Wordfence estimated that over 20 million attacks were launched against half a million - 500,000 websites in May 2020. There has been an impressive number of hacking attempts to site within this month alone, leaving it vulnerable.
This is not to say that WordPress is not secure, but it is. To make it a juicy target, most administrators have failed to adhere to the best WordPress security practices.
How and when to handle a WordPress website to strengthen security
It is hard to maintain a fully secure site. However, you can boost your overall security and reduce the potential of cyberattacks by following these points
Select a hosting company carefully
Back then, functionality or price have been the variables that mattered the most when selecting a web host. Security of a system will still be a low priority for most people. The world has changed, and security priorities have shifted. A secure hosting company should be the top priority when selecting which hosting company to trust for your site.
You should examine the security measures of the web hosting company before choosing it.
These include:
- Effective server security
- Malware scanning
- The server should be SSH encrypted. Be sure to check out your form of SSL certificates as well.
- DDoS attack defense (check whether it works with a CDN company, such as Cloudflare).
- Firewall protection
- Ability to reboot without support
1) Protect the wp-config[.]php directory
The WP-Config[.]php is a key file that stores and retrieves essential credentials and link information for WordPress. This includes information about the localhost, the password, and the username.
The wp-config[.]php file is of great importance as it gives attackers easy access to the system which stores sensitive site content. By making it difficult to access the file, you are hardening the foundation of your web.
Transfer the wp-config file requires securing it with an additional layer of encryption. The good news, WordPress will not mess with the customization, and it will still function properly.
2) Implement a WordPress security tool
There is misleading evidence on whether a WordPress security plugin is required. While most WordPress sites aren't at high risk, it is possible to protect your WordPress site without using a dedicated WordPress Security Plugin.
However, you must set up a custom WordPress protection plugin if you wish to preserve your site's security. The popular WordPress security plugins like Sucuri and Wordfence improve security by checking your site for malware, tightening your login page, and offering a firewall.
3) Using tough passwords
Passwords are supposed to have been the first line of protection against malicious attacks. Many WordPress website owners continue to use quick to guess passwords such as 123456, QWERTY, and Admin. ‘iloveyou' isn't powerful enough.
When creating a password for your website, make sure to increase its length and complexity. By combining available letters, numbers, and symbols, including brackets, parentheses, and a percent symbol, it is hard to know your passwords.
Consider using different passwords for different sites and computers. The potential effects can be devastating if the password is exposed.
4) Enable two-factor authentication
Hackers and malicious actors make a goal of easily bypassing security controls. Although organizations are constantly warned that using weak passwords leads to security breaches, it's not shocking that password-related attacks continue to grow.
A focus on basic password protection is not always enough. Trying to implement two-factor authentication is a critical move as it removes the risk of password theft and provides additional security. It can be a code or text transmitted via the phone or email, and it can also be a biometric such as a face scan or a time-based code from some other app.
5) Block file editing
Administrator users can adjust theme files from the Appearance >> Theme Editor and Edit them via the WordPress Panel. This can be beneficial, but it can also have negative effects.
By allowing this file editing option, you are providing an attacker with all access to the script on your website. If you do not regularly make modifications to your documents, this plugin will not be for you.
Simply disabling this plugin is simple. This can be achieved by adding the global define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true); to the wp-config[.]php file.
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