WordPress Website Security

WordPress is a safe content management system. However, it can be vulnerable to attacks  just like any CMS. Therefore WordPress website security is an incredibly important issue to consider.

As WordPress is the the most popular CMS ( almost 43% of websites are WordPress) it also means that WordPress websites are a popular target for cyberattacks. , a firewall service named Wordfence firewall blocked a massive 18.5 billion password attack requests on WordPress websites in its WordPress security report.

WordPress is open-source software, meaning that the source code is available for anyone to modify and distribute. Being open-source, WordPress is infinitely customisable and optimisable. There are thousands of themes, plugins, and developers with the skills to modify the backend code themselves. This flexibility is a defining feature of WordPress, and a huge part of what makes it so powerful and widely-used.

The negative to all this flexibility is that an improperly configured or maintained WordPress website is prone to a range of security issues. WordPress offers a lot of power to its web developers and users, and with great power comes great responsibility. Unfortunately this is a responsibility that many website owners are avoiding. Hackers and the unscrupulous know this and target WordPress websites accordingly.

WordPress Website Security is risk reduction

WordPress security…is risk reduction, not risk elimination. Perfect security simply doesn’t exist, especially online.

What you need to ensure is that you employ all the appropriate controls available to you, within reason. This way you can reduce the odds of making yourself a target and subsequently getting hacked.

You can never guarantee complete immunity to online threats, but you can take steps to make them much less likely to occur. In summary, WordPress is secure, but only if its users take security seriously and follow best WordPress practices.

WordPress Security Issues

Can you choose to do nothing about WordPress Website security and if you do are there any implications. If you choose to do nothing to secure your WordPress site there are many implications. The most common types of cyberattacks on WordPress websites are listed below:

Brute-Force Login Attempts

• Brute Force logins are one of the simplest types of attacks.
• A brute-force login occurs when attackers use automation to enter many username-password combinations very quickly, eventually guessing the right credentials.
• Brute-force hacking can access any password-protected information, not just logins.
• This is why you should never have a user name of “admin” and a password that’s “password”

Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

• XSS occurs when an attacker “injects” malicious code into the backend of the target website to extract information and cause havoc on the functionality of the site.
• The malicious code could be introduced in the backend by more complex means, or submitted simply as a response in a user-facing form.

Database Injections

• This happens when an attacker submits a string of harmful code to a website through some user input, like a contact form.
• The website then stores the code on its database.
• Similarly to an XSS attack, the harmful code runs on the website to fetch or compromise confidential information stored in the database.
• This type of attack is also known as a SQL injection

Backdoors

• A backdoor is a file containing code that lets an attacker bypass the standard WordPress login and access your site at any time.
• Attackers tend to place backdoors among other WordPress source files, making them difficult to find by inexperienced users.
• Even when removed, attackers can write variants of this backdoor and continue using them to bypass your login.

WordPress does restrict what file types users can upload to reduce the chance of backdoors, though it’s a problem to be aware of.

Denial-of-Service (DoS) Attacks

• These attacks prevent authorised users from accessing their own website.
• DoS attacks are most frequently carried out by overloading a server with traffic and causing a crash.
• The effects are worsened in the case of a distributed denial-of-service attack (DDoS), a DoS attack conducted by many machines at once.
• These attacks make the headlines when banks or major online retailers are unable to deal with online enquiries

Phishing

• When an attacker contacts a target posing as a legitimate company or service, this is known as phishing.
• Phishing attempts typically prompt the target to give up personal information, download malware, or visit a dangerous website.
• If an attacker accesses your WordPress account, they could even coordinate phishing attacks on your customers while posing as you.

5 Low / No Cost Ways To Secure A WordPress Website

1. Install an SSL certificate.

SSL, also known as Secure Sockets Layer, is a protocol that creates an encrypted link between a web server and a web browser. That means any data exchanged between a visitor and website will be secure.

Having an SSL certificate for your WordPress website is a must — especially if you are running an ecommerce store. The SSL certificate will help protect your customers’ sensitive payment information.

Fortunately, you do not need any technical knowledge to have your website secured with SSL. You can easily get an SSL certificate from a hosting provider, domain registrar, or certificate authority (CA). While the prices vary, you can get an SSL certificate for free. For customers who host their websites with us we provide them for free in our hosting package.

2. Update your site regularly.

Outdated software can put your website at risk for cyber attacks, viruses and other security issues. To help avoid these problems, by keeping your website up-to-date by regularly checking for any updates or setting up auto-updates. These updates usually contain security patches from developers so it’s essential to make them as soon as possible.

Again with our WordPress managed hosting ad secure and protect service which takes care of updates for you.

3. Use STRONG passwords.

Do not use A1B2C3D4E5 or password or passw0rd or Letmein

Using simple passwords like common words, number sequences, your name, or the name of your website is like inviting hackers into your home. These sorts of passwords make it easy to hack into your website.

Using strong passwords is a simple, free way to protect your website. Strong passwords include:

• A combination of alphabetical and numerical characters
• Capital as well as lower case letters
• Special characters

If you have a hard time coming up with a strong password, your browser can suggest one for you. We suggest using a password tool like Roboform. This overcomes the difficulty of remembering passwords, but also creates and remembers complex passwords for you.

4. Ensure your WordPress website is backed up regularly.

Creating routine backups of your website is not a proactive approach to website security — but it is essential in cases of malicious attacks, hardware failure, or natural disasters. Having a backup of your site means that it can be restored in no time. Without a backup, you risk losing all your data, customizations, and settings.

You can create a backup of your website’s core files, media, non-media content, and databases too. Backups will save you the time, money, and effort required in dealing with data loss. You can create backups manually, with a tool, or rely on your hosting provider to do so. Most tools and hosting providers will let you schedule and automate backups.

Our hosting, includes a 30-day rolling backup.

5. Ensure your staff are trained.

Even the top cyber security companies can be fooled by smart hackers, but sometimes the culprit is found among untrained staff members. Your employees might be the best of the best in their field but they can still make innocent mistakes that open the gates for attacks and viruses.

If people within your business have backend access to the website ensure they

1. Have their own unique wp-admin strong password
2. They have received cyber awareness security training