Are you trying to protect your site?
Using a security tool on your WordPress site is very important for running a successful web business.
Unfortunately, you don’t usually realize the importance of keeping your WordPress site secure until your website has been hacked. WordPress is one of the most widely used website content management systems and the best eCommerce solution because it supports WooCommerce and the best WooCommerce plugins. Therefore, WordPress is a popular target for hackers and spammers.
According to Sucuri’s 2019 Threat Research Report, 94% of all hacked CMS websites use WordPress. This doesn’t mean that WordPress isn’t a secure platform. Conversely, a properly secured and maintained WordPress website is very safe. But hackers don’t waste time hacking platforms that no one else is using, do they? And considering that WordPress is more popular than all of its competitors combined – with a whopping 63% market share – that’s a big target!
Why is Website Security Important?
You may be wondering why someone would want to attack your site, especially if you have a low-traffic website. However, most hackers do not try to steal your data or delete important files. They want to use your server to send spam. They install a program on your website that sends many spams, and you don’t even know it.
I know what you think – that’s sucks! Yes. Let’s take a look at the quickest and easiest tips and plugins to keep your WordPress website secure.
Essential security plugins
You can improve the security of your website with the following WordPress security plugins.
Plugins against malware and spam
You protect your computer with anti-virus programs. Therefore, it makes sense to protect your web project. You can do this by installing WordPress security plugins. If an intruder is not detected or too late, it can cause a sharp drop in site traffic. Search engines, such as Google, identify infected websites and send a warning message to the user to prevent the website from hacking in the future.
Enable Web Application Firewall (WAF)
The easiest way to keep your site and WordPress secure is to use a web application firewall (WAF).
A network firewall blocks all malicious traffic before it reaches your website.
DNS-level website firewall- This Firewall directs traffic to your website through cloud proxy servers. This allows them to send only real traffic to your web server.
Layered Firewall Implemented- These firewall plugins monitor traffic when it reaches your server but before most WordPress scripts load. This method does not work as well as a DNS-level firewall to reduce server load. Move Your WordPress Site to SSL/HTTPS
SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) is a protocol that encrypts data transmission between your website and users’ browsers. This encryption makes it difficult to detect and steal information.
If you’ve enabled SSL, your site will use HTTPS instead of HTTP, and you will see a tab in your browser next to your site address.
SSL certificates were typically issued by certification authorities and cost anywhere from 80 to hundreds of dollars a year. Because of the added cost, most website owners choose to keep using an insecure protocol.
To remedy this, Let’s Encrypt, a non-profit organization decided to offer free SSL certificates to website owners. Your project is supported by Google Chrome, Facebook, Mozilla, and many other companies.
Using SSL on all your WordPress sites is now easier than ever. Many hosting companies now offer a free SSL certificate for your WordPress website.
Secure your WordPress database
In your WordPress database, you can store all the information about your website. Your database could be vulnerable if you used a standard naming convention when you created your database.
Unless you’re a WordPress tech user, changing the database prefix yourself can be difficult. However, as a security module, you can easily change your database prefix to complicate matters.
You can also back up your database regularly. This ensures that if you ever need to rebuild your site, you will get everything you need and not start over.
Limit login attempts
By default, WordPress allows users to try to log in as many times as they want. This makes your WordPress site vulnerable to attacks. Hackers try to crack passwords by trying to log in with different combinations.
This can be easily fixed by limiting the number of failed login attempts. If you use the above Firewall, it will be done automatically.
Add Two Factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication requires users to sign in with a two-step authentication method. The first is a username and password, and the second step requires authentication with a separate device or app.
Most popular websites like Google, Facebook, and Twitter allow you to enable this for your accounts. You can also add the same functionality to your WordPress site.
First, you need to install and activate the two-factor authentication plugin. After activation, you have to click on the link “Two-way authentication” in the WordPress administrator’s sidebar.
You will then need to install and open a precise application on your phone. There are several, such as Google Authenticator, Authy, and LastPass Authenticator. Open an authentic program and click Add.
You will be asked if you want to scan the site or a barcode manually. Select Scan Barcode and point your phone at the QR code displayed on the camera’s plugin settings page.
That’s all your authentication program saves. The next time you log in to your site, you will be asked for a two-step authentication code after entering your password.
Disable XML-RPC in WordPress
XML-RPC was included in WordPress 3.5 by default as it connects your WordPress site to websites and mobile apps.
Because of its power, XML-RPC can speed up brute force attacks considerably.
However, with XML-RPC, a hacker can use the system.multicall feature to validate thousands of passwords, such as B. 20 or 50 applications.
Therefore, if you are not using XML-RPC, we recommend turning it off.
Fixing a Hacked WordPress Site
Many WordPress users don’t realize the importance of website until their website is hacked.
Cleaning up a WordPress website can be very difficult and time-consuming. Our first tip is to have a professional take care of it.
Hackers install a back door on affected websites. If these backdoors are not adequately addressed, your website is likely to be hacked again.
If you allow a professional security company like Sucuri to restore your site, your site will be safe again. It also protects you from future attacks.
That’s All
Hopefully, this article helped you explore the best WordPress security practices and find the best WordPress security plugins for your website. If you have any questions about these plugins, let me know in the comments section.