With WordPress powering so many business websites, security on the platform is paramount. Protecting your WordPress website is crucial for businesses and marketers alike.
The consequences of security breaches—data leaks, reputational damage, and lost revenue—can be devastating. Cyber threats have increased significantly in recent years, putting small businesses particularly at risk. This article outlines best practices for securing your website and addresses today’s most pressing security threats.
The WordPress Security Landscape
Several factors contribute to WordPress’s security challenges. First, the content management system (CMS) boasts over 60,000 plugins. While many are beneficial, plugins are the source of 56% of WordPress vulnerabilities. Second, WordPress’s widespread use—powering 810 million websites globally across diverse industries and sizes—makes it a prime target. These threats can lead to sensitive data leaks, downtime, damaged reputations, decreased SEO performance, and even legal repercussions.
Essential Security Best Practices
Despite the inherent risks, WordPress users can take numerous steps to protect their websites.
User Accounts and Logins
Strong, unique passwords and account protection measures like two-factor authentication (2FA) are fundamental. Avoid generic usernames like “admin,” which are common hacker targets. Disabling the default WordPress admin account prevents hackers from creating a new administrator account and deleting the original one.
WordPress, Plugin, and Theme Updates
Regular software updates are critical for preventing hacks. Themes and plugins are frequent vulnerability points. Ensure your WordPress core, plugins, and themes (both free and paid) are up to date. These updates often include vital security patches and bug fixes. Neglecting updates exposes your site to known vulnerabilities.
Secure Plugin and Theme Selection
Security plugins and themes can automate security tasks like malware scanning, monitoring, action logging, password expiration, and blocking malicious networks. However, exercise caution when choosing them. Avoid free or untrusted plugins and themes from unreliable sources, as they may be poorly coded or introduce vulnerabilities.
Regularly Website Backups
Backups are invaluable in case of a hack or data loss. Implement automatic, regularly scheduled backups stored separately from your website’s server. Many managed WordPress hosting providers offer one-click restoration. If you manage your own backups, several cloud services and plugins are available.
Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A WAF prevents malicious traffic from reaching your site. Two primary methods exist: DNS-level firewalls, which route traffic through cloud proxy servers, and application-level firewalls, which inspect traffic after it reaches your server but before WordPress scripts load.
Limit Login Attempts and Monitor Website Activity
Limiting login attempts within a specific timeframe thwarts brute-force attacks. Some hosting services and firewalls offer this feature, but plugins like Limit Login Attempts can also provide this protection.
Secure Your Website Files and Folders
Proper file permissions are essential for WordPress security, particularly for B2B businesses. Restricting access to sensitive areas and setting appropriate permissions for directories and files on the server minimize unauthorized access and prevent breaches.
Proactive Security Monitoring and Alerts
Implement a system to automatically monitor your WordPress core, plugins, and themes for known security vulnerabilities.
SSL Certificate (HTTPS)
An SSL certificate encrypts the connection between a user’s browser and your website, protecting data in transit. This is crucial for security and a search engine ranking factor. Ensure you have a valid and up-to-date certificate.
Additional Security Tips
- Disable XML-RPC: While XML-RPC enables remote connections, hackers often exploit it for brute-force attacks.
- Hide Your WordPress Version: Hiding the default WordPress version number makes it harder for hackers to target known vulnerabilities.
- Disable File Editing in the Dashboard: Disabling the built-in code editor in the WordPress dashboard prevents unauthorized code modifications.
Interested in a Website Security Audit?
Maintaining WordPress website security is an ongoing process. While vigilance and best practices are essential, managing all these elements can be time-consuming and complex.
Simpler Strategies offers website care plans designed to take the burden of security management off your shoulders. Our plans include regular security checks, updates, backups, and proactive monitoring, ensuring your site remains protected without requiring constant attention from you.
Contact Simpler Strategies today to learn how our website care plans can provide peace of mind and allow you to focus on what matters most – growing your business.
