Semalt Recommendations On How To Improve Your WordPress Security


Hackers are always on the search for websites with pure security. In this article, we will be showing you how Semalt protects your website from falling victim. 

The tips you will find in this article have been used for years, and we will also show you how we can recover your WP site if it ever gets hacked. 

When it comes to an impenetrable site, there is no single or specific word press security that exists. There are several security problems, and they are common for all websites and applications. 

WordPress Security Issues

WordPress security is a topic of concern to almost every SEO expert. This is most likely because WordPress is not only open source but accounts for over 40% of the websites on the web. So whenever there is a problem or vulnerability in the Core or Plugins of WordPress, it is very likely that other websites using those plugins or WordPress become vulnerable as well. 

On the other hand, WordPress and other Plugin programmers have designed a good number of plugins that you can use to fortify the security of your WordPress site. 

When you're done reading this piece, you should have learned how we harden the security of WordPress sites against different vulnerabilities.

Protecting Your Site Against WordPress Vulnerabilities

Here are some of the most common types of WordPress vulnerabilities:
  • Backdoors
  • Brute force login 
  • Pharma Hacks
  • Malicious Redirects 
  • Denial of Service 
  • Cross-site Scripting
These are but a few of the many vulnerabilities WordPress sites face. It is best to protect your website from all sides. Every website is exposed to an unlimited amount of security threats. Attackers can use many techniques to gain access to your website.

With that being said, let us discuss how we can improve the security of your WordPress site. While these methods may not always stop hackers, it goes a long way in making life more difficult for attackers. 

Secure Your Site With HTTPS

The first step we take is to use HTTPS in securing your site. Although the internet is wireless to a large extent, we still need connections for it to work. Because HTTP exchanges data between a browser and a server as plain text, anyone with access to the network can view the "unencrypted" and steal information. 

When your website isn't protected, you put your users at risk by exposing whatever sensitive data they have to hackers. 

HTTPS, on the other hand, encrypts the data within your network, making it difficult for attackers to read the data being transmitted even if they access the network. To add an extra layer of security, we enable HTTPS/2 (this should be hyperlinked to the article on HTTPS/2). Not only will your website be more secure, but it will also enjoy several other benefits. 

Using Strong Passwords

The most common way hackers gain access to a website is by hacking the password (brute force attacks). When the password is weak or easy to guess, a hacker can simply log in to your WordPress profile and gain access to your site. 

You should improve your password and store them safely if you are unable to memorize them. It is also important that you regularly check to see if the password has been pwned. 

Here are some tips on how to design a strong password:
  • Try not to use words that hackers can find in the dictionary. You can misspell words or create new ones to use as your password
  • Use alternating cases at least twice in your password
  • Use symbols 
  • Use random numbers 
  • Your password should have at least twelve characters
These tips will help you create an incredibly strong password. You will often be unable to remember the password, so you can write it down or use password management software. And that leads us to the next point.

Using Password Managers to store your passwords

If you're working from a public computer, you must be extra careful because you don't know who is watching or recording what you type on the computer. To protect your details, you should use a password manager. 

Password managers are designed to remember and safely store all your passwords. Even if your computer is accessed, your Password Manager should still protect your passwords from unauthorized users. Since Password Managers are browser-based, they can be accessed by you; whenever you want. 

Adding Captcha on your Login and Registration

With HTTPS and a strong password, you've made things very difficult for any hacker. But you can make it even more difficult for them when you add CAPTCHA to your login forms. 

CAPTCHA protects your login from brute-force attacks. The primary use of CAPTCHA is to stop bots from gaining access to a page. By adding it to your login, you've made guessing your login details almost impossible for any hacker. 

Sadly, CAPTCHA isn't foolproof. Usually, once a captcha token is solved, its line of defense goes down for a few minutes. Attackers can try to use brute force to log in while it's down. To stop this from happening, you can block failed login attempts by IP address. 

Setup Two-Factor Authentication

In some cases, your attacker can get your login details. Maybe you weren't careful when you last logged in, so your details were recorded. To stop the attacker's login, you need two-factor authentication. 

Using two-factor authentication is like having two keys to a door. They must be used together before any login attempt is successful. So when an attacker has your login details, it will be useless, and you will get a login notification that will alert you. Once you see it, you should change your password. You can also block the IP address that you tried to log in to. 

Keeping your WordPress Core and Plugins Updated

It is common to discover vulnerabilities for WordPress core and Plugins. When these issues are found, they are usually reported and repaired. Once repaired, the programmer releases an updated version of the plugin. 

Using up-to-date plugins and core ensures that you are protected from all previously known vulnerabilities. We wouldn't recommend you switch to automatic updating, however, because it can damage your website without you knowing. 

Instead, we suggest that you regularly update your WordPress Core and add this code: wp-config.php in it. 

Conclusion

When it comes to securing a site, Semalt considers every possibility. It is important that you stress the importance of security to all your employees. Doing this shows them what the company could suffer if such sensitive details got out.  

We also advise that you keep a backup so if your website gets hacked, you can recover it and change the details.