WordPress is a great, secure platform out of the package, but there is more you can do to protect your site from malevolent intruders. Many of these security upgrades are simple to deploy and may be done by hand in a matter of minutes to secure your WordPress site.
Making to ensure that your WordPress site is safe is one of the most critical things you can do. While you will never achieve 100 % site security, you can surely aim for 99 % by implementing measures both large and little that account for every access point on your site and its weaknesses.
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Best ways to secure your WordPress site
When it comes to performing a routine inspection, there are a few things you should consider. These measures should be reviewed at least every month or so to keep you secure.
- Update your themes and plugins
- Make use of reliable web hosting
- Validate your username and password
- Allow security scans to run
- Secure the wpconfig.php file
- Select secure plugins
- Select secure themes
- Restrict access to the WordPress Dashboard
- Maintain continuity of the website
Here are ten things to look for or pay attention to ensure your website is as secure as possible.
Update your themes and plugins.
The same is true for plugins and themes. You should update your existing theme as well as any plugins you have placed on your site. This assists you in avoiding vulnerabilities, flaws, and potential security breach points.
Make Use of a Reliable Host
A Reliable Hosting Service may influence how well your site works, how dependable it is, how large it can develop, and even how well it ranks in search engines. The finest hosts provide a variety of helpful features, great support, and a service that is suited to your platform of choice.
Choosing a reliable hosting service has some security advantages, including:
- A good host will keep its service, software, and tools up to date in order to respond to the latest threats and eliminate any security breaches.
- Web servers frequently include specialized security features such as SSL/TLS certificates and DDoS protection. You should also have access to a Web Application Firewall (WAF), which can help you detect and stop major threats to your website.
- Validate Your Username and Password
Choosing a complex username and password is critical for the overall security of your site. First and foremost, never use the word “admin” as your login. Because it is the most common WordPress login, leaving it alone is tantamount to giving hackers half of your data.
Second, make your password a combination of numbers, letters, and symbols. Simply put, make it hard for humans to guess and incredibly tough for machines to break.
Allow security scans to run
Security scans are performed by specialist software/plugins that check your entire website for anything suspect. If something is detected, it is erased as soon as possible. These scanners work in the same way as anti-virus software does.
You can utilize the referenced Jetpack plugin for a quick and low-cost solution. In addition to backup functions, it offers daily virus and threat scans with customized resolution (this plan costs $9 per month).
Keep your wp-config.php file safe
The wp-config.php file is one of your site’s most important, and thus most vulnerable, files. It stores important information and data about your entire WordPress installation. It is the technical heart of your WordPress site.
One simple thing you can do is to move the wp-config.php file one level above your WordPress root directory. This change has no effect on your WordPress site, but hackers will no longer be able to find it.
Select Secure Themes
It is also critical to choose themes with a good reputation. Those created by less-than-reputable developers or with less-than-clean code may expose your site to security vulnerabilities once installed. Read theme reviews before installing them, and if you’re going to buy a premium theme, make sure it’s from a reputable source. Similarly, always install theme updates as soon as they become available.
Select Secure Plugins
What I stated about themes before also applies to plugins. Though this is likely doubly true for plugins because they can occasionally contain malware or malicious code. To preserve site security, never download a plugin from a developer you are unfamiliar with, and always install updates as soon as they become available.
Restriction on Dashboard Access
Anyone with access to your WordPress dashboard may make new posts and pages, add files, and change your settings. An unskilled individual may commit a mistake without recognizing it. Alternatively, the goal might be more malevolent. Regardless, only people you trust should have access to your dashboard.
Maintain the Continuity of Your Website
Every day, hackers devise new methods for destroying websites. So running an out-of-date version of WordPress is asking for problems, especially because WordPress discloses vulnerabilities and security holes in prior versions as soon as a new version is published, as shown in the above image. For maximum security, always ensure that your site is running the most recent version.