Excellent website security makes your website free from many maintenance issue in the long run.
WordPress powers millions of sites on the Internet with a wide range of themes and plugins to meet your needs. This popularity has a downside, however. Hackers spend significant time and energy looking for ways to break into this script. Keeping your WordPress site secured should be a top priority in your maintenance and administration plan. Common security threats include malicious code injection, compromised user accounts and cross-site scripting. So how do you stay safe?
Secure Your Username and Password
Sometimes the most effective changes are simple. Don’t stick with the default user name “admin” when you go through the installation process. Any hacker worth their salt will give that a try when attempting to break into your site.
Follow best practices for your password as well:
• Use a combination of upper and lowercase letters, symbols and numbers.
• Avoid repeating passwords you use on other websites, as those details may be compromised.
• Change passwords every 30 days.
Change Your Table Prefixes
WordPress uses a MySQL database to store information such as your configuration settings and blog posts. Each table has a prefix appended to it that defaults to “wp_”. You can change this during the installation process or with a plugin designed to alter it post-deployment so any intruders have a more difficult time making their way around your database.
Avoid Unauthorized Plugin and Theme Sources
You see thousands of WordPress plugin and theme websites, but not all of these are legitimate sources. When you download from an unauthorized site, you run the risk of installing malicious code on your server. Go straight to the developer or the WordPress Repository to minimize your risk.
Keep WordPress Updated
Hackers love finding outdated WordPress installation, as they can use old exploits rather than figuring out a way to get around new security measures. Keep your WordPress script, themes and plugins up to date. Less savvy cyber criminals look for easier targets.
Remove Dormant User Accounts
Do you have a lot of user accounts for your WordPress site? When someone no longer needs access to their account, make sure to delete it. You don’t want to take the risk that the person’s email or devices get hacked and allow the intruders access to your website too.
Limit Login Attempts
A brute force attack occurs when someone tries to gain access to your administration backend by trying every potential combination of letters and numbers until one of them works. Derail this security vulnerability by implementing a plugin that locks out access to the login form once they reach a specific attempt number. Legitimate users can try again in a set time frame while hackers move on to a different site.
Move the Login Page
If they can’t find the login page, they can’t go through a list of user names and passwords to get in. Several security-focused plugins allow you to move this page from wp-login.php to a new URL easily. You can also use plugins to rebrand this page, so if your malicious intruders are looking for pages with specific design elements, you go under the radar.
WordPress gives you limitless options for creating a high-quality site with an easy-to-use content management backend. However, you need to prepare yourself for the potential security risks. These tips harden your WordPress installation and make it much harder for a cyber criminal to gain any ground.