WordPress is the most commonly used blogging application today and it provides a great platform to all users who want to express their thoughts through the blogs. Being such a popular content management system, its security vulnerabilities are also popular among webmasters. The WordPress users are always concerned about it and it has become a prickly issue now a days. WordPress websites has now become more victimized for its security vulnerabilities, but does it mean that WordPress is not at all secure? Do people have to stay away from using WordPress because of these security concerns? Certainly NOT. Just like any other CMS system, WordPress installations also have its own security concerns, but still it is the highly preferred blogging application worldwide among the masses. To not to be the victim of hackers, as a webmaster you just need to educate yourself about wordpress security.
This article is going to present you with some important tips to improve wordpress security, and about various security plugins that can protect your WordPress site from possible hacking attempts. All these tips presented are simple to make and it will make sure that you have a pleasant and trouble-free blogging experience.
First, we will look at some key security tips and then we can look into some plugins that can secure your WordPress blog even more.
Some security tips that can help
Given below are some important tips to improve your blog’s security.
Choose a strong password
Do not opt for some silly usernames and weak passwords. Make your login credentials as complex as it can, so that the hackers should have a tough time in finding it. It may look like a simple tip, but the fact is most of the attacks are happening because of weak login and passwords. Hackers can easily crack simple passwords. A strong password must include some special characters, symbols, numbers, Upper and lower case letters. Also you must make sure that you change your password too often.
Set a limited login attempt
Generally, the hackers try to login to your account through different tries using different combinations of usernames and passwords. Finally at some point, they will get it correct. Therefore, it is necessary to restrict the number of login attempts to your blog admin using a plugin. When the hacker tries to login more than the limit you set and all the attempts go unsuccessful, they cannot do anything than to leave your account.
Always have an updated version
You should make sure that your wordpress installation is up to date. Most of these updates contain important security patches. Themes, plugins everything should be up-to-date. You should refrain from downloading free themes and plugins from other unofficial sources. It is advisable to download plugins and themes only from the official WordPress repository.
Delete unnecessary clutters
You should conduct occasional clean up activities in your account, by removing all unwanted plugins, themes, spam comments and trackbacks etc… It’s always good to keep your account clean, simple and less prior to the hackers.
Backup your site
Always have a backup in your personal PC or at different server, so if your site is hacked, you can simply restore it in no time from the backup and go ahead.
Free CDNs
CLoudflare and Pagespeed service by Google are the two popular free content delivery networks (CDN) that are efficient. CDN blocks all the unnecessary traffic to your site and ensures proper security.
Configure .htaccess
WordPress security will be at its best through configuring .htaccess (HyperText access). It lets you override your server’s default setting for the directory that has this file. With this, you will have limited file access ensuring proper security. However, configuring .htaccess is a serious task and if you are not well in coding, then go for the plugin named WP htaccess control directly from the WordPress repository. .htaccess configuration for WordPress security is a big topic and you have to gain proper knowledge about it before attempting.
These simple steps can help you prevent possible hacking attempts. However, the hackers are continuously working to steal your identity and benefits. To stay ahead in the race, you need to be little more updated. The following plugins will help you in the process by quickly fixing all hidden security vulnerabilities.
WordPress security plugins
Here are some useful WordPress plugins that can help you improve your wordpress website’s security.
WP security scan
This plugin is for checking your site for the presence of any security exposures and suggest some corrective actions based on the results.
WP-DB manager
This plugin is for managing your WordPress database. It maintains backups, repair and optimizing works of your databases automatically.
6scan security
Even before the hackers achieve the security loopholes of your site, this comprehensive plugin works beyond the protection rule to find out whether your site has any security loopholes for the benefit of hackers or not.
User locker
Assign the number of times you can perform a login attempt to a site through this plugin. If the limit is exceeded, the account will get locked automatically. You can unlock by contacting administrator with your personal and confidential info.
Limit login attempts
Similar to the previous plugin, it also limits the number of times the user can try login with unsuccessful attempts. After the limit, the IP address of the trying user will be blocked for further attempts. The user will be informed about this too.
Bullet proof security
This plugin prevents your site from major kinds of hacking attempts that include RFI, XSS, CSRF, CRLF and Base64. No manual installations are needed and the plugin will configure itself.
Antivirus
It is an antivirus plugin used to protect your WordPress blog from all security issues, malware protection and spam issues. It will scan your site and send the reports directly to your mail daily. In presence of any virus or malware, the plugin will delete the same and clean up your account.
BBQ – Block Bad Queries
This plugin avoids unnecessary URLs that are being posted on your site. Similarly, the long strings that exceed the 255 characters limit are also avoided.
Bad behaviour
This plugin is used to avoid spam links being send to your site. It also avoids the spam readers to visit your site and read your content. If used with a better spam protection service, you can expect the best results from this plugin.
Wordfence
It is a free security plugin. You can use it for virus and malware scanning. It also acts a perfect firewall for your site. You can perform scanning of your site for virus detection in a high frequency range and for many number of times being a premium user of this plugin.
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