cyber attacks.
• Even though the US State Department has threatened consequences against such attacks, this opportunistic act of hackers and ransomware has become a worrying global trend.

As a result of this pandemic, companies are jumping to digital platforms and rushing to remote working. Such an unplanned approach has raised the hacking risks for many business websites.

WordPress that powers 35 percent of all websites on the Internet, along with the add-on plugins and themes,which are open-source -hackers mostly target it. Securing your Wordpress website

(whether it is a personal portfolio, a business website, or an online store,) has to be your topmost priority.

We often noticed that when it comes to website security, there are two kinds of users. One of those who take the threat seriously and opt for precautionary measures and others who think their website is not vital enough to be hacked. To get an idea of the severity of the website hacking issue, check the Internet Live Stats page. You will be amazed to see the number of hacks reported per day in real-time.

Still, we believe that WordPress websites are more secure than other platforms. But you need to focus on your WordPress website security and keep things up to date to avoid hacking issues.You can also get in touch with a WordPress development company in the USA to help you with your WordPress website maintenance. Here are some tips to secure your WordPress website:

#1.Choose only reputed hosting services: Not every hosting company does well under stress. Most average hosting companies would keep you in the dark about their server security features and procedures. So, opt for reputed hosting providers that offer real-time insights and ensure optimum security for your website.

#2.Protect the wp-config.php file:  The wp-config.php file holds crucial information about your site’s root directory. Protecting it means making it difficult for hackers to breach the security of your website.

#3.Select ‘Disallow File Edit’ option: With “Admin” access, a user can modify files in your WordPress dashboard. With the ‘Disallow File Edit’ option, no one will be able to modify files without permission. Even a hacker with “Admin” access will not be able to do it.

#4.Opt for Anti-Malware Security and Brute-Force Firewall: It is a smart WordPress defense. It provides necessary login protection, malware scanning, and also scans for WordPress-unique vulnerabilities.

#5.Use All in One WP Security and Firewall to block hotlinking: Hotlinking is like someone taking your photo and stealing your bandwidth to show it on their website. By using this security plugin, you can prevent hotlinking.

#6.Set directory permissions cautiously: In case you are working on a shared hosting environment, changing the file and directory permissions can secure your website. An ideal setting for directory permission should be “755” and for files “644”, that can secure the whole file system like directories, subdirectories as well as individual files.

#7.Use two face authentication or Google Authenticator plugin for WordPress Security: By using two face authentication like a regular password followed by a secret question or code, you can secure your website better. You can also opt for Google Authenticator app/plugin to your website, which generates secret code on your phone to login. So, even if hackers hack the password, they cannot get in your site without the code.

#8.Maintain your WordPress Website:

The most crucial factor that most users miss out on is the maintenance. Your job is not done once the site is live; the job starts after the site is live. You need to continually monitor the website code, plugins, theme, widgets, and any other add-ons. You need to keep everything updated and secured with the latest patches and upgrades. The hackers only need a backdoor to your site, and any outdated element can give them that backdoor to your website. You need to consider hiring the right web development company in the USA, who can help you with regular website maintenance.

Conclusion

WordPress is a popular CMS that makes website development easy, but it is a significant target for hackers too. In this pandemic, website security has become more critical than ever. Imagine, someone visits your site and finds it hacked. They can simply take a screenshot of your hacked site and post it on the news online. Once Google detects that your website is hacked, they can not only blacklist your site but can also suspend your account.

In this financially critical market, if your site goes offline, it can be devastating for your business. So, you must opt for the best website security protocols. Want to learn more about WordPress security and how to maintain your website? We are a leading website design and development company in the USA ,and our WordPress security experts are available at +1(866)-85-PRIMO for more information.

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