There is so much talk going on about the hacking of websites and private customer data, app and website owners are taking extra measures to ensure that their portal is protected from these spooky elements.
Though everybody who has some loop holes in their security system is exposed to the threat of hacking, websites created in open source scripts like WordPress are a bit more vulnerable as the hackers generally know where and how to log in to get access to your admin data.
So, what would you do in such situation? Stop developing websites in WP or switch your website to some other script? Obviously, No! That would be a really absurd way out. Because we all agree on one thing that WordPress is the most user friendly content management platform available for developers and if it is not so safe then it is probably because you have not adopted required measures yet.
We have some tested preventive measures for you to ensure that your WP website is safe:
Table of Contents
Update The WordPress Version:
Well, updating your WordPress to the latest version alone is not going to make you absolutely secured but it can still prove to be really useful and thus should be done as a mandatory first step before you try any other security hacks. You need to understand that the team of WP is working with every update to ensure that its security systems become difficult to be hacked. Just go to the update panel after logging in the admin account of your WordPress to check if there is any latest version available.
Create Backups Frequently:
You must be wondering that you do not update your website that frequently so why is there a need to create backups so often. However, it is recommended that you take a backup of your website code after every week. You can use free plugins like UpdraftPlus and Ready! Backup to ensure that you have recent backed up data all the time in case of hacking. And if you are willing to pay a small amount of $100 then it is recommended for you to go for BackUpBuddy .
Confirm Website Is Not Already Hacked:
Most of the hackers place their files in your system in such a manner that the developers generally don’t even get to know about those files being present in the system. This would mean that the hacker has more control over your website data for a longer period of time without getting caught. So, before you start implementing security measures ensure that you are not already hacked. Otherwise all your efforts will go down the drain.
Update Your Login Credentials:
Developers generally use easy usernames like “admin” or “username” and passwords like “123456” or “p@ssword” for their local database as the functionality needs to be tested repeatedly and these credentials are easy to remember. However, it is important that you change these credentials to a bit complicated ones when the website is moved to a live server so that they cannot be guessed easily. You can use tools like Norton Password Generator to ensure that your password is not easy to guess.
Limit Number Of Login Attempts:
More the number of attempts a person has to guess the username and password of your website’s admin panel, more will be the probability for a professional hacker to make the right guess and hack your data. Thus, the best defense you can use against a hacker is to give him less chances and WP’s plugin Limit Login Attempts will not only limit the login attempts but also blocks the IP for from hours before it can try again.
Change Your Database Tables Prefix:
Every developer knows that the prefix for all the database tables in WordPress is wp_ and the hackers are aware of this fact too. And since they know this, it becomes really easy for them to guess the names of the tables in your installation and thus have access to all the important tables. So, make sure that you are modifying this prefix to something else. To know how you can change the prefix, read the instructions and tutorials by WordPress .
Change The File Permissions:
If you are wondering that how will modifying the file permissions on your website make a difference, then you should go back and think that your hackers are technological experts just like your developers so they would definitely take benefit of the fact that there is a file in your directly which can be updated by anybody and redirect all your traffic to their malevolent website. So, it is best that you have all your folder permissions set on 775, files on 664 and wp-config.php on 660. In fact, move wp-config.php out of the public_html directory to be extra cautious.
Summing It Up:
When we talk about securing a WordPress website, it requires more efforts than just installing a security plugin in order to ensure that you are completed protected against the hacking activities. So, it’s best if you outsource this task to the experts in the industry in order to enjoy the benefits and ensure that you are fully secured. You might not realize it but it is actually about small things that can make a big difference in your security level for your WordPress website and a person who is an expert at WP will know how to change your mediocre security to a superb one.
About the Author:Ashish Sharma is a Key Account Manager having 10+ years in sales & marketing, looking after Marketing Strategies and building new business tie ups at WeDigTech – A hub of skilled mobile app developers in India working on iPhone Apps, Android Apps, Windows Apps. Helping Enterprises & StartUps for Web & Mobile Applications Consulting and Development from domestic to MNCs.
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