Table of contents
1.
Introduction
2.
An overview of WordPress Security
3.
Steps to Secure WordPress
3.1.
Install a WordPress Security Plugin
3.2.
Use secure WordPress hosting
3.3.
Secure your login procedures
3.4.
Update your version of WordPress
3.5.
Install SSL Certificate
3.6.
Backup your website
3.7.
Conduct regular WordPress security scans
4.
How secure is WordPress             
5.
Frequently Asked Questions
5.1.
What Is the Importance of Website Security?
5.2.
Is an SSL certificate required if my website is not an eCommerce site?
5.3.
What are WordPress's most intriguing and valuable features?
6.
Conclusion
Last Updated: Mar 27, 2024

Security in WordPress

Author ANJU JAISWAL
0 upvote
Career growth poll
Do you think IIT Guwahati certified course can help you in your career?

Introduction

Every website owner should be concerned about the security of their site. Every day, Google blocklists over 10,000 websites for malware and approximately 50,000 for phishing.

You can take various things to safeguard your WordPress site and protect it from hackers and vulnerabilities.

                    

                                                            Source - Link

In terms of WordPress security, there are numerous things you can do to safeguard your site and keep hackers and vulnerabilities out of your eCommerce site or blog.

An overview of WordPress Security

According to WordPress:

"Security...reduces danger rather than eliminates it." It's about using all of the necessary controls available to you, within limits, to improve your overall posture and reduce your chances of being a target and being hacked."        

WordPress is licensed under the General Public License (GPLv2 or later), which grants four fundamental freedoms and can be thought of as a "bill of rights" for WordPress users:

  1. The ability to use the program for whatever purpose you want.
  2. The ability to redistribute wealth.
  3. The capability to understand how the application works and modify it to suit your needs.
  4. You can make copies of your updated versions and share them with others.

Steps to Secure WordPress

Install a WordPress Security Plugin

Regularly checking your website's security for malware is time-consuming. You could not notice you're looking at malware built into the code unless you stay up with coding techniques.

                           

                                             Source - Link

Others have acknowledged that not everyone is a developer and have produced security plugins for WordPress to help. A security plugin watches your site's security scans for viruses and keeps track of what's happening around the clock.

Use secure WordPress hosting

There are distinct variables to consider when selecting a hosting service for your website, but security should be one of them. Consider services that have taken precautions to protect your data and recover quickly from an attack. Check out our list of WordPress hosting providers.

Secure your login procedures

Keeping your accounts safe from malicious login attempts is essential in safeguarding your website. To do so, first:

                                           

                                                       Source - Link

  • Use complex passwords.
  • Make two-factor authentication available.
  • Make no accounts with the username "admin."
  • Login attempts are limited.
  • Include a captcha.
  • Turn on auto-logout.

Update your version of WordPress

Hackers frequently target outdated versions of the WordPress software. Check for WordPress updates regularly and install them as soon as possible to avoid vulnerabilities found in previous versions.

                                                  Link - source

Install SSL Certificate

SSL, or Single Sockets Layer, is now widely used for all websites. Initially, SSL was required to secure a website for specific processes, such as payment processing. However, Google has realized its significance and gives SSL-certified sites a higher ranking in its search results.

                                                   Link - source

 

Any website that handles sensitive information like passwords or credit card numbers must use SSL. All data between the user's web browser and your web server is sent the plain text without an SSL certificate. Hackers may be able to read this. By encrypting important information before it is delivered between their browser and your server with an SSL, you make it more difficult to read and your site safer.

Backup your website

Being hacked is a terrible experience. It's even worse if you lose all of your data. Make sure WordPress and your host have backups of your website data in case of an attack (or any other occurrence) that results in data loss. Automatic backups are also recommended. Check out our selection of the top WordPress backup plugins.

        

                                                                   Source - Link

Conduct regular WordPress security scans

Checking your site regularly is an innovative practice. At the very least, try to do it once a month. There are several plugins available that will scan your site for you.

               

                                                Source - Link

How secure is WordPress             

According to the WPScan Vulnerability Database, the WordPress core software is responsible for 74% of the known vulnerabilities. But here's the kicker: the most vulnerable versions of WordPress are all from version 3.X:

                                  

                                                           Source - Link

WordPress gives its users a lot of power, and with that power comes a lot of responsibility. Many people avoid taking responsibility. Hackers are aware of this and specifically target WordPress sites.

Sucuri's 2017 Hacked Website Report revealed an unsurprising correlation. Sucuri found that 39.3 percent of compromised WordPress sites were using out-of-date WordPress core software at the attack.

                   

                                                               Source - Link

However, you can rest comfortably knowing that perfect security does not exist, primarily online. You'll never be completely safe from online dangers, but you may take action to make them far less likely.

Frequently Asked Questions

What Is the Importance of Website Security?

A hacked WordPress site can significantly harm your company's reputation and revenue. Hackers can steal passwords and user information, install harmful software, and even infect your users with malware.

Is an SSL certificate required if my website is not an eCommerce site?

Without a doubt. An SSL certificate is not only a solid security practice, but it is also one of Google's ranking signals. Money is not always collected online. Some websites collect data or provide membership options. Your site's login credentials, cookies, and form submissions can be easily intercepted if you don't have an SSL certificate.

What are WordPress's most intriguing and valuable features?

These characteristics make WordPress so popular: Simple to set up and upgrade, SEO engine built-in, Theme picking is simple and free, Flexibility.

Conclusion

This blog demonstrates that WordPress is secure, but only if its users are concerned about security and adhere to best practices. Hackers can quickly attack your WordPress site if you don't keep it secure. Maintaining the security of your website is straightforward and may be done for free. This blog discusses some of the alternatives of WordPress security.

Refer to our Guided Path on Coding Ninjas Studio to upskill yourself in Data Structures and AlgorithmsCompetitive ProgrammingJavaScriptSystem DesignMachine learning and many more! If you want to test your competency in coding, you may check out the mock test series and participate in the contests hosted on Coding Ninjas Studio! But if you have just started your learning process and are looking for questions asked by tech giants like Amazon, Microsoft, Uber, etc; you must look at the problemsinterview experiences, and interview bundle for placement preparations.

Nevertheless, you may consider our paid courses to give your career an edge over others!

Do upvote our blogs if you find them helpful and engaging!

Happy Learning!!

Live masterclass