Many WordPress website users would complain about security problems with their websites or blogs.
As a web consultant, I also hear from many of my clients that they want to switch from WordPress to other CMS tools; however, I always explain to them that no matter whichever platform we choose, there could always be some chances of security breaches if we don’t take preventive measures.
This is also true for WordPress. If the web developers follow security guidelines, I don’t see any reason for a WordPress website to confront security issues like hacking, malicious code attacks, etc.
In this blog post, I will share a few steps that a WordPress developer can follow to minimize the chances of security breaches.
#1 Use 2-factor authentication
Using 2-factor authentication for the WP login page is a first and excellent security measure. It asks the user to provide login details for two different components. The webmaster can decide what these two components are. It can be a regular password followed by a secret question, a secret code, a set of characters, etc.
The plugins like WP Google Authenticator can make your job easier by integrating a 2-factor authenticator.
#2 Rename your login URL
Hackers know and can attempt to reach your admin page through URLs like wp-login.php or wp-admin/. Since these login page URLs are given by default (upon WordPress installation) and, at the same time, it’s straightforward to guess these links, it’s always a good idea to rename the login URL to something that no hacker or iThemes Security can do this job very well.
#3 Set up website lockdown to ban suspicious users
Another great way to reduce the chances of brutal attacks on your WordPress website is to set up a website lockdown that will stop failed login attempts and ban those users who attempt to log in. Again, iTheme Security can help you to solve the problem.
#4 Protecting the WP-admin directory
Do you know that the WP-admin directory is the backbone of any WordPress website and is prone to brutal attacks by hackers? Therefore, password-protecting this directory would be a good idea so that it’s no longer accessible to hackers, who will always be prompted to ask for the password.
Plugins like AskApache Password Protect can protect your WP-admin directory by automatically generating a .htpasswd file & encrypting the password, and finally configuring the correct security-enhanced file permissions. You don’t need to play around with your .htaccess or .htpasswd files because these plugins do everything for you in just a few clicks.
#5 Using SSL
Implementing SSL (Secure Socket Layer) is another way to protect the WordPress admin area, as we already know how important it is to protect it from hackers.SSL ensures secured data transfer between client browsers and your web server, making it difficult for hackers to breach the connection or scan your information.
Once you get the SSL certificate enabled on your server, you can use plugins like WP Force SLL to redirect all admin URLs of your WordPress website from HTTP to HTTPS.
#6 Change the WordPress database table prefix
When you install WordPress on your server, the prefix provided to your database tables is wp_ by default. Again, every hacker knows about this, making it easier for them to attempt access to your database tables. Using helpful plugins like WP-DBManager, you can rename the prefix of your database tables from wp_ to something tough-to-guess like wpnew10_, which can spoil the whole game of hackers.
#7 Stop allowing editing files from the admin
When you use WordPress for your website design, you can edit all the files from the admin area (Appearance>Editor). These could be any of the themes or plugin files. By disallowing the editing of files from the backend, you ensure that even if a hacker can enter your admin area, he won’t be allowed to change any files. To disallow editing of files, simply use the below script in your wp-config.php file:
[cc]define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true);[/cc]
#8 Update Plugins and Themes
Outdated plugins and themes are vulnerable to attacks and hacks because most hackers rely on the fact that thousands of websites have used several plugins/themes, and they have never been updated.
It becomes easier for hackers to crack outdated plugins and themes. Therefore, it is always recommended that all WordPress developers use only reliable plugins and themes to develop websites for their clients. At the same time, they must advise the clients to update plugins and themes regularly.
Even if website owners don’t have time to update plugins and themes regularly, they must hire a WordPress designer to do this job because it’s worth the money.
#9 Directory permissions
It’s essential to check that every directory of your WordPress website on the server has appropriate permissions, especially directories like WP Content, etc. Set the directory permissions to “755” and files to “644,” which will protect the whole filesystem—directories, subdirectories, and individual files.
You can also use great plugins like WordPress’s Permission Scheme to make this job more manageable.
#10 Use strong passwords for your database
Using a strong password for your WordPress website’s database is essential. Using easy-to-crack passwords for your database can create a lot of security problems. You can use tools like Password Generator to create secured passwords and use them for your WordPress database, admin, and FTP.