As many users are probably aware, WordPress is the best blogging platform that can help you make some extra cash on the internet. While it’s impossible to prevent every attack, there are few things users can do to protect their WordPress blogs.
In the past, the goal of internet criminals was simply to put down a website by deactivating it. These hackers however realized that there was no use in taking a website down so they thought of hijacking websites through link injection. They gain access to user’s web files and add lines of code that attach unwanted links to every web page.
WordPress bloggers put in a lot of hard work to set-up and maintain their blog. A blog may be used to generate some extra cash for them. When search engines detect that your website is flooded with unwanted links, they affect your position in the search results. This in turn causes you to lose web traffic and in turn, income.
Here are the five best possible ways that help you secure and protect your WordPress blog from hackers.
1. Always Login from a secure Wi-Fi spot
A lot of people think that they may not face any problem by opening their WordPress accounts from public places. It is a big no especially if you want to secure your site from hackers. You should only login to your WordPress account on a secure Wi-Fi platform. Unsecured public places like cybercafé or library will make your username and password known to everyone. Hackers today are ready to perform anything to take certain targeted websites down. Moreover, if you are really interested in protecting your WordPress site, do not attempt to login from an unsecured Wi-Fi spot.
2. Change the default user name “admin”
On installation, all WordPress users are given the user name “admin.” Most hackers are aware of this, and as a result it is easy for them to target such accounts. The only job that is left to them is to crack your password. To protect your account, this default user name should be changed to something that is secure.
Following are the steps do this:
- Create a new user with a different username
- Assign the admin rights to this username
- Logout and log back in using your new user name
- Delete the default admin account
The next step is to create a strong password with a combination of upper case, lower case, numbers and special characters. Setting a unique password is one of the top ways of securing yourself against Brute Force Strength attacks. And don’t ever disclose your password to anyone. Also make sure you change your password periodically; like every 3-6 months so that you will be able to protect your blog from being trailed by a hacker.
You can also install Login Lockdown WordPress plugin that limits the amount of times that a failed attempt was made and blocks that particular IP address from making further login attempts.
3. Be smart about what you install
The beauty of WordPress is that it is easy for anyone to create a visually appealing website through the implementation of themes and plugins. You should always install plugins that come from trusted sources. It is one of the best ways to secure your WordPress blog and maintain the efficiency of your website. There are hundreds of plugins that will allow access to your entire website that contains important files and contents and with that it will be easy for hackers to steal them from you.
Sometimes you may be inspired by the looks of the free templates and may be tempted to install them, but do it only if you are ready to sacrifice your site’s security for a few bucks. Install only that plug-ins that are designed to protect sensitive information like WP Security Scan, WordPress Exploit Scanner, WordPress File Monitor, Login Lockdown, etc.
Having these plugins in place to monitor report and repair your WordPress blog will let you concentrate on developing content for your blog rather than worrying about protecting it all the time.
4. Always update to the latest version
The best possible way to protect your WordPress blog form common hacking practice is to update your WordPress software to the latest version. WordPress software updates are released once in 100 days. Whenever you’re notified of available new updates, you should do it. These updates are meant to repair bugs and security holes that have been discovered in the software. The update process is very simple. As soon as you are notified to upgrade to the available version, click on the update button and WordPress automatically installs the updates.
5. Take regular backups
The best way to protect your blog against all threats is to back up your blog regularly. Use backup plugins like Backup WordPress that automatically backs up both your database and your files.