Top 8 Tips to Fix Most Common WordPress Security Issues

Just like any other platform, WordPress is also prone to hacks and scams. Considering the fact that WordPress is one of the major players when it comes to the free content management platforms, leaving WordPress for your security’s sake is out of the question. So, the only thing left to do is to strengthen your security measures.

When we say fortifying your WordPress site, we mean regular updates, removal of shady plugins, scheduling backups, and whatnot. So, if you want to protect your WordPress website from unauthorized access, here are 8 security tips to strengthen your defense!

1. Update Plugins

If your WordPress website still hosts outdated plugins, then you are in big security trouble. Generally, plugins are a small software component that customizes your website in some way. Since you integrate them into your website, they essentially become a door to your information. It is a threat; however, you can protect your WordPress by regularly updating your plugins.

The same goes for third-party themes. If you have incorporated any, you need to constantly update them to prevent attacks. To keep your plugins and themes up-to-date, you can go to your admin dashboard as it informs you whenever an update is available. If the incorporated plugins and themes support automatic updates, then configure the settings to rid yourself from the hassle of checking for available updates!

2. Acquire Scheduled Backups

You need to set up backups for your WordPress site. It may seem like an additional thing to worry about but scheduling backups are necessary since it provides users with a chance to resume their site’s functionality in no time in case of an attack. When it comes to WordPress, there are two kinds of backups, i.e. local backup and offsite backup.

Local WordPress backup is ideal for sites using shared web hosting. With the help of this, you will be storing your site’s backup online on the web hosting platform. On the other hand, offsite backup requires the individuals to backup and store the site on external platforms such as Dropbox, Amazon S3, and more. You can achieve offline WordPress backup through the UpdraftPlus plugin.

3. Delete Redundant Plugins

Redundant plugins are just as much dangerous as the outdated plugins. Once you incorporate a plugin into your WordPress site, you are essentially providing an easy gateway for scammers to hack into your site. Additionally, useless plugs can be dangerous since one tends to ignore the available updates. This is a major security threat so you need to rid your site from all the extra plugins.

So, assess your WordPress website and delete everything that you are not using. Also, never deactivate the plugins since deactivating would still allow the plugin to exist in your database. You need to shut off the access path for scammers, so deleting unused plugins is the right way to do it!

4. Secure Site’s Login

The best way of protecting your WordPress site from brute force attack is by securing up your login process. To add an extra layer of security, you can either limit the number of login attempts or you can set up a two-factor authentication system.

Often, hackers try to guess the password in order to gain access to the user area. If the login area is not protected, the hackers may succeed in guessing the password. To prevent this from happening, you need to integrate plugins that limit the login attempts.

You can also integrate two-factor authentication system that would require the users to enter a one-time code sent to their mobile phones apart from the usual login details. If you want to go with the latter option, you can utilize the Google Authenticator app.

5. Create Strong Credentials

You can strengthen your WordPress site by setting a strong password. An ideal password would be the one that contains at least ten or more characters with the right amount of specialized characters. You can also include upper case and lower case characters and numerical digits.

Your passwords need to be strong; however, not changing it can have the same effects as that of a weak password. So, make it a habit of changing up your passwords after every two months and keep a track of all the changes so you do not forget your credentials!

6. Invest in Good Hosting

Cheap web hosting options are prone to attacks and may render your other security efforts useless. So, investing in a good web hosting option should be a crucial step for you.

To fortify your security strategies, you need to search for a good hosting option. Although they can be expensive, they come with a number of features that protect against malicious attacks; for instance, WordPress firewall, updated PHP and MySQL, and malware scanning. Additionally, you need to find an option that follows the minimum WordPress’ web hosting requirement. To help you with this task here is a useful read!

7. Defend Against SQL Injections

SQL injections are nefarious in nature since it provides attackers with easy access to any site’s database. With the help of SQL injections, an attacker can create admin login credentials, get total access to your site, and operate on the sidelines to steal crucial information. Other times, hackers inject new codes into your database that leads to nasty websites.

To protect your site against SQL injections, you need to insert a number of codes into your .htaccess file. Inserting these codes can be a tad difficult, so you can take help from any WordPress web development service provider for seamless yet professional integration.

8. Schedule Malware Scans

Malware attacks are a serious threat and if ignored, it can result in loss of information, theft of data, and corruption of the site’s files. During any malware attack, the users can still access their WordPress site. Since all the infection remains hidden from the eyes, it is better to conduct frequent malware scans to stop such attacks in their tracks!

For this purpose, you need to integrate a plugin that not only cleans up the hackers’ mess but also protects your site from future malware attacks.

The Takeaways

These are just a few of the countless tips which you can incorporate to protect your WordPress site. Generally, your WordPress website needs a hospitable environment to flourish and if you are not creating the right environment, your website could face terrible consequences. This is why fortifying your website against cyber attacks is a crucial step which must not be ignored. So, implement all the great security options and keep yourself updated with the new threats so that you can prepare your site against such attacks in the future!