You have gone to great lengths to perfect your WordPress blog in terms of content quality, aesthetics and SEO. There is no sense letting all of your hard work go to waste by overlooking security flaws that have the potential to upend your blog. Take the little bit of time necessary to secure your WordPress blog and you will rest easy knowing you have done everything necessary to ensure your blogging effort is not in vain. Here’s how to do it.
1. Add a WordPress Security Plugin
WordPress security plugins are available to safeguard your blog. Add a security plugin and you won’t lose sleep at night worrying about your site’s security. The plugin scans the blog for malware while simultaneously providing 24/7 monitoring to gauge activity on your site.
As an example, Sucuri.net is one of the more popular security plugins for WordPress, providing ongoing monitoring of file integrity, auditing of activity, scanning for malware, blacklist monitoring and more. If any potential security flaws are identified, you will be provided with a prompt notification.
2. Be Careful When Selecting the Hosting Company
No two hosting sites are equal, especially in regard to security. Opt for a hosting provider with several layers of security and you won’t have to worry about whether your site proves secure. Resist the temptation to go with a low-cost hosting provider and the road ahead will prove that much easier and more secure.
If you are still on the fence as to whether a top-notch hosting company is worth the money, simply search for the horror stories of bloggers who relied on cheap hosting providers and you will learn from their experiences. Cheap hosting providers have the potential to cause data to be fully erased or even redirect URLs to other parts of the web. Opt for an elite hosting company and you will benefit from several additional security layers. The best hosting companies provide malware scans on a daily basis and ‘round the clock access to customer support.
3. Mind Your Password
Passwords are a vital component of blog security. However, bloggers often overlook their password assuming a short and simple string of letters and numbers will suffice. Your password should be a minimum of eight characters including numbers, letters and special characters. Some of the letters should be upper case to make the password that much harder to crack. Keep in mind, advanced hackers rely on computer programs to enter a series of passwords in a rapid fashion in an attempt to gain access to the site.
Resist the temptation to use real words found in the dictionary. Your password should be a series of numbers, letters and special characters that make no sense at all, ultimately making it that much more challenging for the hacker to access your site.
4. Nulled Themes are a Trap
No-cost WordPress themes are not coded the same way as premium themes. Opt for a premium theme and you will benefit in several ways. Premium themes are coded to have superior aesthetic appeal and enhanced options for customization. Nulled themes, also known as cracked themes are nothing but hacked forms of these premium themes. Nulled themes are inherently dangerous to your blog. Such themes commonly contain concealed code that is malicious to the point that it can destroy your site as well as your database. Some nulled themes will even pilfer your administrator credentials.
5. Turn off File Editing
When establishing the WordPress site, you will see the code editing function in the dashboard. This editor empowers you to edit the theme as well as the plugin. Disable this feature as soon as your blog goes live. If a hacker obtains access to the blog’s administrator panel, he or she will have the opportunity to add malicious code to the plugin and theme. The code might be hidden to the point that you don’t notice any alterations until the damage is already done.
6. Use Two-factor Verification
Though two-factor verification is slightly annoying and takes more time than one-factor, it is well worth the effort. Turn on this extra step for identity verification and it will be that much more difficult for hackers to access your blog. This way, hackers won’t be able to access the page unless they unlock your phone. Even if the hacker knows your password and username, he or she will not be able to wreak havoc on your blog without unlocking your phone to complete the second step of two-factor verification.
7. Automate WordPress Updates and Plugins
If your WordPress plugins are outdated, the door will be open for malicious parties to sabotage your site. Tap into the power of automatic updates and it will be that much easier to keep your blog secure.
Furthermore, it is in your interest to upgrade to the latest WordPress version. Upgrade to the latest plugins and blog design theme as soon as possible and you will have done your part to keep your site safe. The WordPress administrator interface makes it easy to perform such upgrades in an automatic manner with a single click.