All sites are vulnerable, and website security is crucial nowadays. As technology continuously innovates every day, hackers also find a way to breach the security applied on websites, as well as obtain other important information from people who are using the web. WordPress is not an exception to this. No matter how much effort and security you put in a website, there will always be a way for random attacks to happen.
When your WordPress site becomes hacked, it can cause serious damage to your reputation and to your business revenue. Hackers can steal every piece of information on your site, such as passwords, and install malicious software and malware that can spread to your customers’ accounts. They will steal your site and use it against you.
Before you start to make a WordPress website, or if you already have one but want to make it more secure, here are some steps that you can do:
1. Keep your device safe
Safety begins in the device you’re using. If your laptop or personal computer becomes compromised, it will be easier for hackers to attack your site. It’s important, therefore, to take good care of it and do the following:
- Don’t open your WordPress site via unsecure connections or public wi-fi connections. Once you load your site, your information might be tracked. Some public wi-fi connections today are used by hackers as a front to steal information from people who connect to it. Be vigilant and make sure that when you’re in a public place, no one can see the screen of your device when you’re logging in.
- Put a firewall in your computer. You can use the one provided by your computer’s operating system, or you can download one on the web. Make sure to download your firewall from a reputable site to ensure safety.
- Install a malware and virus scanner, and scan your PC or laptop regularly.
- Use File Transfer Protocol Secure (FTPS) when accessing your server to keep your connection safe.
2. Pick a high-quality webhost
A high-quality host can impact how reliable your site is, how high it can rank on search engines, how well it performs, and how large it can grow. An excellent host will offer you services that can be tailored to suit your chosen platform.
Other than these benefits, it will also provide a big impact on your WordPress site’s security. Here are the security benefits of picking a solid host:
- Offers a wide variety of targeted security features.
- Updates in the software, tools, and services to fight threats and prevent security breaches.
- You’ll have someone to help you with security-related issues 24/7 if your host is available.
3. Protect the login page
Another step that you have to take is to customize the login page URL and the page’s interaction with visitors to better secure your WordPress site. Sometimes, hackers can forcefully penetrate the login page if you don’t secure it.
As the website owner, you also have a responsibility to heighten the level of security in your login passwords, username, and others to prevent brute force attacks.
Here are some tips:
- Use two-factor authentication. Use a second password in the form of a secret code or question, or use the Google Authenticator App to send the codes to your phone. It will be the only way to enter your WordPress site.
- Rename the URL of your login.
- Ensure that people who have been idle for a certain period of time will be logged out automatically from your site.
- Limit the login attempts to a minimum.
- Change your password regularly. Use a combination of lowercase and uppercase letters, special characters, and numbers so it can be hard to guess.
- Use an email instead of a username when logging in, since the latter is easier to predict than an email address. It’s better to use your personal email instead of the company’s.
- Insert a lockdown feature that blocks or bans users who have many failed login attempts.
4. Secure the site through your database
The site information and data are all stored in the WordPress database, so you have to take care of it as well. Here are some tips on how to secure it:
- Keep an off-site back-up.
- Set strong passwords on the main database.
- Always check and audit website logs everyday.
- Change the database table prefix (wp-) to something unique.
These are some of the basics that you should consider to keep your WordPress website more secure. Just like any digital asset, websites have to be protected, and investing your time and a little amount of money to keep it secure will be worth it in the end.