12 Checklist to Prevent WordPress from Hackers

Website hacking is a very prevalent problem in the digital landscape. Every day, hackers with malicious intent try to hack a number of websites for their personal advantage. This creates a huge problem for website owners.

When a website is hacked, its admin or owner loses control over it and suffers a big loss in terms of online presence, ranking in search results, traffic, contact with customers and revenues. In this age of cut-throat competition, even a single downtime of your website can be a cause of your expulsion from the game of web based business.

Even WordPress websites are also highly prone to hacking attempts. If you run a WordPress website and are worried about its security, you can utilize some tips and preventative measures to protect it from hackers. Just see yourself how you can do that.

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#1. Ensure Workstation security

It is often neglected by the most of the website owners. But, this is the first step to secure your site. If you use a computer (infected with viruses) to access your website, cyber criminals can hack your site easily using a keylogger software. A keylogger can easily read all your login details and send them to hackers, which will create a lot of troubles for your site and you as well.

Therefore, keep your computer/laptop up-to-date. Update its OS, anti-virus, and browsers regularly. If you think that your system is exposed to malicious programs/viruses, format it completely and reinstall the latest operating system, browsers, antivirus, etc. All these will automatically block suspicious activities on your website and keep it safe from hacking attempts.

#2. Use the latest version of WordPress

Whenever you get a notification about new WordPress updates, don’t get excited only about the new features and functionalities. Show some interest in the newly added security features as well.

In fact, every new WordPress update has a page comprising the security loopholes in the previous version and their solutions. Therefore, whenever new WordPress updates are released, update your website as soon as possible to secure your website.

#3. Use a good-quality hosting service

It’s a fact that most of the WordPress website owners use shared hosting to run their sites in a bid to cut the cost required for the site operation. However, shared servers are more vulnerable to online security threats. If a hacker gain access to one website hosted on a shared server, he/she can easily hack all websites using the same resource.

Therefore, you must choose a reliable hosting service to keep your site safe from a wide range of online security threats. A good hosting company also provides you enough resources which make your site fast as well.

#4. Block malicious traffic to your websites

When your website goes live, by default, users all around the world can easily access it. It can help you to get visitors to your site from all geographical locations. But it brings some pains as well. Hackers send malicious traffic, automated requests, Spam in comments to hack your website.

You can take the following action in this case-

• Use a Plugin to detect and eliminate Spam.
• Block frequent spammers with their IP address. You can also block the countries from where you get hacking attempts on your site in great numbers. But, use this option carefully as blocking a country means candid visitors from that nation will not be able to visit your website.
• Ask visitors to sign in their E-accounts before commenting on your posts, subscribing newsletters and requesting for a service. This will help you to identify automated bots and hackers and restrict their access to your website.

#5. Use a strong password

Using a strong password is essential for the security of your website. Most of the website owners are reckless about their passwords and they use easily predictable words, letters, and digits as their website passwords.

This makes it easier for hackers to gain the control of such sites using Brute-force attacks. Therefore, you should use a complex & unpredictable password to protect your website. Keep changing your password regularly. It leaves hackers clueless about your site’s password. You can also use a password generator plugin to create complex passwords to eliminate the hassle of password creation and management.

#6. Use Two factors authentication for login

Two factors authentication is an effective way to protect your site from hackers. When you activate this additional layer of security to your website, you have to prove your identity whenever you try to access your website from a new computer/laptop/mobile device.

So, when a hacker tries to access your website using your login id and password, he/she will not be able to hack your site because of the code which is sent to your mobile device.

#7. Be careful while choosing the WordPress theme

Whenever you choose a WordPress theme, you should look for its coding and find out whether it contains malicious codes, bugs, and other harmful elements. A WordPress theme which is inappropriately coded provides entry points for hackers to break into your site and gain its control. Therefore, select a theme which is properly coded and check how it reacts to various online threats.

#8. Use WordPress security plugins

You can protect your WordPress website using various WordPress security plugins. They automatically trace suspicious actions on your website and notifies you about them instantly. Some excellent WordPress security plugins are-

1. All In One WP Security & Firewall
2. Wordfence Security
3. Shield Security

#9. Stop Search engines from indexing your site’s admin area

Search engine bots crawl and index all pages of a website if they are not prevented from doing so. If they index the admin area of your site, it becomes visible to all on the web, making it easier for hackers to initiate hacking attempts and hack your site eventually.

Therefore, you should keep search engine crawlers aloof from all WordPress directories. Just make a robots.txt file in your root directory and add Disallow: /wp-* to it.

#10. Don’t set file permissions to 777

If you are really serious about the security of your WordPress site, don’t set file/directory permission to 777 under any circumstances. If you do so, anyone can easily get the access of your website and alter its files, content, and other materials.

#11. Download WordPress plugins/themes only from trusted source

Most of the WordPress website operators don’t abandon their greed to get all features and functionalities of premium plugins and themes free of cost. As a result, they download plugins and themes from unauthorized sources.

When you use pirated plugins and themes on your site, you provide a hidden backdoor to hackers to compromise your site. Even search engines and browsers can blacklist websites that use pirated stuff.

Therefore, you should use plugins and themes, made available by recognized and reputed vendors.

#12. Backup your WordPress Website

These days, cyber criminals and hackers have become very intelligent in their art. They keep developing new techniques to hack websites which may not be under your knowledge. Therefore, you should backup your WordPress site regularly. It helps you to retrieve your site easily in case it is hacked. You can use a WordPress plugin to perform this action easily.

Final Words

WordPress website security is a major concern for all WordPress site owners. These are some important security measures using which they can easily combat hacking attempts and keep their site safe.

Guest Author Bio:

Tracey Jones describes herself as a bit of a geek working with a leading WordPress theme development company. called HireWPGeeks. When not writing or coding she loves spending time with her family. To learn about Tracey, you can likewise tail her on twitter.