WordPress Website Security 101: What You Need To Know

Is WordPress Secure?

WordPress itself is a secure platform because developers keep it up-to-date and plug any holes that hackers could exploit.

Once you install it onto your web host, things get tricky.

On its own, WordPress doesn’t have any built-in security. Your website host may offer security services, but you need to check what these are.

Shared hosting providers often scan for suspicious activity. They also manage their hardware and software for updates.

The trouble is that you share your server space with other websites. As a result, you will be vulnerable if another website gets hacked.

Managed WordPress hosting services provide security as part of your package. That might include website backups, updates, and monitoring across their network.

Even if your host does offer these, you can and should take an active role in keeping your website secure.

Why Do I Need to Secure My Website?

Website security matters more than you might think. Google can and does blacklist websites that create suspicious activity.

They do this to prevent visitors from reaching websites that may be full of malware. Remember, Google’s primary concern is the user experience.

If that user has a bad experience with a hacked website, they may not trust Google in the future. Instead, they may use different search engines.

Having your website added to the blacklist means it no longer appears in search results. Imagine how much lost business that adds up to over a few weeks.

So, security should be part of your website’s best practices for many reasons.

Has My Website Been Hacked?

Now you know why WordPress security is so important. Was your website hacked? Or did you find this article because you think it may have been – but you’re unsure how to check?

Here are a few of the most obvious ways to see if your website has been hacked:

• You can’t access the site using your login credentials.
• Google will alert you that the site has been hacked.
• Google Search Console shows malware alerts.
• Your host takes your site offline.
• Visitors report seeing strange ads or other unusual activity.

If you haven’t experienced any of these issues, then make securing your website a priority before you do.

How To Secure Your Website

Your first step toward WordPress website security should be making sure your website uses the SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) protocol. You can recognize these websites because they say https (versus http) in the address bar. It makes it harder for hackers to scrape information from your site.

It’s a good start, but you’ll need more protection. There are several parts to a WordPress security strategy. Let’s examine them now.

1. Plugins

Plugins are the quickest way to secure your website. At the time of writing, WordPress offered 55,916 plugins in its directory.

They work as additional pieces of code to extend the functionality of WordPress.

Two types of plugins are essential to your security. The first is a firewall.

Wordfence and Sucuri Scanner are popular firewall choices. There are both free and premium versions of each of these.

The second is a backup solution. Choose one that lets you create backups to cloud storage. Then, if the worst happens, you’ll be able to restore your website from a previous version.

As detailed below, you can create a more robust security profile using other plugins.

2. Keep WordPress Updated

Developers release new versions of WordPress to help keep it secure, among other things. So always ensure you update to the latest version.

Create a routine to update your plugins and themes too. Hackers can exploit weaknesses in their code to access your website.

Wordfence will let you know when any plugins you use need to be updated.

3. Two-Factor Authentication

Adding two-factor authentication creates an extra layer of security to your website. Two-factor authentication means the user must provide a code after entering their username and password.

The code is either emailed to them or generated by an authenticator app. It’s only temporary and expires, often after 60 seconds.

A hacker might try to access the website with brute force. However, they can’t get the code without access to the user’s inbox or authenticator. So they can’t log into the website.

4. Manage Your Users

Not every one that contributes to your website needs administrator privileges. Many contributors can post content as a user.

Listing them can lessen some of the damage a hacker might cause.

A hacker can still access your dashboard if they have a weak password or someone guesses it.

Do a thorough review of everyone who has access to your website. If they don’t need access, revoke it.

Stop using ‘admin’ as a username as part of this user management. Instead, change it to something else because ‘admin’ is the first username hackers will try.

5. Secure Your Login

Your login page is easily accessible out of the box—Add/wp-login.php to the end of the domain address.

A simple way to deter hackers is to hide your login page. You might enter /accessmysite.php or /letmein.php instead.

Various plugins allow you to do this. Choose an unusual or difficult-to-guess alternative for your new login page.

You can also get a plugin to limit login attempts. It will help cut down on brute force attacks because it blocks login attempts after three wrong tries.

Fix Your WordPress Security Issues

Now you know how to fix WordPress website security issues before they happen. Ensure you follow the steps above within the next few days if you haven’t been hacked.

There are more advanced strategies, but these will keep your website safe for now. Not confident in handling your website security? Consider hiring a trusted company to handle your website maintenance.

Get in touch with us today and find out how we can help you with your WordPress security issues, secure your site and get you peace of mind!