Top Tips To Secure WordPress Site From Attack

WordPress Sites count to be a soft target for attacks owing to plugin vulnerabilities, poor passwords, not so upgraded software versions and so on. To lessen the risks of such security threats, businesses need to hire WordPress developers who take care of managing every single aspect, thereby delivering sites with a reliable and secure connection and excellent hosting environment to prevent future risks.

Although it’s a tedious task to ensure 100% security; however, there are some simple steps that should be taken care of when securing WordPress sites from attack. Listed below is a quick checklist for staying safe. Let’s give a quick look

Installation of Updated WordPress Themes and Plugins

While installing any kind of WordPress Theme or Plugin, you need to be extra cautious. There might be some of them available in the market known for being insecure, easily hacked, distended or timeworn. WordPress features about 40,000 free plugins; all of which might or might not be secure enough. Therefore, when installing plugins, here are a few points you should consider-

  • Go for plugins which have been developed by authentic and reliable developers
  • When using premium plugin, go through the history to see if the past vulnerabilities were dealt easily
  • For free plugins, you should assess their total number of downloads, increased ratings and that it welcomes regular updates

Using a Reputable Hosting Service

Opting for the wrong web host makes your site much more exposed to getting hacked. There are several web hosting providers who run their system on software which are poorly maintained and opened for fraudulency. They might also be running some bad security practices as lack of access controls or saves passwords in a non-hashed format.

When looking forward to selecting the right hosting provider, consider-

Go for the firm which has a proven track record of providing reliable WordPress security. The company should be backed up with a 24-hour monitoring system, account isolation, protocols separating server from unauthorized access so as to secure your valuable data from any kind of security breaches.

GoDaddy Managed WordPress is a great option you should invest in. A managed WordPress host counts a better choice if you can afford to use it.

Getting an SSL Certificate

Secure Sockets Layer creates an encrypted link between a web server and a browser. These certifications help both the buyers and sellers develop a trust bridge so as to protect sensitive information from being stolen by the third parties. Having SSL certification for your websites permits information regarding transfer of data, social security numbers, card details and login credentials to be transmitted securely.

Enabling 2-Factor

As access to sensitive data grows continuously, stronger authentication methods like 2-factor authentication have been used to combat increasing fraud attacks. In order to secure your logins, 2FA comes up with an out of band authentication process which improves security. With 2-Factor Authentication, the login sequence not only requires a password but also passcode which is sent directly to user’s device. Including these two separate login authentication creates a level of security that ensures your data is safe.

Try WordPress Security Plugins

To further augment site security and minimize the risks of data being stolen, use of WordPress security plugins is a must have. There is a variety of plugins designed to keep WordPress installation safe from the attacks. While choosing the best security plugin for your website, you should identify the vulnerable areas and defensive barriers for your website. The most popular WordPress security plugins in use are- Wordfence, Better WP Security, BulletProof Security, All in One WP Security, and Firewall.

Backing Up Your Important Data

Creating an alternate substitute to all your website files and databases is equally important. You need to maintain periodic backups to restore every sensitive information in case of terrible data and phishing attempts. Try opting for some backup plugins to keep your data secured in the best ways. When selecting a provider, ensure that it is trusted, well-secured, simple and intuitive with its capabilities and features.

The major functionalities you need to look upon include an encrypting database, automatic pre-update backups, fully supported web stores, and so on. The best Backup plugin worth exploring is UpdraftPlus WordPress Backup.

Using SFTP instead of FTP to access the server

FTP or (File Transfer Protocol) is one of the secure ways of transferring data between two systems. While opening an unencrypted FTP connection, the entire transmission between user and host can be searched or explored by one who sees the network packets. But, an SFTP server encodes the entire login session, thereby making it troublesome for a stranger to easily view and assemble passwords.

Closing Notes!

So this is all we have for now, 7 easy tips that will definitely help in securing your WordPress site. Being aware of the risks and still not taking the right measures is going to leave you as a no-brainer. In order to survive in the competitive era of online business and maintaining the online presence is incredibly important. So, this is how you can practice a healthy cyber security by keeping the above points in mind.