Tips to Secure Your WordPress Website

WordPress is one of the best content management systems out there, from its user-friendly platform to its fully customizable features and functionality, WordPress is ranked as the most popular content management system of the global CMS market. Despite its high-rankings and extreme popularity, some website owners are still hesitant to use it. The thought is that the use of open source scripts can make your website vulnerable to cyber-attacks, and fortunately, this is mostly untrue.

Even if this were partially true, and WordPress websites consistently experienced security vulnerability, the blame would be on the website developer, not WordPress itself. There are some crucial responsibilities website owners have in protecting their sites against cyber-attacks and hacking. Below, we’ll discuss the basic actions you must take to protect your WordPress site.

Use 2-Factor Authentication

Installing a two-factor authentication module on your website’s login page is a simple but effective method in protecting your site.

How it Works: In order to log in to your website, users must provide login details for two different components (chosen by you). These additional components can be a secret question, a secret code, or a set of secret characters. You can even have a secret code sent directly to your mobile device via the Google Authenticator plugin/app.

Set Stronger Passwords for Your Databases

A strong password containing upper and lower-case letters, special characters, and numbers will work in protecting your website, as WordPress uses this password to access your database. If you have trouble coming up with one yourself, you can use Secure Password Generator, a free and quick online tool used to create the strongest passwords.

Login with Your Email

By default, you have to use a created username to login to your WordPress website, but unfortunately, usernames are easy to predict, and this can contribute to your website’s vulnerability to hackers. Using an email ID to login to your site is a more secure approach. The easiest way to accomplish this is to install the WP Email Login plugin. Fortunately, there’s no configuration necessary! As soon as you install it, any user can log in your site by using the email they created their account with.

How do I change my Default Login URL page in WordPress?

By default, your website’s login URL will end with “wp-login.php” or “wp-admin.php”, and this can decrease your website’s security. When hackers know your login URL, they can attempt to force their way in with GWDb (Guest Work Database—a database of millions of guessed usernames and passwords) or other methods. To change your login URL, download the iThemes Security plugin, and configure your settings. This method will restrict any unauthorized entity from accessing your website’s login page.

Update WordPress Core and Plugins Regularly

The most effective method you can use in securing your website is updating consistently. This is the most important—but usually the most overlooked—detail in maintaining and caring for a website. Whether it be plugins, themes, or WordPress core itself, the software you use for your website is constantly being updated and improved upon. Bugs and security vulnerabilities are fixed in newer, updated versions, so it’s important to keep up with them when they’re released. Luckily, WordPress notifies you via email and dashboard when updates on your software are necessary.

Alternatively, you could opt for a managed WordPress hosting plan. In addition to improved security, a managed WordPress hosting plan offers automatic updates for all of your WordPress websites.

If your website is hacked, you’ll spend lots of money and time trying to repair the damage. You can permanently lose data, and your clients’ information will be compromised. To prevent a situation like this from happening to you, follow these essential tips and secure your WordPress website today!