WordPress is one of the most popular choices as a website builder for users. Almost 35% of entire websites worldwide are on the WordPress platform. These statistics are incredible, but WordPress is also one of the platforms which are most venerable to cyber-attacks.
Since cybercrime is on the rise, it is necessary to protect our website data before it is too late. Unfortunately, most website owners still don’t acknowledge the importance of website security, so they bypass all the security measurements that are necessary.
In most cases, people get concerned about security after they’ve experienced cyber-attack. However, at that point, it might be too late to do something. Brute force attacks are one of the most common ways WordPress websites are hacked just because of the available login credentials.
There are different ways you can protect your WordPress website without too much effort, and we are going to find out more about each and every one of them.
1. Keep your software updated
WordPress has an extensive team working together in order to prevent such unnecessary things from happening. That is why we see constant updates on the WordPress database. In order to avoid such things, you need to keep your WordPress updated all the time. If you fail to update your software, hackers can easily find a breach into the software which will grant them access to your website.
2. Use only strong passwords
As we mentioned earlier, one of the biggest reasons WordPress websites are hacked is due to brute force attacks. Brute force attacks occur on the login page, where the hacker tries different combinations until they get in. You will be surprised by how many websites are hacked this way. But that is not strange since most of the webmasters have simple passwords like “12345678”.
This is why you need to enforce a strong password policy and not worry about brute force attacks evermore.
3. SSL Certificate
Nowadays, an SSL certificate is essential for website success. You cannot expect to build a successful website without owning an SSL encryption. SSL encryption allows sensitive information such as login credentials, social security numbers, credit cards and etc. to be transmitted securely. In other words, all of the files are encrypted so nobody can translate them into information. SSL certificate will also improve your website rankings on search engine platforms.
4. Use Secured Host
Your host is your second first and last layer of security. This means that if you have a weak hosting provider without security features, hackers can grant access to your server and abuse all the information you have. In order to prevent such things, you should always choose a well-known hosting provider that offers different layers of security for your files. Most of them will run daily malware scans, back up, virus protection, IP’s blocking and etc. This is necessary in order to stay protected all the time.
5. Keep your website clean
Most of the people who don’t care about organizing their website files end up getting hacked. Usually, hackers place code on their website, which they fail to notice and later on, they are a victim of a cyber-crime.
In order to avoid such things, you should always keep your interface clean and all your plugins updated. Besides being safer, the website will run faster than a horse in the Kentucky Derby race.
6. Use security plugin
Using a security plugin is a great way to enforce more layers of security. Plugins like WordFence are very good at keeping bad guys away from your website. They have specific functions where they can sense when your site is being attacked by unknown users and suspend that operation. It is essential for keeping your WordPress website safe.
These are some of the ways you can improve your WordPress security. Even though things might seem quiet for now, you should add some extra levels of security just to avoid being hacked when it is too late to prevent the action.