How to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe and Sound in 2023

We are all reminded daily of the value of our privacy and security on the internet. Be it by pop-ups that encourage us to download anti-virus software and other security tools, by reading terrifying stories of hacking attacks, or any other way. In the same way, if you want to have a solid entrance door with a good lock, you need to have a robust and secure website, cloud storage, and other online services. In essence, online security has become as important as offline security.

This holds especially true for those who use WordPress as their platform of choice for deploying blogs, E-stores, and so on. The thing that makes WordPress vulnerable is the fact that WordPress is open-source, and therefore, the code is easily available to malicious hackers for manipulation. According to some studies, most vulnerabilities come from installed Plugins. Consequently, it is imperative that you only install trusted plugins with public reviews.

This might sound all doom and gloom for WordPress users and developers, but we will list some of the most important steps you can take to secure your site in the following paragraphs.

First of all, why is online security that important? Well, there are actually quite a few reasons for this. The most basic one comes down to consumer and information protection. We have all heard of the massive leaks of people’s personal information whenever a site with a large audience gets hacked. None of us want to find ourselves among those people. Another reason for added security would be business-related. Sites prone to online attacks can easily have their reputation ruined because of lacking security measures. If you want to be seen as a business with integrity, you need to have a secure site. And finally, as we touched upon earlier, WordPress is not that secure of a platform on its own. That is why we need to put additional effort into securing our WordPress sites.

Among the most notorious attacks, WordPress sites come under are brute force attacks, XSS, SQL injections, etc. While brute force attacks try to brute force your credentials, login info, or other sensitive data, XSS and SQL injections are much more subtle and dangerous. XSS involves inserting malicious scripts into your website, while SQL injection might completely destroy your databases. All of these attacks are troublesome and need to be dealt with.

Let’s see what some of the steps we can take to reduce the risk of online attacks and prevent their successful outcome are.

For one thing, before breaching a system, hackers do extensive reconnaissance. They’re aware that certain WordPress versions have more flaws than others, and the platform has been around long enough for experts to figure out what they are. Unless you delete it, the version number appears on your web pages and in your URL.

Viewing your directory also gives you access to a wealth of information, such as the plugins and themes you’ve installed. Because it works with open source code, keeping unneeded or unsupported plugins in your directory, even if deactivated, is easy for hackers to obtain access to your code. They can launch vulnerabilities, modify the coding, hijack sessions, or shut you off of your own website after they’ve gained access.

Several applications will scan your WordPress site for vulnerabilities in minutes, utilizing hundreds of different passwords.

2. Regular WP and PHP updates

This step is quite straightforward. WordPress, PHP, and other online technologies are constantly evolving. Besides shipping better versions of the products with newer updates, companies also spend a lot of time patching up the known issues and testing for new ones. Performing regular updates will ensure that your site does not have a weak point that was discovered a few months ago. Just like it became a best practice to regularly update your computers, laptops, smartphones, and other devices, you should also update WP and PHP.

3. Using secure and verified themes

One of the security vulnerabilities we mention earlier is WP themes. With that in mind, the most difficult and crucial decision you’ll have to make is which WordPress theme to use for your website. Even if you discover a beautiful theme that has all of the features you like, you must ensure that it is safe for you to utilize. You’ve found a winner if you can locate a secure WordPress theme that fits all of your requirements.

It’s easier to manage your site if you build it using a secure WordPress theme. You won’t have to worry as much about it being outdated, causing issues with your plugins, falling victim to unscrupulous actors, or damaging your site outright. Fortunately, there are a plethora of good themes to choose from.

4. Using SSL/HTTPS

A solid SSL certificate and a correctly configured website have been critical security criteria for years. Not only that, but proper SSL certificates improve SEO rankings as well. Furthermore, we are all aware that websites are constantly updated and modernized. As a result, if you’ve made any significant infrastructure modifications to your website, getting things set up properly will be more challenging. Switching hosting providers, upgrading to HTTPS, or even changing your domain name are all options.

Anyone who has dealt with internet businesses understands the value of SEO rankings and having a safe website that conveys trustworthiness and legitimacy to users. We must continually ensure that our website is free of errors and secure.

Thankfully, WP Force SSL is here to help you with these and other similar issues. The plugin is meant to handle any SSL difficulties in seconds, saving you time that would otherwise be spent troubleshooting the issue. The tool is beneficial for monitoring and prevention as well as fixing problems when they arise. We all know that preventing something from going wrong requires a lot less effort than correcting it when it does. WP Force SSL continuously monitors the SSL certificate and notifies you if anything isn’t functioning or if the expiration date is near.

Let’s get to know this fantastic plugin a bit better. First and foremost, the utility is available in two versions: a Pro and a Free edition. The premium version adds automatic monitoring, a 404 redirect test, and a slew of other time-saving features to those already included in the free edition. The plugin’s free edition includes a variety of tests that verify various SSL settings. Aside from that, there are several options for resolving similar concerns, such as redirecting HTTP to HTTPS, activating HSTS, and so forth. The WP Force SSL plugin is simple to set up and use. This plugin’s capabilities and settings are all very user-friendly. Another feature of the plugins is their excellent support. There is no outsourcing, and the plugin’s creators address the majority of user-submitted problems. This ensures that consumers receive the best service possible.

WP Force SSL is a lifesaver thanks to its many features, automation, and reliability. For anyone who values the importance of their WP sites, we highly recommend you install this amazing security plugin.

5. Having a setup Firewall

Firstly, let’s see what a firewall is. A WordPress firewall is a type of website filter that prevents unwanted traffic using a set of pre-programmed rules. There is a lot more under the hood, but the most important thing to remember is that firewalls prevent “bad” traffic online. A good firewall plugin or software is one of the best options for protecting your WordPress website.

The difficulty with WordPress firewalls is that their effectiveness cannot be determined only by glancing at their feature list. A firewall is only beneficial if it can keep threats out, but it might be challenging to determine this before deciding which one to employ.

6. Performing regular backups

Another easy step that often gets overlooked is the grander scale of things. Having regular backups means that if something goes wrong, your site can be up and running in no time. Making backups is also important whenever you drastically change your WordPress website. For example, you should do a backup before installing plugins, themes, etc. In case of a disaster, backups will allow you to recover files, media, databases, and even the prior look of your site.

You can use WP Umbrella to make automatic backups.

7. Using secure scans

The final thing to consider is using online security scans on your WordPress site. As their name implies, these tools offer various testing methodologies that probe your site for weaknesses. Most of the tools in this category have various options, such as scanning the HTML code and enumerating plugins, themes, and even users. The better software you find, the more confident you will feel if your site passes its test.

Conclusion

As we can see, WordPress security is not an easy topic to tackle. There are multitudes of viewpoints and things that can affect the security of a specific site.

However, if you follow the basic principles outlined in the article, your site will undoubtedly be a tougher nut to crack for anyone with malicious intent.

Hopefully, you can automate most of these tasks with a solution like WP Umbrella!