WordPress is the most popular CMS (content management system) on the internet. The free and open source platform powers more than a quarter of the world’s websites. The awesome features and benefits of this CMS have made it the first choice of millions of website owners. However, as with any other software that’s accessible via the internet, WordPress can be hacked if you don’t take some simple measures to prevent a hack attack on your site. There are many ways in which hackers can gain access to your site and exploit weaknesses in its structure or code, including creating backdoors, injecting malicious code, exploiting third-party plugins or even uploading infected images. In addition to securing your login page and keeping your site updated with new versions when they come out, there are several simple steps you can take now to prevent a hack attack on your WordPress website:
1. Don’t Use the Same Username and Password for Everything
While you can use the same password for different accounts, you should never use the same username and password for multiple websites. If one of the accounts gets hacked, the attacker could use the information gained to access your other online accounts. If you use different usernames and passwords for each account, even if one account is hacked, the rest of your online assets will remain safe. Make sure that the passwords you use are complex and unique for each website you access. If a website requires you to create a profile, don’t use your real name or other personal information. Instead, use a fictitious name and make up a random combination of letters, numbers, and special characters. This is especially important when you’re creating accounts for social media sites like Facebook or Twitter, where you could potentially be giving away lots of personal information.
2. Update Your WordPress Version Regularly
Always update your WordPress version when a new one is released. Most websites are hacked because they’re running an old version of WordPress with known vulnerabilities. WordPress regularly releases security patches and updates its software to patch up security holes. If you don’t update your website regularly, you could be running a version of WordPress with known security issues. In fact, the most common way that hackers gain access to websites is by exploiting weaknesses in WordPress. You can avoid these issues by updating your WordPress version regularly. You can either do this manually or set up a WordPress maintenance service that will automatically update your WordPress installation for you.
3. Use Strong Passwords
Strong passwords are the cornerstone of any good online security strategy. You can’t expect a single password to protect all your online accounts, though. You should use different passwords for each of your online accounts. If one of your passwords gets hacked or broken, it doesn’t mean that all your other online accounts are compromised. You should also change your passwords regularly. Experts suggest that you change your passwords every three months. This helps keep your accounts secure by changing the risk window for hackers. It also lessens the chance that you’ll forget a password and end up locked out of an account. If possible, use a password manager to store all your passwords in one place. This way, you don’t have to remember all your passwords, and you can quickly log in to all your accounts with a single click.
4. Install a WordPress Security Plugin
Even though WordPress is secure, you should always take additional security precautions. One of the most effective ways to protect your website from hackers is by installing a WordPress security plugin. WordPress security plugins are installed on top of your WordPress installation and provide additional security features, including malware scanning and vulnerability scanning, preventing brute force login attempts, blocking malicious IP addresses and URLs, and scanning and auditing your WordPress code for malicious scripts. Some of the best WordPress security plugins include WordFence, iThemes Security, Sucuri Security, and SiteLock. These plugins come with a wide range of features and settings, so you can customize them to suit the needs of your website.
5. Delete or Regenerate Admin User Accounts Whenever You Change Passwords
If you’re using the same login credentials for your WordPress account and your WordPress administrative account, a hacker could potentially use one account to gain complete control of your website. You can prevent this by deleting your administrative account whenever you change your password. You can also change your administrative account to a newly generated account with a new username, email address, and a strong password. You can do this by going to “Users” from the WordPress dashboard and clicking the “Add New” button. You can also change your WordPress account to a newly generated account by logging out of your WordPress account and logging back in with a new username.
6. Have an Offsite Backup of Your Website and Data
If your site ever gets hacked, you might not be able to recover. If you’re unable to repair your website or restore a clean backup, you might have no choice but to start from scratch with a new domain and new content. To avoid this, make sure you have an offsite backup of your website and data. You can use a WordPress hosting provider to host your site on the cloud. However, they won’t store your backups on the same server as your site. If you use WordPress to power your website, it’s a good idea to host your website on a WordPress hosting provider and store your backups on a remote server or the cloud.
7. Encrypt Website Traffic with SSL Certificate
SSL Certificate is the most important factor that keeps your WordPress website hack free as it encrypts the browser-server communication with its 256-bit strong encryption strength. With an SSL Certificate, website traffic, user’s financial and confidential data including email address, password, credit/debit card data and other sensitive information remains encrypted. Comodo, Sectigo and Certera are the most trusted and highly adopted SSL Certificate Authorities, and the most suggested SSL Certificate to secure your WordPress website is a Domain Validated SSL Certificate (to secure one website) or a Cheap Wildcard SSL certificate (to secure unlimited number sub-domains).
Conclusively: These Are the Things That Will Help You Prevent Hacks on WordPress Websites
Finally, you can prevent hacks on WordPress websites by using a strong WordPress password, updating your WordPress version regularly, and having a solid backup plan in place. These three things will help keep your website secure and help you recover quickly if something ever goes wrong.
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