WordPress is a commendable content management system that keeps on topping itself for a variety of reasons. It’s a highly sought after platform and this is a fact evident in the way millions of people are opting for WordPress and using it to run their online businesses.
Even though WordPress boasts a popularity that’s truly unparalleled, the hacking geniuses out there are always in look out for a single chance to compromise its security and make it vulnerable to security attacks. If you own a WordPress site you can never be assured of its safety against hacking attacks unless and until you don’t have any best of breed system in place.
Security has always been a serious issue among WordPress users and dealing with it is critical. Though no one can guarantee 100% safety of a WordPress site, but setting up some right security measures and taking some actionable steps can definitely help you to have a bulletproof WordPress site to a certain extent.
With this in mind, here is a list of some clever tips which you can implement to keep malicious coders at bay.
1. Stop Using the Default Username
For those who are still glued up to the default username, they are definitely exposing them to danger. Hackers very well know that WordPress gives its users a default username called “admin” at the time of installation. If you continue to use it, then you are already making their job half-accomplished as they can easily predict your password using bruteforce technique.
Therefore, it is recommended to change your username to something else. There are two ways to go about it. You can either create a new admin username and delete the old one or you can change the username through PHPMyadmin. All you need is just login to your cPanel and navigate to PHPMyAdmin. Select your WordPress database and look for WP_users. Click on the “Edit” button, next to your “admin” user, and start changing the user_login field with a relevant name.
2. Always Opt for the Latest Version
Always keep your WordPress website up to date to steer clear hacking attacks. The latest versions not only offer you better features and bug fixes, but also make sure your website is impenetrable to security attacks. The open-source nature of WordPress files, themes, and plugins further makes this platform exposed to security threats. Their codes are easily accessible to hackers. They can easily track down the websites using older versions and use it for their advantage. So, make sure you keep the updates rolling to avoid the danger lurking around your website.
3. Restrict Login Attempts
To minimize the risk of your website getting hacked, it is recommended to use a plugin that allows you to limit the number of failed attempts and even block the IP address for a specific number of hours. There is a very famous plugin called Limit Login Attempt provided by WordPress that helps you achieve this goal efficiently. This nifty plugin makes it easy for you to lock a user if they enter a wrong password more than the specified limit. The plugin also lets you know how many attempts hackers have made to hack your website.
4. Disable WordPress Theme and Plugin Editor
The WordPress editor allows people to alter the components of theme and plugin files directly from the admin area. This could give advantage to some malicious coders as they gain an access to your dashboard and spell doom to your entire site. To tackle this issue, we advise you to keep your WordPress theme and plugin editor turned off. It’s a very simple process, just add the below mentioned code to your wp_config.php file and you’re done.
define( ‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true );
5. Keep Directories Inaccessible
No one has the power or right to establish an illegitimate access to your directories, so keep them hidden. The default structure of WordPress allows anyone to have an access to your directory page, and this alone is enough to bring downfall to your website. In order to curb its access, you need to edit your .htaccess file and sync it to your website via FTP client. Once done, you can add the following line to your .htaccess file.
Options -Indexes
To Conclude
WordPress can be made secure easily, all you need is to have a strong grip on some practical methods and tools that together keep your website safe against those prying eyes.
Author Bio:
Sophia Phillips has been working as a professional in WordPress website development company and loves sharing information about leveraging multiple benefits of WordPress in the best possible manner. Currently, she has an impressive count of WordPress – related articles under her name.
