Are you looking for ways to secure your WordPress website?
The topic of WordPress website security is a concerned matter of all the website owners. Also, due to the fact that all sites are vulnerable to being attacked everyone wants to secure their site from all the fraud. We all are in the digital era where online attackers like spammers, hackers, and malicious programs such as malware, viruses are making us scary day by day. With this threat, it is no more shocking if your website gets hacked.
WordPress is one of the most widely used Content Management Systems (CMS) in present times. With this increased use of this platform, reliability and security have become more problematic over time. No matter what types of content your site provides, you are not an exception. According to reports, WordPress websites are vulnerable when it comes to security.
For that reason, it is very much necessary to consider threatening issues and focus on how to secure your WordPress website. There are certain security measures that can be taken into account to prevent a site from being attacked illegally.
Best Tips to Secure Your WordPress website
Let’s discover the tips to secure your WordPress website.
Use Email as your Login
It is recommended to use your email address as your login details. The reason behind this is email addresses are not as easy as names to predict. Also, hackers generally target the usernames. Plus, WordPress Accounts generally works on the objective of rare email addresses and allows you to log in as a legit account user. So, what’s the best factor of this type of login? This type of login lets you use it right after you activate it. Also, it does not ask for any kind of configuration. Therefore, it is highly suggested by experts to make a habit of using your email address as your login rather than your username.
Make sure to update WordPress regularly
With the release of newer versions of WordPress, it is improved and also the security is improved. Several vulnerabilities, as well as bugs, are fixed every time a new version of WordPress is released. Not just that, but if any specific malicious bugs are found then the WordPress core team will make sure to fix them instantly. If necessary, they will force a new safe version right away. You will be at risk if you do not update it regularly.
Updating WordPress is as easy as creating posts or pages on your site. In order to update WordPress, initially go to the admin panel. At the top of the page, you’ll see an announcement every time a new version is out. Click to update and then click on the blue “Update Now” button. It will be done within few seconds. This contributes to secure your WordPress website in a way.
Avoid Using Nulled Themes
Another way to secure your WordPress website is avoidance of nulled themes. In contrast to free WordPress themes, a premium theme makes your website look more competent and gives you more customizable options. Talking about the efficiency of premium themes, they are programmed by professional developers and tested to pass multiple WordPress checks right out of the box. Well, there are no limitations on customizing the theme and also, you will be fully supported if something goes out of the way on your website. It is not limited to that as you will also receive regular theme updates.
However, there are some sites that provide you with cracked or nulled themes. Nulled themes, in simple terms, are a pirated version of a premium theme that is available via illegal means. And, they are very much dangerous to your website as there is a high possibility of containing hidden malicious codes in such themes which could destroy your website and database or log your admin credentials. If you use a nulled theme then your website is automatically prone to be hacked. So, avoidance of nulled themes helps you secure your WordPress website.
Protect your wp-config.php
The most important file in your WordPress website is wp-config.php and hence they are also vulnerable files. This file hosts the very crucial information and data about your complete WordPress installation. Technically, it is the core of your WordPress website. So, protecting this file will help you secure your WordPress website.
If something goes wrong, you will no longer be able to use your blog normally. In order to protect wp-config.php, all you can do is just move it one step above your WordPress root directory. Moving the file one step above will have no effect on your website so it’s totally safe.
Enable security scans
Security scans are performed in search of anything suspicious on your site. Moreover, it is done by specific software or plugins throughout the website. If nothing is found, then it’s totally safe. But if something comes out after the scan, they are eradicated instantly. Those scanners function in the way anti-virus software does. You can use the Jetpack plugin to secure your WordPress website. It is simple and affordable at the same time. Apart from the backup feature, the plugin also serves as a daily scanner.
Use a Strong Password
Passwords play an important role in the security of any website. Unfortunately, they are overlooked by many website owners. The plain and very simple passwords such as “123456”, “abcdef”, “123abc”, “password”, and so on are very easy to guess. So, if you have been using such passwords, you should change them right away as they are prone to be hacked without a second thought. An advanced user can easily crack your password and get in without much hassle. It is recommended to use complex passwords that can be the combination of numbers, alphabets, and special characters such as @, #, $, etc.
Using a strong password is one of the best ways to secure your WordPress website.
Back up your Website
Does not matter how secure your website is if backing up isn’t your priority. Neglecting the task of backing up your website can lead you to pay a huge amount. Backing up your site is about creating a copy of all the data on your site and storing them somewhere safe. That way, you can restore the site from that backup copy in case anything bad happens. You can also make use of plugins to back up your site. Hence, backing up your website plays an important role to secure your WordPress website.
Restrict Login Attempts
WordPress, one of the most popular content management systems, by default, allows users to try to log in as many times as they want. This may be helpful when you frequently forget what letters are capital and what are small, or which special characters are used, but it also opens you to brute force attacks. Therefore, by restricting the number of login attempts, users can try a limited number of times until they are temporarily blocked. This also limits your chance of a brute force attempt as the hacker gets locked out before they can finish their attack.
Hence, in order to secure your WordPress website, restricting the number of login attempts can help.
Have the right server connection
Connecting the server in a proper way is your main and the first responsibility. If the connection is correct, you can be assured of the secure accomplishment of the file transferring process. It is very essential to connect the server with SFTH or SSH while setting up your website. It contributes to encrypt your admin date as well. In order words, SSL makes the data transfer between the user browser and the server secure. Having the right server connection can help you secure your WordPress website.
As most of the websites on the web are powered by WordPress, it is important to maintain the security of all those WordPress websites. Not just in WordPress, but in every website, security must be the first priority among other several factors. If you fail to maintain your WordPress security, hackers can easily attack your site.
You can follow the aforementioned tips on a periodic basis to secure your WordPress website to the utmost extent from hackers.