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WordPress is the most popular CMS worldwide, installed on over 43% of websites. The impressive demand makes it one of the most attacked content management systems and lucrative targets for hackers. Just imagine – there are over 90,000 attacks per minute on WordPress. Many websites are being hacked due to fake plugins. 84% of all security vulnerabilities on the web are the result of XSS attacks. However, many WordPress websites are hacked because of weak passwords. As you can see, your WordPress website can become a victim of multiple security risks. How to keep it safe? This comprehensive WordPress security guide discusses how not to become a victim of scammers and provides advanced WordPress security tips every website owner should follow.
Website security is crucial for safeguarding your business’s revenue and reputation. A compromised WordPress site can lead to unauthorized access, data theft, malware installation, and malicious software distribution to your users.
In March 2016, Google flagged over 50 million website users about potential malware or data theft risks. Additionally, Google blacklists approximately 20,000 websites for malware and around 50,000 for phishing every week.
Businesses with an online presence using WordPress as their platform of choice should prioritize their website security just like they would secure a physical store building. The owner’s responsible for protecting their business website from cyber threats like hacking attempts and data breaches.
Websites can be hacked through various means, and understanding these vulnerabilities is crucial for maintaining online security. Here are some common methods hackers use to compromise websites:
Ensuring the security of WordPress websites is crucial for protecting sensitive data and maintaining user trust. Below, we’ll outline some of the most important and common actions website owners can take to enhance their WordPress security.
WordPress regularly releases software updates to enhance performance and security, safeguarding your site from cyber threats. Updating your WordPress version is a straightforward method to bolster its security. Surprisingly, approximately half of WordPress sites are using outdated versions, rendering them more susceptible.
To verify if you have the latest version of WordPress, simply log in to your admin area and go to WordPress Dashboard → Updates on the left menu panel. If it indicates that your version is not current, we strongly advise updating it promptly.
Updating the WordPress versions is crucial for maintaining website security as it patches known vulnerabilities and strengthens defenses against potential exploits. To update WordPress, log in to your WordPress dashboard, navigate to the Updates section, and click on the “Update Now” button if a new version is available. Alternatively, automatic updates can be enabled for minor releases to ensure timely updates.
Hiding the WordPress version is important to prevent potential attackers from identifying vulnerabilities associated with specific versions. This adds an extra layer of security by obscuring information that could be used in targeted attacks. To hide the WordPress version, you can edit the theme’s functions.php file or use the best WordPress security plugins that offer features to hide or obfuscate the version information.
Here’s how to hide the WordPress version using a theme’s functions.php file:
// Hide WordPress version from scripts and styles
function remove_wp_version_strings($src) {
global $wp_version;
parse_str(parse_url($src, PHP_URL_QUERY), $query);
if (!empty($query['ver']) && $query['ver'] === $wp_version) {
$src = remove_query_arg('ver', $src);
}
return $src;
}
add_filter('script_loader_src', 'remove_wp_version_strings');
add_filter('style_loader_src', 'remove_wp_version_strings');
// Remove generator tag
function remove_wp_version_tag() {
return '';
}
add_filter('the_generator', 'remove_wp_version_tag');
Save the changes.
Suppose you prefer not to modify theme files directly. In that case, you can use a security plugin like “WP Hide & Security Enhancer” or “Hide My WP” to easily hide the WordPress version without coding. These plugins offer user-friendly interfaces where you can toggle various security settings, including hiding the WordPress version.
After implementing one of these methods, the WordPress version will no longer be visible in the page source code or any other publicly accessible area of your website, helping to improve its security posture.
WordPress plugins and themes are intended to extend the functionality and design of WordPress websites. Plugins add new features or modify existing ones, while famous WordPress themes control the website’s visual appearance. While plugins and themes enhance the capabilities of WordPress sites, they also introduce potential security risks if not properly managed.
Plugins and themes play a significant role in website security because they can introduce vulnerabilities if they are outdated, poorly coded, or come from untrustworthy sources. Hackers often target vulnerable plugins and themes to exploit weaknesses, gain unauthorized access to websites, steal data, or inject malicious code.
Consider the following action tips to maintain website security regarding plugins and themes.
Unauthorized versions of original premium themes, known as nulled WordPress themes, are often sold at a reduced price to attract users. However, they typically come with numerous security issues. Nulled theme providers are frequently hackers who have compromised the original premium theme by inserting malicious code such as malware and spam links. Additionally, these themes can serve as backdoors for other vulnerabilities that may jeopardize your WordPress site’s security.
Due to their illegal distribution, users of nulled themes do not receive any support from the developers. Consequently, if your site encounters any issues while using a nulled theme, you must troubleshoot and secure your WordPress site independently.
Selecting a WordPress theme from its official repository or reputable developers is advisable to avoid becoming a target for hackers’ activities associated with nulled themes. Alternatively, consider exploring third-party themes in official marketplaces, or opt for a better and the most reliable option – order custom WordPress development, and rest assured your website is one-of-a-kind and secure.
Utilizing dedicated security plugins for WordPress offers an automated and efficient approach to strengthening your WordPress site’s security. Here’s a brief overview:
Auditing WordPress themes and plugins is crucial for maintaining website security. Themes and plugins can introduce vulnerabilities, and regular audits help identify and address potential security risks. This ensures your website protects against malware injections, data breaches, and unauthorized access.
Regularly auditing WordPress themes and security plugins is recommended, ideally monthly or quarterly. Additionally, perform audits after major WordPress updates or whenever new security vulnerabilities are disclosed.
1. Review Installed Themes and Plugins
2. Research Vulnerabilities and Updates
Check the WordPress.org repository, plugin/theme developer websites, or security advisories for any reported vulnerabilities related to your themes and plugins.
Verify if there are any available updates for the themes and plugins.
3. Conduct Security Scans
4. Implement Fixes and Updates
Removing unused WordPress themes and plugins is essential for reducing your website’s attack surface. Even if unused, themes and plugins can still pose security risks if they are outdated or vulnerable. Removing them minimizes the potential for exploitation and improves overall website security.
Regularly review and remove unused themes and plugins from your WordPress website. Perform this cleanup task quarterly or whenever new themes or plugins are installed or removed.
1. Identify Unused Themes and Plugins
2. Deactivate and Delete Unused Themes and Plugins
Note: Before deleting any theme or plugin, ensure that it is unused and not required for any essential functionality on your website.
While it might sound obvious, paying attention to login credentials is super important as they serve as the first defense against unauthorized access to your WordPress website. According to WordPress.com, weak login credentials are one of the primary reasons for website hacks. Therefore, protecting your login page and using secure WP-admin login credentials are crucial for maintaining website security.
Statistics indicate that approximately 8% of WordPress sites fall victim to hacking due to weak or stolen passwords. This underscores the importance of employing strong, unique passwords for your WP-Admin login. Securing your WP-Admin login credentials is paramount for fortifying the security of your WordPress website.
Here’s why it matters:
In addition to utilizing secure credentials, it is advisable to alter the default WordPress login URL, restrict login attempts as a preventive measure against brute force attacks; enable two-factor authentication; and incorporate captcha on the WordPress login page. Regularly updating WordPress core components, plugins, and themes is also vital in upholding website security.
Employing robust and distinctive passwords for accessing the admin section of WordPress is crucial in preventing unauthorized access and thwarting brute-force attacks. Weak passwords are susceptible targets for hackers and can lead to compromised websites and breaches involving data loss – ultimately causing you to lose control over your online presence.
How To Achieve This:
Pre-login CAPTCHAs or security questions are additional security measures added to the login page to verify the authenticity of users before granting access.
Pre-login CAPTCHAs or security questions help prevent automated bots and malicious scripts from brute-forcing login attempts. Requiring users to complete a CAPTCHA or answer a security question adds an extra layer of protection against unauthorized access.
How to Use It:
Two-factor authentication (2FA) adds an extra layer of security by requiring users to provide two forms of identification before accessing their accounts. Typically, this involves something they know (password) and have (e.g., a mobile device).
Two-factor authentication significantly enhances login security by making it more difficult for unauthorized users to gain access, even if they have obtained the password. It helps mitigate the risks associated with password theft, phishing attacks, and brute-force attempts.
How to Do This:
Login attempt limiting restricts the number of failed login attempts from a single IP address within a specified period.
Limiting login attempts helps prevent brute force attacks by blocking IP addresses that exceed the allowed number of failed login attempts. This reduces the likelihood of unauthorized access to the WordPress admin area.
How to Do This:
Automatic logout functionality terminates user sessions after inactivity to prevent unauthorized access to logged-in accounts.
Automatic logout helps protect against session hijacking and unauthorized access to user accounts when devices are left unattended or shared. It reduces the risk of unauthorized access due to forgotten or unattended sessions.
How to Do This:
Changing the WordPress login page URL involves modifying the default login URL (/wp-admin or /wp-login.php) to a custom URL of your choice.
Changing the login page URL adds an extra layer of obscurity and makes it more difficult for attackers to locate the login page. This helps protect against automated bots and brute force attacks targeting the default login URL.
How to Do This:
The .htaccess file is a configuration file used by web servers, including Apache, to control and manipulate the processing of web requests. It allows users to override default server settings, set up redirects, block access to specific directories, and enhance website security. Below, we’ll outline the most common action users can take with this file to protect their WordPress website.
The .htaccess file allows users to set up rules and directives that affect how the server handles requests, including access control and URL rewriting.
Protecting the .htaccess file is crucial as it contains directives governing website security measures. Unauthorized access or tampering with this file can compromise website security and lead to vulnerabilities such as directory traversal attacks, unauthorized access to sensitive files, or server misconfigurations.
To protect the .htaccess file:
The wp-config.php file is a crucial WordPress configuration file that contains sensitive information such as database credentials, authentication keys, and other configuration settings. It is essential for the functioning of a WordPress site.
Securing the wp-config.php file is critical because compromising this file can lead to unauthorized access to the WordPress database containing sensitive user data. An attacker gaining access to this file could potentially take control of the entire WordPress site, leading to data breaches, defacement, or other malicious activities.
To secure the wp-config.php file:
Blocking IPs for login involves restricting access to the WordPress login page from specific IP addresses or ranges. This can help prevent brute force attacks by blocking repeated login attempts from malicious actors.
Blocking IPs for login is important because it adds a layer of security to the WordPress login page, reducing the risk of unauthorized access and brute force attacks. By blocking malicious IPs, website owners can protect their login pages from automated login attempts and strengthen overall website security.
To block IPs for login:
<Files wp-login.php>
Order Deny,Allow
Deny from <IP_Address>
</Files>
XML-RPC is a feature in WordPress that allows remote publishing, pingbacks, and other functionalities. Limiting XML-RPC access involves restricting or disabling this feature to prevent potential security vulnerabilities.
Limiting XML-RPC access is important because it can help prevent XML-RPC-based attacks, such as brute force attacks and pingback spam. Disabling or limiting XML-RPC access reduces the attack surface and improves overall website security.
To limit XML-RPC access:
# Block WordPress xmlrpc.php requests
<Files xmlrpc.php>
order deny,allow
deny from all
</Files>
Directory browsing allows users to view the contents of directories on a web server if no index file is present. Restricting directory browsing disables this feature to prevent unauthorized access to directory contents.
Restricting directory browsing is important because it prevents users from accessing sensitive files or directories that may contain confidential information or vulnerabilities. It helps protect against information disclosure and strengthens website security.
To restrict directory browsing:
Options -Indexes
Hotlinking, or inline linking, occurs when another website directly links to images or other media files on your website. Preventing hotlinking involves blocking requests from external websites to access your media files directly.
Preventing hotlinking is important because it helps conserve bandwidth, protects against content theft, and prevents unauthorized usage of your website’s resources. By blocking hotlinking, you can ensure that only your website visitors can access your media files.
To prevent hotlinking:
# Prevent hotlinking of images
RewriteEngine on
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^$
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http(s)?://(www\.)?yourwebsite.com [NC]
RewriteCond %{HTTP_REFERER} !^http(s)?://(www\.)?google.com [NC]
RewriteRule \.(jpg|jpeg|png|gif)$ - [NC,F,L]
SQL injection is a type of web security vulnerability that allows attackers to manipulate SQL queries executed by a web application’s database. Attackers can use SQL injection to bypass authentication, retrieve sensitive data, modify database records, or execute arbitrary SQL commands.
Protecting against SQL injection is crucial because it helps prevent unauthorized access to sensitive data and database manipulation. A successful SQL injection attack can lead to data breaches, loss of confidential information, and compromise the integrity of the entire web application.
To protect against SQL injection:
Bad bots are automated programs or scripts that crawl websites for various purposes, including web scraping, content scraping, email harvesting, and launching malicious attacks. Blocking bad bots involves identifying and restricting access to your website from known malicious bot IP addresses or user agents.
Blocking bad bots is important because it helps protect your website from unwanted traffic, resource depletion, and security threats posed by malicious bots. Bad bots can consume bandwidth, slow down your website, skew analytics data, and even launch coordinated attacks such as DDoS attacks or brute force attacks.
To block bad bots:
Blocking includes involves restricting access to sensitive files or directories on your web server that should not be directly accessible from the web. This prevents unauthorized users from directly accessing critical files or executing malicious scripts.
Blocking includes is important because it helps protect sensitive files, configuration files, and scripts from unauthorized access or exploitation. By blocking access to includes, you can prevent attackers from accessing critical files that could compromise website security or expose sensitive information.
To block includes:
Limiting access to the wp-admin directory involves restricting access to the WordPress admin area, where administrative functions and settings are managed. This helps protect sensitive administrative features and prevent unauthorized access to the WordPress backend.
Limiting access to the wp-admin directory is important because it helps prevent unauthorized users, bots, or attackers from accessing administrative functions, modifying website settings, or compromising website security. By restricting access to the wp-admin directory, you can reduce the risk of brute force attacks, unauthorized login attempts, and other security threats targeting the WordPress admin area.
To limit access to the wp-admin directory:
Malware refers to malicious software designed to disrupt, damage, or gain unauthorized access to computer systems or data. Malware can take various forms, including viruses, worms, trojans, ransomware, spyware, and adware.
To detect malware:
If malware is detected:
Monitoring user activity involves tracking and analyzing user interactions, behavior, and access patterns on a website. This includes login attempts, page views, file uploads, form submissions, and other user actions.
Monitoring user activity is useful in various scenarios, including:
To monitor user activity:
An SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) certificate is a digital certificate that encrypts data transmitted between a user’s web browser and a website’s server. It ensures secure communication and protects sensitive information, such as login credentials, personal data, and payment details, from interception or tampering by unauthorized parties.
An SSL certificate is important because it establishes trust, authenticity, and confidentiality between a website and its visitors. It helps secure sensitive data, improve website ranking in search engine results, and build credibility with users by displaying a secure connection indicator (e.g., padlock icon) in the browser address bar.
To obtain and install an SSL certificate:
Regular WordPress backups involve creating copies of your website files, database, and configuration settings to restore in case of data loss, corruption, or website downtime. Backups help protect against accidental deletions, hacking attacks, server failures, and other unforeseen events that could compromise website availability and integrity.
Regular backups are important because they provide a safety net and recovery option in case of website disasters or emergencies. They help minimize downtime, data loss, and business disruption by enabling quick restoration of website functionality and data to a previous state.
To backup WordPress regularly:
File permissions control access rights and privileges for files and directories on a web server. They determine who can read, write, or execute files and directories, and at what level of access.
Managing file permissions is important because it helps prevent unauthorized access, modification, or deletion of sensitive files and directories. Properly configured file permissions ensure that only authorized users or processes can access and manipulate files, reducing the risk of data breaches, security exploits, and malicious activities.
To manage file permissions:
Different web hosting options are available, including shared hosting, virtual private servers (VPS), dedicated servers, cloud hosting, and managed WordPress hosting.
How to choose a secure WordPress hosting and in which cases:
Cyberattacks can take various forms, such as malware injection and DDoS attacks. Hackers often target WordPress websites due to the popularity of the CMS. Therefore, WordPress website owners must be knowledgeable about securing their sites. Securing a WordPress site is an ongoing task as cyberattacks continually evolve. While the risk is always present, implementing security measures for your WordPress site can help reduce these risks.
If you want to launch a secure website, you can rely on our professional team at IT Monks. We prioritize secure and high-quality code and pay attention to all details ensuring comprehensive site protection. Our innovative approach guarantees a fast, secure, and reliable website every step of the way. With our support team in place, you’ll never have to worry about your WordPress website again – we’ll keep it updated and schedule automated offsite backups along with external security scans, among other essential services.
Contact us by filling out a brief form below. We’ll be glad to discuss your project!
WordPress is generally considered a secure platform when properly maintained and updated. However, like any other content management system (CMS), WordPress can be vulnerable to security threats if not managed correctly. It’s essential to follow security best practices, keep WordPress core, themes, and plugins updated, and implement additional security measures to enhance website security.
To check the security of your WordPress website:
While WordPress provides basic security features, such as user authentication and access controls, a dedicated security plugin is highly recommended for enhancing website security. Security plugins offer additional layers of protection, such as firewall protection, malware scanning, brute force attack prevention, and security hardening measures. They help automate security tasks, monitor website security status, and provide alerts and notifications for potential security threats.
The security of a WordPress website depends on various factors, including the implementation of security best practices, regular updates, use of security plugins, hosting environment, and user behavior. A properly maintained and secured WordPress website can be highly secure, but absolute security is not guaranteed. It’s essential to stay vigilant, regularly monitor website security, and proactively mitigate security risks and threats.
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