If the security of your WordPress site is called into question, it is time to jump into action before it is too late.
There is a genuine wealth of free scanning tools and scripts out there that can be used en masse to identify and exploit vulnerable sections of WordPress sites. What makes WordPress so vulnerable is that it uses a large number of open-source plugins, and these plugins often contain malicious code and scripts, giving hackers a platform to infiltrate the platform and carry out nefarious activities. If administrators use outdated core plugins, themes or other software for WordPress, they may have security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit.
To make things worse, one of the main reasons why WordPress sites are hacked is that victims simply aren’t informed when strange things start happening. When victims find out, it is too late.
- Many plugins and updates are available for older versions with security vulnerabilities, and updates can help you avoid this.
It is important to perform a regular WordPress security check and log all plugins installed on your site so that you can track changes to your site in real time, not to mention realizing if any plugins are out of date.
To help you find backdoors or malicious code that has been installed on your site without your permission, install and enable the a WordPress security plugin to scan your site.
- Once you have identified a hack, one of the first steps is to lock things so that you can minimize additional changes.
You can do this by forcing a global password reset for all users and administrators. From there, use a security plugin to find open backdoors.
- Using a high-quality security plugin can prevent your WordPress site from being hacked.
The installation of Wordfence, as an example, is an excellent free security plugin that appears in the left menu of your WordPress dashboard. Easy to use, easy to access. You can click at any time to scan your site and view the latest notifications and recommendations to improve website security.
- If you use outdated plugins, themes or other applications, you expose yourself to vulnerabilities.
Hackers often use these exploits, which makes it a common reason why WordPress websites are hacked. This means that if you have not updated your plugins on your WordPress site, there is a good chance that your site could be hacked by a person to obtain sensitive and confidential customer information.
- If you cannot restore a backup of your backed up WordPress plugins and theme files, replace them.
Replace the most important WordPress files to ensure that they are not left in a hacked state. You can also restore a so-called “clean backup” of your WordPress database by re-uploading the files via FTP or SFTP to ensure that every bit of clean, malicious code has been wiped.
- Make sure you delete the entire directory of wp-content / plugins, during cleanups not just individual files.
If for any reason you reinstall a plugin file, WordPress recognizes that you have deleted a plugin and disables it. If you delete the WP content / plugins directory, you will not lose any data or break your website, but, you’ll clear out the backlog of information that can be part of the valuable crumb trail for hackers.
- Add two-factor authentication to your site to make it harder for hackers to create accounts.
Some security plugins allow you to force users to use a secure password, why not put this into place? An extra layer of security for both you and your customers or clients.
- If you use many plugins, be aware of zero-day vulnerabilities.
These are vulnerabilities that developers and vendors know about, but do not fix. Website hacking can take months or years, but is inevitable if you do not update your themes, plugins and CMS regularly.
As you can see, there are a lot of simple things you can do to protect your website from hackers’ attacks. This includes basic procedures such as the use of SSL certificates, strong passwords and two-stage authentication. A strict password policy is an effective way to keep your website secure, as well as teaching your visitors to use secure passwords. Keep your site locked down! Keep your information safe!