Many website owners complain about WordPress security. The thought is that an open source script is vulnerable to all sorts of attacks. Is that a fact? And if so, how do you secure your WordPress website?
The lack of built-in WordPress security is a myth. In fact, sometimes it’s the other way around – WordPress websites are secure but we just have to learn some simple tricks
After implementing these tactics and following up with continual WordPress security checks, you’ll be well on your way to secure your WordPress website for good.
1.Secure your WordPress website by protecting the login page and preventing brute force attacks
Everyone knows the standard WordPress login page URL. The backend of the website is accessed from there, and that is the reason why people try to brute force their way in. Just add /wp-login.php or /wp-admin/ at the end of your domain name and there you go.
Here are some suggestions for securing your WordPress website
1. Set up a website lockdown feature and ban users
A lockdown feature for failed login attempts can solve the huge problem of continuous brute force attempts. Whenever there is a hacking attempt with repetitive wrong passwords, the site gets locked, and you get notified of this unauthorized activity.
2. Use two-factor authentication for WordPress security
Introducing a two-factor authentication (2FA) module on the login page is another good security measure. In this case, the user provides login details for two different components. The website owner decides what those two are. It can be a regular password followed by a secret question, a secret code, a set of characters, or more popular, the Google Authenticator app, which sends a secret code to your phone. This way, only the person with your phone (you) can log in to your site.
3. Use your email to login
By default, you have to input your username to log into WordPress. Using an email ID instead of a username is a more secure approach. The reasons are quite obvious. Usernames are easy to predict, while email IDs are not. Also, any WordPress user account is created with a unique email address, making it a valid identifier for logging in.
Several WordPress security plugins allow you to set up login pages so that all users must use their email addresses to log in.
4. Rename your login URL to secure your WordPress website
Changing the login URL is an easy thing to do. By default, the WordPress login page can be accessed easily via wp-login.php or wp-admin added to the site’s main URL.
When hackers know the direct URL of your login page, they can try to brute force their way in. They attempt to log in with their GWDb (Guess Work Database, i.e. a database of guessed usernames and passwords; e.g. username: admin and password: p@ssword … with millions of such combinations).
At this point, we have already restricted the user login attempts and swapped usernames for email IDs. Now we can replace the login URL and get rid of 99% of direct brute force attacks.
This little trick restricts an unauthorized entity from accessing the login page. Only someone with the exact URL can do it. Again, the iThemes Security plugin can help you change your login URLs. Like so:
Change wp-login.php to something unique; e.g. my_new_login
Change /wp-admin/ to something unique; e.g. my_new_admin
Change /wp-login.php?action=register to something unique; e.g. my_new_registeration
5. Adjust your passwords
Play around with your passwords and change them regularly to secure your WordPress website. Improve their strength by adding uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Many people opt for long passphrases since these are nearly impossible for hackers to predict but easier to remember than a bunch of random numbers and letters.
And, okay, we all know that the above is what we “should” do, but it’s not always something we have time for. This is where some quality password managers come into play. They will not only generate safe passwords for you but then store them inside a secure vault, which will save you the hassle of having to remember them.
6. Automatically log idle users out of your site
Users leaving wp-admin panel of your site open on their screens can pose a serious WordPress security threat. Any passerby can change information on your website, alter a person’s user account, or even break your site altogether. You can avoid this by ensuring that your site logs people out after they have been idle for a certain period of time.
You can set this up by using a plugin like BulletProof Security. This plugin allows you to set a customized time limit for idle users, after which they will automatically be logged out.
7. Protect the wp-admin directory
The wp-admin directory is the heart of any WordPress website. Therefore, if this part of your site gets breached, then the entire site can get damaged.
One possible way to prevent this is to password-protect the wp-admin directory. With such a WordPress security measure, the website owner may access the dashboard by submitting two passwords. One protects the login page, and the other secures the WordPress admin area.
Setting this up usually involves adjusting your hosting setup via cPanel. Still, this isn’t too difficult to do if you follow the right steps.
8. Use SSL to encrypt data
Implementing an SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate is one smart move to secure the admin panel. SSL ensures secure data transfer between user browsers and the server, making it difficult for hackers to breach the connection or spoof your info.
9.Add user accounts with care
If you run a WordPress blog, or rather a multi-author blog, then you need to deal with multiple people accessing your admin panel. This could make your website more vulnerable to WordPress security threats.
You can use a plugin like Force Strong Passwords if you want to make sure that whatever passwords users make are secure. This is just a precautionary measure, but it’s better than having several users with weak passwords.
10. Change the admin username
During your WordPress installation, you should never choose “admin” as the username for your main administrator account. Such an easy-to-guess username is approachable for hackers. All they need to figure out is the password, then your entire site gets into the wrong hands.
11. Monitor your files
If you want some added WordPress security, monitor the changes to your website’s files via plugins like Wordfence, or again, iThemes Security.
12.Set strong passwords for your database
A strong password for the main database user is a must since this password is the one WordPress uses to access the database.
As always, use uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and special characters for the password. Passphrases are excellent as well. I once again recommend LastPass for random password generation and storing.
13. Remove your WordPress version number
Your current WordPress version number can be found very easily. It’s basically sitting right there in your site’s source view. You can also see it on the bottom of your dashboard (but this doesn’t matter when trying to secure your WordPress website).Here’s the thing: if hackers know which version of WordPress you use, it’s easier for them to tailor-build the perfect attack.
14.Update regularly for WordPress security
Every good software product is supported by its developers and gets updated now and then. These updates are meant to fix bugs and sometimes have vital security patches. WordPress, and its plugins, is no different.
Not updating your themes and plugins can mean trouble. So just make sure that you update your theme and plugins timely.
Happy WordPressing !!
