WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world. It’s used by millions of websites and blogs to manage content. It’s a great platform for building a website that looks professional and functions beautifully, in fact, WordPress is the most popular system for creating websites.
WordPress is popular because it has many notable features, but it also has several major security holes. Some of these security holes can be patched up with plugins but others will have to be fixed manually by you, the administrator.
You can rely on platforms such as Elementor to make all of these changes without having to write a single line of code.
If you’re just getting started with WordPress, here are some tips to help you build a secure site.
First Step to Security Choosing a Good Hosting Company
Securing your WordPress site shouldn’t be something you just add to your to-do list, it should be an ongoing process. Security is the key to the success of any online business. While you have a lot of ways to protect yourself from security threats, you must understand the importance of WordPress security.
There are many great security add-ons available today. Look for one that is easy to use and will block off vulnerable areas on your website.
Choose a hosting company that offers multiple layers of security, such as a firewall or other forms of intrusion protection. You also want a hosting company that offers easy access to security updates and patches. Make sure the company uses encrypted connections and keeps sensitive information secure.
Avoid Nulled Themes
Themes with professional design, flexible and clean code are necessary for any WordPress site. This can give your website a nice look, and it helps you to easily customize your site according to your needs. It is important that you buy a premium theme from a trusted source. If a theme is not updated for two years it has probably been abandoned by its developer; in this case, it is better to switch to a newer theme than continue using an insecure one.
You should always avoid using cracked or nulled themes for WordPress.
You can find some free or nulled WordPress themes available on the internet and various websites, but this can be extremely dangerous for your site. Nulled themes have been modified from their original versions by amateur coders who don’t know what they are doing. These modifications may contain hidden malicious codes that can harm your website security or log your admin credentials, either of which would be extremely bad for you & your business.
Make Sure to Install WordPress Security Plugin
A security plugin will take care of the security on your site security, scanning for malware, along with monitoring your site 24/7 for regularly checking everything that is going on within your site. If anything is suspicious, the plugin immediately alerts you so that you can take action.
Since there are so many different vulnerabilities out there, it is impossible to manually check everything that could be going wrong with your site, so automated tools are the best option.
That’s why it’s important to use a powerful third-party security plugin on top of the basic level of security that comes with your hosting plan.
Make Sure to Use a Strong Password
Passwords are one of the most important things you can do to keep your WordPress website secure and protected against hackers. We have all heard horror stories about people losing their websites because they didn’t take adequate security precautions. If you have a WordPress site, you should be using strong passwords to make sure your website is secure.
Disable File Editing
When you are setting up your WordPress site you will find a function called code editor in your dashboard which allows you to edit your theme and plugin files. This function can prove to be especially useful for customizing your site, but it is also a major security risk. You should never edit these files through the dashboard as any changes that you make will be saved without allowing you to review them first.
Always use an external text editor to edit these files and never make any changes unless you know exactly what they do.
To disable this functionality go to:
Settings > Writing > Code editor.
If you want people to be able to edit one or two files, but not the entire site, then add them as editors instead of editors with write access.
You can also disable file editing and the theme file, simply by pasting this code in your wp-config.php file: define (‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT,’ true).
Make Sure to Install SSL Certificate
When it comes to WordPress security, SSL is the single most important security feature you can add to your website. That’s because SSL is what allows you to connect securely to your site and ensures that all the data that’s transmitted between your site and your visitors is encrypted.
Without an SSL certificate, Google will display a warning message in the search results that tells users they might not be connected securely when visiting your site. This may discourage people from visiting your website and thus have a negative impact on your SEO efforts.
Alter Your WP-login URL
You will notice below on the login page that it is taking you to a WordPress address. If you are using the “pretty permalink” option, it will take you to yoursite.com/your-post-slug. That makes things seem safe and friendly when in fact it is not.
You can change this by going to Settings > General and changing your WordPress address to https://yoursite.com/wp-login.php
Now when you login as an attacker sees this instead:
https://yoursite.com/wp-admin
That should make it harder for would-be hackers trying to brute force their way into your site.
Limiting login attempts in WordPress
WordPress will allow people to try to log in as many times as they want without a problem. Hackers know this and take advantage of this feature by using brute force attacks.
To prevent this from happening, you can limit the number of login attempts a user can make. This can be done by changing the number of bad login attempts before the user is IP banned.
To do this, log into your WordPress Admin interface.
Click on Users and then Edit. Find the section for the user you want to limit login attempts for and enter the number of times they can attempt to login in the Max Login Attempts field. Save your changes when finished.
Hide wp-config.php and .htaccess files
When you’re serious about WordPress security, you should hide your wp-config.php file and your .htaccess file to prevent hackers from accessing them. Even though this is an advanced process, it should be taken into consideration.
Hiding the files also helps keep potential intruders away from your site, as they won’t be able to find the files by browsing the directories. If a hacker can’t see your .htaccess file, he can’t edit it to change your site’s configuration or add malicious code that could cause problems for your visitors and search engine optimization.
Keep Your WordPress Version Updated
One of the best ways to help keep your website secure is updating your WordPress version. Every time there is an update, developers make changes that could potentially patch security vulnerabilities. However, not all updates are created equal. Some updates fix more issues than others and you must get the latest version of WordPress as soon as possible.
WordPress updates are not only about making your site secure but also fixing bugs that might cause issues in your site. If you are not sure how to update WordPress, then there are a lot of resources online that can help you with this task. But it’s always good to know the basics so that even if you encounter issues while updating your site, you won’t be put into panic and stress out.
WordPress security is crucial to keeping your website running smoothly. Failing to maintain WordPress security can result in hackers taking advantage of the weaknesses in your site. The best part is that maintaining security with WordPress is easy and you can do it without having to spend a huge sum.