Do you have a WordPress blog? Want to know how to make it secure? We will show you how to avoid the security threats that WordPress blogs are vulnerable to.
No one wants to open their eyes in the morning and find their website hacked in the middle of the night. As an eCommerce entrepreneur in today's internet climate, security breaches in your site are common, so it is vital to stay prepared by knowing some strategies for dealing with WordPress security issues before they become a major inconvenience.
Many advanced security techniques can be employed to help secure your WordPress website. So let’s jump right in and take a look at a few that you might find useful.
Use SFTP
First, you must ensure that when connecting to your database server, you do this using SFTP (Secure File Transfer Protocol), which uses encryption to secure your login credentials and the data itself as it travels between your computer and storage server.
Prevent brute-force attack
A brute-force attack is when an attacker systematically submits different usernames and passwords to try and gain access to a website. These kinds of attacks are not specific to WordPress. Every web app is open to brute force attacks, but there are ways you can protect against them! A password’s length is critical concerning securing your account from these types of attacks. Make sure your password isn’t easily guessed by someone maliciously, either by being too common or too simple. One way to make sure your WordPress site stays secure is with Two-Step Authentication, which means if someone wants access they also have to use a verification code that must be sent through another communication channel like your phone or email before they can gain access to your website's administrator panel.
Limit the number of log-in attempts
To protect your WordPress site against brute force attacks, use a plugin like Limit Login Attempts Reloaded, boasting over 1 million downloads. Limit Login Attempts Reloaded places an automated lock on your WordPress site if it receives too many requests in a short period. It also includes options to allow users to request to have their account unlocked after being locked out by submitting an email address and waiting for admin approval. Another option is to change the location of where your wp-admin login page exists, so it's not so easy for bots that carry out brute force attacks to identify what your login page is. Use WPS Hide Login to do this.
Before installing new plugins, it’s always best to make a backup of your site simply out of caution and to avoid any unnecessary risks. Although most popular plugins don’t overwork your site, there is always at least some chance for incompatibility. A backup gives you peace of mind that any damage done by an errant plugin can get reversed quickly and efficiently without too much effort.
HTTP Authentication
You can encrypt it with HTTP authentication to protect your admin panel and keep bots and unwanted users from gaining access. This process will require a username and password to access the admin panel rather than the standard login screen. Use any free .htpasswd file generator. Enter the username and password you want to use, then choose an encryption technique from the dropdown box and click 'Generate Password.' This should be copied and pasted into a new text file. Simply save this file as '.htpasswd'.
Next, connect to your server and navigate to the WordPress wp-admin folder. Click this and create a new folder called 'htpasswd' in wp-admin. Then, in this folder, place your .htpasswd file that you generated before. You must only transmit files in 'ASCII' mode, not 'BINARY' mode.
You'll need to replace your username with the username you specified for the. htpasswd file and the AuthUserFile location with the complete directory URL of your .htpasswd file. Save this file as. htaccess and upload it to your server's wp-admin folder, and that's all there is to it.
Lock Script Files
On your WordPress site, a few script files were installed, but they aren't really meant to be used. They can allow hackers to potentially get access to your site because of this. Locked-down these files can help you by making sure these changes cannot be accessed anymore.
Disable Code Execution
WordPress has a handy feature where developers can edit PHP files from within the dashboard. Hackers have used this to their advantage and have found a way to get into your site via the Dashboard’s editor. Most web developers prefer using a text editor such as Sublime when updating code within the WordPress Dashboard. Doing so prevents code from being executed in an admin plugin because it’s considered a security risk in coding standards.
Use Firewall
A firewall is a great approach to keep an attacker from gaining access to your WordPress site.
Conclusion
WordPress security is a very hot topic these days. WordPress hacking has become a widespread epidemic, and if you are running the platform yourself, you will likely face at least one occasion where someone tries to break into your site. If any of this seems like it might be too difficult for you, then consider using managed services providers. They will shield you from most of the hassle that comes with setting up and managing your install, so that leaves more time for you to concentrate on other areas of your business.
