Getting a blog hacked after years of hard work is a sad reality. Since WordPress powers about 25% of websites, your site can easily become a statistic. You’ve put in the hard work, now do what you can to protect your WordPress blog!
Blog security is something that many new bloggers overlook. Don’t be naive though. Every year hackers exploit plugin and site vulnerabilities to take control of sites they don’t own. There are several steps you can take to protect yourself from a site hack.
I encourage you to take each of these steps to secure your blog seriously!
Blog Security Tips
It’s estimated that more than 37,000 websites get hacked every day. If you run a WordPress Blog, security breaches can open you up to identity theft, public data leaks, and servers crashing. As your business grows, customer expectations increase. They need assurance that their contacts and payment information are safe. Here are some WordPress blog security tips that bloggers should absolutely implement ASAP.
Install a WordPress Security Plugin Like WordFence
WordFence security plugin has robust login features. It detects malicious activity and blocks intrusion attempts on your WordPress website. After you install WordFence, you’ll gain insight into the overall traffic trends. This plugin has impressive features, including firewall protection from brute force attacks. The scan option fights off real-time threats, malware, and spam.
Once you install WordFence, you should set up security login features. Since the default login option is solid, administrators can use passwords and block out users after many failed attempts. WordFence provides a robust 2-factor authentication.
Change Your Blog Login URL
Once hackers gain access to your website, they can guess the login details. With this in mind, changing the URL should protect your website. This doesn’t guarantee 100% security but makes it harder for hackers to gain access.
Thankfully, you don’t need to spend much money to change the WordPress Login URL. The easiest way to do this is to install a reliable blog login URL-changing plugin like WPS Hide Login. That way, you won’t interfere with your website’s backend files. You simply install and configure the right plugin.
To change your WordPress website URL, you should back up your website, install a plugin, configure, update the bookmarks, and test your login URL. It just takes a few minutes, if you use the right tool.
Never change your WordPress URL manually. If you do this, you may create errors with the logout screen and cause issues that may compromise your website functionality.
Block Users From Login After 5 Failed Attempts
Failed logins can happen for many reasons. Maybe a user has forgotten the password or someone is trying to break in. If you can limit the login attempts to five, you significantly reduce the chances of success. By default, WordPress gives users unlimited login attempts. This allows hackers to exploit their tactics using different combinations.
To limit the login attempts in your WordPress website, you should install the Wordfence plugin. Simply visit the Wordfence Settings page and customize it. In the “All Options” section of Wordfence, you can select the number of login attempts a user can make under “Brute Force Protection.”
I recommend immediately blocking anyone who tries to sign in using the user name “admin” as this is a common username WordPress website owners use. Make sure you are not using this username and then add it under “Immediately block the IP of users who try to sign in as these usernames.”
You can even choose whether to receive a notification when someone is locked out. This is one of the few WordPress blog security tips you can’t afford to ignore.
Create a Very Strong Blog Password
The password you use in your blog will protect your WordPress website from cyber criminals. Your password should thwart brute force attacks and make your blog unbreakable. If you’re a target, the attackers will use everything they know about you in their guess attempts. A common mistake for many bloggers is to use the same password on multiple sites. Others choose something they can easily remember.
To ensure your WordPress blog security, you should select a unique password with numbers, special characters, and capitalized letters. Use a password generator like this Norton one to come up with a unique, complicated password.
While strong passwords are difficult to remember, you can use a password manager to make it easy. You should change your password often to reduce the chances of a hacker breaking into the site. A general rule of thumb is to change them once every three months.
Keep Your WordPress & Plugins Up to Date
If your WordPress website is out of date, it can be hacked. For this reason, you should update your website regularly. Some people hesitate to update a website because they feel the layout may change. The secret is to keep the website simple.
Lots of us rely on plugins to improve WordPress functionality. Every time a new plugin comes out, malicious bugs get discovered. If you don’t update the plugins, you increase security breach points. This explains why more than 30% of WordPress hacks happen due to outdated plugins. When you keep your WordPress plugins up to date, your blog won’t be compromised.
Bloggers should update a plugin as soon as an update is available. They can even set a reminder once or twice a month. Of course, one should update the website first, then the plugins.
Hello! Thank you so much for all of the content on your website. Do you have any recommendations for wordpress plugins to use to change the site URL or blocking users after failed login attempts?
Yes, I use the plugin WPS Hide Login!