How To Secure A WordPress Site

In this article, you will learn how to secure a WordPress site. WordPress is a popular
open-source content management system (CMS) that is used to power millions of
websites, web applications, and blogs.

It currently powers more than 35% of the top 10 million sites on the Internet.
Its usability, extensibility, and mature development community makes it a popular and secure choice for websites of all sizes.

Is WordPress Secure To Use?

The question of whether WordPress is secure or not depends entirely on you, the website owner. Website security is about risk reduction.

The question of whether WordPress is secure or not depends entirely on you, the website owner. Website security is about risk reduction.

Follow our WordPress security best practices to harden and protect your website from threats.

How to Secure a WordPress Site

This guide is intended to educate any WordPress user on basic security techniques and actionable steps that will help to secure your WordPress site and reduce the risk of a compromised.

1. SSL Certificates (HTTPS Connections)

SSL allows a website to be accessed over HTTPS, which encrypts the data sent between visitors and web servers.

SSL certificates provide a secure connection of trust by establishing security.

How does SSL work?

It comes with two major keys, public and private keys. Both are encrypted and gives encrypted data to its users. Secure Sockets Layer takes care of the data security when passed between the web server and browser.

SSL certificate helps to encrypt data from loss and falling into wrong hands. The data may contain information such as login id, password, address, payment details, etc,.

The data is being transferred from one website to another so ensuring its security is much needed. Hence by having an SSL certificate helps you towards working on how to secure a WordPress site.

2. Don’t use “admin” as username

using ‘admin’ as your username, you are making a big mistake.

Most of the attackers will easily guess that your admin username is “admin”. Why? Because almost everyone is using it.

You can easily block a lot of brute-force and other attacks simply by using a different admin username.

During the installation of a new WordPress site, you will be asked for the admin username during the WordPress installation process.

If you already have a WordPress site, you can follow the instructions in our tutorial on how to change your WordPress username.

3. Use strong passwords

There are thousands of people that use phrases like “password” or “123456” for their admin login details.

Needless to say, such passwords can be easily guessed and they are on the top of the list of any dictionary attack.

A good tip is to use an entire sentence that makes sense to you and you can remember easily. Such passwords are much, much better than single phrase ones.

Here’s an article showing you how to create a complex password and actually remember it.

4. Ensure your computer is free of viruses and malware

If your computer is infected with a virus or malware software, a potential attacker can gain access to your login details and make a valid login to your site, bypassing all the measures you’ve put in place.

This is why it is very important to have an up-to-date antivirus program and keep the overall security of all computers you use to access your WordPress site on a high level.

5. Limit The Number Of Invalid Logins.

Limiting the number of incorrect login attempt to your site helps in protecting your WordPress site from brute-force attacks and people trying to guess your password.

6. Keep Your WordPress Updated

Ensure your themes and plugins are all updated.

Hackers always find new ways to infect servers. With regular updates, it always make sure that your themes are as secured and protected as possible.

Same case to your plugins. This one of the sure ways to keep away from being affected by any malicious attack and working towards figuring out how to secure a WordPress site.

7. Protect the wp-config.php file.

Thewp-config.php file contains a very crucial information about your WordPress site. The most important files in your root directory are all listed here.

Protecting the file means securing the core part of your WordPress site. This way, you are making it difficult for hackers to access your WordPress site and infect it with malicious files.

How can you do that?

simply move your wp-config.php to a higher level other than the root directory.

8. Disable file editing.

By default, the admin can be able to edit any files in the Cpanel including the themes and plugins.

So if you one accesses your WordPress Dashboard as an admin, they can be able to do the editing with an aim of compromising your website.

To be on the safer side disable editing of the files. This will ensure that hackers will not be in a position to edit your files even if they get access to your WordPress dashboard.

9. Set Up a Two-Factor Authentication.

Another security measure to put in place in enabling the 2FA on your WordPress login. The security measure allows you to link your login to your mobile phone or tablet using an app like Google Authenticator, which sends a secret code to your phone.

With this, only the person with your phone can log in

To achieve this use a plugin like Google Authenticator which is easy to set up in just a few clicks.

Wrapping up on how to secure a WordPress site

WordPress is one of the most powerful and popular Content Management Systems that makes it easy for anyone to create a website.

Its popularity has made WordPress a constant target from cyber attackers. However, you do not have to worry because there are a million ways that you can secure your website and keep the hackers away.

Do not be a victim of hackers.

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