3 Tips For Keeping Your Wordpress Website Secure

Whether you are a blogger or run an online store, you most likely use WordPress as your platform. The popularity of WordPress makes it more vulnerable to hackers and viruses than other content management systems. Fortunately, there are ways to keep your website secure.

Make Access Difficult

The process of selecting a username and password during a fresh installation of WordPress can make or break your security. Creating an uncommon username can be just as important, if not more so, as using a complex password. When hackers try to break into your website, the first username they will try is "admin" or some variation of this word. Other usernames you should avoid include "user" or the name of the website. Once you have decided on a username, you need to change the display name under your settings. This will prevent your username from being displayed if you create blog posts or other content on your website.

Another, more-complicated way of making access to your website difficult is finding a way of hiding the log-in page. You may need to learn coding or install a plug-in that is capable of making this change. Since "robots" or pieces of malicious code are used to infiltrate websites, if the log-in page is not found by using the conventional admin page, you are less likely to have your website hacked.

Install A Security Plug-In

The most important plug-in you need to install is a security system. For optimum performance, you should invest in paid versions of security plug-ins, but free versions are enough to start. When choosing a security plug-in, focus on ones that have been positively reviewed by many people and that have recent updates. A good security plug-in will be updated frequently to provide the most comprehensive protection to your website and to ensure it works with the most recent version of WordPress. The more features available for the plug-in, the better. Some features you should consider are two-factor authentication, the ability to block IP addresses, and limiting log-in attempts.

Two-factor authentication can provide an extra layer of protection for your website. Typically, anyone logging into their account will need more than a password, but may need access to the email address associated with the account or text messaging. This way, if your password is compromised, someone cannot log into your website.

IP blocking can help decrease attacks over time. Depending on the specific plug-in you are using, you may be able to block IP addresses that attempt to log into an account with a user name that is not registered to your account. You can also block IP addresses with numerous failed log-in attempts.

Limiting the number of log-in attempts can also protect your website. Some types of hacking not only attempt to breach your website, but can also cause server problems with massive log-in attempts, which can crash your website. You should also receive daily or weekly emails regarding the IP addresses that have attempted to log into your site, the names they have used, and other activity on your website. This can help you adjust your security settings.

Use A Password Manager

An online password keeper can also protect your site when you consider security at the computer level. Simply browsing the Internet can leave you vulnerable to inadvertently downloading Trojans and keystroke loggers. The benefit of a password manager is you do not have to remember numerous unique passwords for different accounts, which can make it easier to use complex passwords for each site. A password manager can prevent you from being locked out of your account for multiple failed attempts, but it also minimizes the likelihood of malicious software gathering passwords you type in. If other people work on your website, you should encourage them to use password managers as a means of protecting their sensitive information and minimizing infiltration of your business website.

Keeping a blog or business website secure can be overwhelming and detract from your goals. Knowing basic security principles can give you peace of mind so you can focus more on the growth of your business.


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