WordPress Security: how important is that? And how can you set one up properly?
Corporations, small businesses, non-profit organizations, e-sport players – all of these could use a website. That will bring them more discoverability. Furthermore, a website will let them introduce themselves to their target customers more easily. One can also use websites to sell products and services. Indeed, it is an important asset that most businesses today should have.
Of course, to have a website, you need to build it. That could be a daunting task. Thankfully, WordPress exists.
WordPress web development makes the creation of websites a lot simpler. However, that can still be difficult. Suppose you are a beginner; you can refer to this blog to learn the basics of WordPress web development. After reading that, WordPress front end development should be more manageable.
Because of WordPress’s usefulness, millions of entities utilize it. And that number increases every day. But that prominence comes with bad things: WordPress websites came on the radar of hackers. So, if you are not careful, your website could put your business in a precarious situation.
With that said, you should consider WordPress security something of grave importance. It would be best to pay attention to WordPress security best practices.
So don’t go anywhere else. In this post, we will help familiarize you with those. After reading this, you will be well-equipped with the knowledge that will protect your website from hackers, malware, and other vulnerabilities.
Let us get started!
Choose a Trusted Hosting Company
The WordPress Hosting service has a huge role in keeping your website secure. So, it would be best to select trusted companies.
Admittedly, cheap services are tempting. You can save resources, which you can allocate to other aspects of your business. However, cheap service is oftentimes synonymous with lackluster service. If you choose this route, you may be vulnerable to hacker attacks. In the end, you will spend more money.
It is imperative that you choose a hosting provider that offers high-quality service. Their services may be a little pricey. But we promise you it is worth it.
A good hosting company will continuously monitor its network for suspicious activity. Also, it can prevent large-scale DDOS attacks through the tools it has in place. Furthermore, it keeps its server software, PHP versions, and hardware updated. That prevents hackers from exploiting the discovered security vulnerabilities on the previous versions. Last, it has a WordPress support plan that allows it to protect your data from major accidents.
So indeed, choosing a good hosting service will grant your website extra layers of security.
Install a WordPress Security Plugin
You can regularly check your website’s security for malware. But that would be a time-consuming task. Moreover, unless you are an excellent developer, you may be looking at malware code without realizing it.
So the best approach would be to automate it. WordPress security plugins exist, and you best utilize them. The plugin will scan for malware, so you don’t have to do it manually. Also, it will monitor your website 24/7 to ensure there are no suspicious activities. With these, you can fortify the walls around your website. And thus, you can reduce the risks of being hacked.
Use a Strong Password
This tip should be a no-brainer. Good security measures start with a strong password. But what exactly is a strong password? Here are some tips you need to know.
Passwords like ‘12345’ and ‘abcde’ are miles away from a good password. Hackers can easily guess that. One word followed or preceded by a single number is not ideal either. Most hackers use a dictionary. Through trial and error, they will eventually get into your systems. It would take time, yes, but it is not impossible. More so since they can use programs that can generate combinations.
So, what you need is a password consisting of at least two words plus more than one number and a special character. That is one way to do it. But there is an even better approach.
You can use a password auto-generator. That will give you a nonsensical combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. With a password like that, it is nearly impossible for hackers to access your website. There is one glaring downside to this, however.
Your password is basically a code. So unless you have an astounding memory, it will also be difficult for you to remember it. So, you have to keep it written in a file or a program. Now, hackers have a chance of hacking your device. If they did, they could find out what your WordPress website password is. So it would be best to secure those devices too.
Avoid Nulled or Cracked Themes
In WordPress front-end development, you will need to select a good theme for your website. There are free themes, yes. But, there’s only a limited number of things you can do with them. Besides, they look very “amateur.” Your website reflects your organization. So, you would not want it to leave your potential customers with that impression.
That said, it would be a good idea to use Premium themes. They are professional-looking and highly customizable. “Premium,” however, means you have to spend money.
There’s a workaround for this. You can use nulled or cracked themes. These are premium themes made available for free through illegal means.
Doing that is not advisable, though. And that’s for obvious reasons.
Disable File Editing
On your WordPress admin dashboard, there is a file editor. You can use that to edit your themes and plugins. This seems like a convenient feature, so why should you disable it?
If hackers gain access to your WordPress admin panel, they can use that to inject malicious code on your website. And you may not notice what’s happening until it is too late. Therefore, we highly recommend that you disable it as soon as your website goes live. It is one of the best practices in WordPress security.
Add the code “define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true);” to your wp-config.php file to do this.
Add Limitations to Login Attempts
WordPress grants users unlimited login attempts. But if you leave it like that, it would be like sending an invitation to hackers. It would allow them to perform trial and error; they will not stop until they have cracked the code. And highly-skilled hackers can do that.
To avoid that, you should limit how many times a user can attempt to log in. You can set this with or without a specific plugin.
Keep Your WordPress Version Updated
Above, we mentioned that a good hosting company updates its servers, software, and hardware. That is to prevent hackers from exploiting known vulnerabilities.
For the same reason, you should update your WordPress version. Frequently, on updates, the developers add WordPress security features.
It would also be an incredible idea to keep your themes and plugins up to date as well. That should cover the loopholes hackers could exploit to gain access to your website.
Takeaway
So, back to the question. How important is WordPress security? It is very important – you should take this subject very seriously. Hackers will search every nook and cranny to get into your website. Therefore, it would be best to do everything you can to ensure your website is properly secured.
