How to Enhance Site Security on the WordPress Platform

Being the most popular content management system on the Internet, WordPress is prone to security threats. Although the platform is highly secure, breaches mainly occur as users are not adequately aware of how to secure their WordPress sites.

Fortunately, by implementing the right practices, it is possible to secure WordPress-powered web solutions. It will be best to implement proactive measures before your site becomes a gateway for hackers.

So, let’s delve into the tactics to foster WordPress website security and safeguard it from malicious attacks.

Table of contents:

Why is WordPress security important?
Essential practices for safeguarding your WordPress site
● Ensure having an updated WordPress version
● Use trusted WordPress themes
● Remove unused plugins and themes
Advanced methods for enhancing your WordPress site security
● Limit login attempts
● Change the WordPress database prefix
● Regular malware scan
● Change login page URL
● Keep an eye on user activity
Signs that indicate your WordPress site is hacked
What to do when your WordPress site is hacked
● Put the site in maintenance mode
● Find your website backup
● Reset WordPress passwords
● Update your website version
● Remove unnecessary admin accounts
Conclusion

Why is WordPress security important?

For businesses relying on WordPress websites, a security breach can lead to downtime, loss of revenue, and damage to reputation. The gravity of this concern is emphasized by the WordPress statistics from betterstudio.com. The astonishing figures given below will leave you in awe and emphasize the importance of implementing security measures for a WordPress site.

• Nearly, 13,000 WordPress sites get hacked daily resulting in the attack on around 4.7 million WordPress sites yearly
• Almost 1 in every 25 WordPress sites has been hacked
• On average, WP gets attacked 90,000 times a minute

In light of these alarming figures, it becomes evident that businesses need to fortify their online presence on WordPress against the relentless threat landscape within the WordPress ecosystem. In the forthcoming sections, a range of best practices will be outlined to safeguard your WordPress site.

While some of these measures don’t require technical expertise, others may require specific knowledge of WordPress. If you find yourself lacking the technical know-how for their implementation, it is recommended to hire expert WordPress developers for an effective solution.

Essential practices for safeguarding your WordPress site

Let’s start with the basic security measures to follow that do not demand advanced know-how of WordPress.

Ensure having an updated WordPress version
Updating WordPress is one of the simplest ways to consolidate the website’s security.

The presence of vulnerabilities is particularly high in older software versions. Sites running on outdated WP cause 61% of attacks and encounter compatibility issues and malfunctions. Also, an obsolete WordPress site does not perform well, leading to a less engaging experience for visitors. This, in turn, can impact site traffic and revenue, making it an undesirable situation in the long run.

To mitigate these risks, it is essential to keep your WordPress core always up-to-date to patch loopholes. Additionally, it is advisable to create a backup as updating WP can impact your existing files and databases.

Use trusted WordPress themes
It is essential to conduct thorough research before relying on a theme for your WordPress website development. When using a third-party theme, there may be chances that it has not been developed per WordPress standards leading to vulnerabilities and compatibility issues.

To validate the chosen theme, you can paste its URL into W3C’s validator to confirm its compliance with WP’s requirements. Furthermore, you can look for a new theme in the official WordPress theme directory that contains securely compatible themes designed to meet WordPress standards.

Remove unused plugins and themes
Unused plugins, even if deactivated, can still pose a security risk if not regularly updated. Outdated plugins may have known vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit to gain unauthorized access to your site. By removing unused plugins, you reduce the number of potential entry points for attackers, minimizing the risk of security breaches. This practice also simplifies the task of keeping the remaining plugins up to date, as you can focus on maintaining the security of essential ones.

Advanced methods for enhancing your WordPress site security

Limit login attempts
Implementing restrictions on the number of login attempts helps prevent brute force attacks, where malicious actors attempt to gain unauthorized access by trying various username and password combinations. This proactive measure adds an extra layer of security to prevent unauthorized access and protects against potential account compromise.

WordPress offers various plugins (like Limit Login Attempts Reloaded and Loginizer) to make it easy for website owners to limit login attempts. Whether you choose to handle it by yourself or hire a WordPress developer, ensure the site has restrictions on login attempts.

Change the WordPress database prefix
The default WordPress prefix for all database tables is “wp_”. Hackers often target sites with standard configurations, so changing the prefix makes it more challenging for attackers to predict the table names. This simple adjustment during WordPress website development helps protect against SQL injection attacks and other malicious activities.

However, such configurations should be done carefully, preferably during the initial stages of site development. Also, undertaking these modifications requires technical expertise in WordPress. So, if you are not tech-savvy in doing this, you must partner with a WordPress web development company to ensure the seamless incorporation of such security measures into your website, during development.

Regular malware scan
Malware can be injected through vulnerabilities in plugins, themes, or other website components, and its presence can lead to various security threats. Conducting routine website scans helps identify and detect any potential malware or malicious code that may have infiltrated the site. This practice aids in maintaining the integrity of the WordPress site, ensuring a secure online environment for both site owners and visitors.

Luckily, there are various WordPress plugins like (Wordfence, Bulletproof Security, and Sucuri Security) recommended by expert WordPress developers to conduct security scans.

However, for websites with complex functionalities that involve custom code, malware scanning can be challenging and time-consuming. In such cases, it will be beneficial to hire WordPress developers for a comprehensive examination of potential vulnerabilities.

Change login page URL
By default, the WordPress login page URL (example.com/wp-admin) is easily accessible and commonly known, making it susceptible to hacking attempts. Therefore, changing the URL is essential for thwarting unauthorized access attempts, as it will be more challenging for hackers to target your website.

Moreover, to obscure the login page URL, you can leverage plugins like Change wp-admin Login and WPS Hide Login. Using these extensions will streamline the process of customizing the URL effectively.

Keep an eye on user activity
Monitoring the user activity provides a comprehensive overview of who accesses the site, when and how. This real-time monitoring helps identify any unusual or suspicious behavior like altering themes or plugins and changing passwords. By keeping track of user actions, website owners can promptly detect and respond to potential security incidents, minimizing the impact of security breaches. Furthermore, in the event of a security incident, having a detailed log of user activity becomes invaluable for forensic analysis and investigation.

Signs that indicate your WordPress site is hacked

The presence of several indicators can suggest a potential compromise to the security of your WordPress website. These signs serve as red flags that need immediate attention to safeguard your site and sensitive information.

• Unusual or unauthorized changes in the website’s layout, theme, or colors
• New, unfamiliar, or suspicious content appearing on your site
• Unexplained redirects to unrelated or malicious websites
• Unwanted pop-ups or ads that were not part of your site before
• New files with unfamiliar names or extensions
• Difficulty logging in, even with the correct credentials
• Alerts from Google Search Console about malicious software or suspicious activities on your site

When noticing any of the above signs, taking immediate action to troubleshoot the issue is necessary. If you’re unsure of handling your site’s security in such scenarios, it will be better to hire WordPress developers to troubleshoot the issues.

But for immediate action, you can implement various security measures to mitigate the risks, if the site is hacked. Here’s what you can do.

What to do when your WordPress site is hacked

Discovering that your WordPress site has been hacked can be unsettling, but taking immediate decisive actions is crucial to mitigate potential damage. Here are some security measures on what to do if you find your WordPress site has been compromised.

Put the site in maintenance mode
The first step is to temporarily take your site offline by putting it in maintenance mode. This helps prevent further damage and ensures that visitors aren’t exposed to any malicious content.

Find your website backup
The next essential step is to identify and locate the recent backup of your WordPress site. It will serve as a restoration point to revert your site to a state before it gets hacked.

Reset WordPress passwords
Change all passwords associated with your WordPress site, including those for administrator accounts, database access, and hosting. This helps secure your site against any unauthorized access resulting from the breach.

Update your website version
Ensure that all components of your WordPress site are updated to the latest versions. This includes the WordPress core, themes, plugins, and any other extensions. Updated software often includes security patches that can help close vulnerabilities.

Remove unnecessary admin accounts
Review the list of user accounts on your site and remove any unnecessary or suspicious admin accounts that may have been added by the attacker. Restrict user roles to minimize potential security risks.

In addition to implementing the above-listed measures, it is equally important to identify why the security breach has occurred, so that the vulnerability gets addressed. This issue identification process is technical and demands WordPress expertise. Therefore, you should seek help from experienced WordPress developers who can find and address the security loopholes effectively.

Conclusion

A secure website protects your digital assets and maintains the credibility of your online presence. By adhering to best practices and implementing robust security measures, you can create a resilient defense against potential threats. Remember that maintaining security is an ongoing process and staying vigilant against emerging threats is as important as implementing preventive measures. Moreover, the process is technical and time-consuming too. So, if you lack the know-how of WordPress technicalities and also wish to save time, consider reaching out to WordPress security experts.