5 WordPress Blog Security Measures
A good blog security setup for WordPress is possible using a couple of plugins. It’s good enough to block the majority of attempts to hack but it’s certainly not a whole security system. Someone with a lot of determination could manage to sneak into.
For better security of your blog, you must take various steps, including plugins, complex passwords, and some best methods.
I’ve been contacted to tidy up a few blogs, but we couldn’t repair the harm caused by spam links that were added to blog posts as part of the purpose of a black-hat SEO attack. But they wouldn’t have happened. The owner had adhered to strict security for his blog from the beginning. We could remove the links manually and it would have taken many hours. Instead we had to reinstate the blog from backup.
Five ways you can increase WordPress blog's security
Here are some ways to improve the blog’s protection on your WordPress website.
- Eliminate your administrator account.
- Update your plugins.
- Use complex passwords.
- Make use of Sucuri Security or any other blog security extensions.
- Eliminate spam comments.
Let’s look at every security strategy.
Editor’s Note: For a comprehensive security program for websites that includes daily malware scanning, look into the Intentjet Website Security operated by Sucuri.
1. You can delete your administrator account
Create an administrator account in your name. As the person who owns this blog, it’s probably will be its creator regardless, so you must choose your name and not some generic term.
The most frequent username that hackers try to get into will be “admin,” and if you do not have a login using the same name, they won’t be able to access your account. It’s similar to trying to open the lock at your front door even though it’s not there.
Additionally, ensure that all other authors or contributors on your blog have accounts at the level of author/author if someone does manage to gain access to their account instead. In this way, the attacker has only limited access to conduct any activity on your site.
You can also monitor which accounts hackers try to hack into using the Limit Login Attempts plugin to protect your blog (see below for more details).).
It is possible to set it to block login attempts made by a specific IP address when there has been a series of unsuccessful attempts. I have mine set to block these IP addresses for at least 168 minutes (1 week) in the event of four unsuccessful attempts. In the event of failure, I receive an email that informs me which user is trying to get into nine times out of 10. It’s “admin,” which means that they won’t be able to access the account.
2. Update your plugins
Hackers often target older plugins, specifically when the plugins contain security flaws. One of the reasons developers of plugins release updates is to fix those vulnerabilities, and if you’re using an outdated plugin that hasn’t been updated for two years, it’s at risk.
This is especially true for plugins that their developers abandoned. Some hackers have even been known to purchase an extension from the creator and then use it as a method to break into blogs still using the plugin.
To ensure the security of your blog, be sure to check it every week at least and then update any plugins that are outdated promptly.
While we’re talking about it, be sure to limit the number of plugins you use. The more plugins you have, the slow-going your blog is down, but it also increases the risk of vulnerability. Limit the several plugins you use and improve the security of your blog. Also, don’t simply disable your plugins that aren’t used. Remove them, too. Even if nothing else is done, this will help increase the speed of your blog.
3. Use complex passwords
I’ve discussed before the importance of making use of complicated passwords. If you’re using a primary password such as carrot or carrot37, you’ll likely be attacked sooner than later.
But suppose you can use a complex password like HeddyLamarLovesFastPitchSoftball or, even better, three or four unrelated words like manpower-lite-feather-pacific. In that case, they’re going to be a lot harder to break into than carrot37.
It is also possible to use passwords that employ different upper and lowercase numbers, letters and special characters, such as *8)R83CRD[$3cuZGq, but they’re not really needed now. The person who invented the rules, Bill Burr, has apologized for creating these rules in the first place. He admitted that when he primary came up with the policy in 2003, he wasn’t aware of anything about passwords.
It is that the string of random characters is more likely to break rather than four words randomly joined with hyphens. This means the password with four words is likely the best choice. (You could look up a fantastic comic by xkcd about the topic.)
To create and keep track of one’s passwords, I would suggest using a vault for passwords, such as 1Password; LastPass and KeePass are excellent alternatives. There’s no distinction between them, and it’s just your personal preference. They are compatible with tablets, laptops, and cell phones and have browser plug-ins. If you have a vault for passwords, you need to type in the master password or print your thumb while the vault can enter your blog’s password and username for you.
4. Make use of Security or other blog security plugins
In the past, I have mentioned the Limit Login Attempts as a security for blogs plugin. Knowing that the attackers are attacking your blog isn’t the same as stopping them. If you are using LLA, I recommend installing WP-Ban, which lets you block specific IP addresses from accessing your blog.
When I receive emails from Limit Login Requests (see the first item above), I open the WP-Ban window and block the IP address causing the problem. Make sure that you don’t accidentally exile yourself.
In terms of other plugins for security on blogs are concerned, there are many choices to pick from:
- Sucuri
- Jetpack
- WordFence
- Thames Security
- All In One WP Security & Firewall
Sucuri, WordFence, and All In One offer free versions and paid upgrades. However, the iThemes plugin is paid only. The free versions accomplish pretty much, but you can upgrade it for some dollars. It’s your decision.
Ultimately, they all accomplish the same thing: offer blog security. However, there are various options and features they offer, which means you can pick the one you prefer:
- Sucuri offers SSL certificate (which gives you an HTTPS URL rather than HTTP). It also has blocklist monitoring, file-integrated monitoring, security notifications as well as security toughening. You also get instant alerts whenever something is not right in your blog.
- Jetpack offers immediate backups, restorations, scans for malware, and spam security. Jetpack also protects brute force and monitoring downtime/uptime.
- WordFence It’s easy to use yet has powerful security tools, such as the security of logins, as well as the enforcement of complex passwords, as well as tools to recover security incidents addition to malware scanners that look at themes, files and plugins to detect malware (see point 2 above). It also restricts access to logins and features an option to ban users similar to the one I’ve described.
- iThemes is primarily a paid plugin; however, they provide many functions for the security of your blog. Two-factor login (that’s when you are given an additional login code in text), daily malware scanning, password security online file comparison (to observe changes to files), and Google ReCAPTCHA, which is a way to stop spam comments.
- The Complete In One — Provides security for users’ accounts, prevents forced login attempts, and improves the protection of user registration as well as the ability to secure files and databases. It is also a great choice even if you’re just beginning. The program uses a visual display that includes graphs and meters so that it is easier to understand how it functions.
5. Eliminate spam comments
While it’s not necessarily an issue for security on blogs, some spammers prefer throwing more than a dozen links into one comment. Don’t forget that Google does not pay any attention to words to serve SEO reasons; spammers haven’t been able to grasp the significance. Here are some ways to stop spam comments:
It is now possible to turn on Akismet.
Akismet is an anti-spam tool included with WordPress (if it isn’t installed, you can download it using the “Add New Plugins” button). It is possible to get an account for free. However, I recommend you pay them just a few dollars per month. They filter out thousands of spam comments from me every month across the various blogs I run. It’s worth it.
Block comments on older blog posts
I close all my blog posts for the public for comments within two weeks. However, you can extend the period comments are allowed for longer if you’d like to engage in more discussion. If a spammer is aware that a specific URL will work, they’ll use automated software to visit and leave a few comments. If this happens, you must close the comments on that post immediately.
CAPTCHA verification
If you’ve ever stumbled across that “Click Here to verify that you’re not a bot” box or been asked to input specific numbers and letters that you’re unable to comprehend, You’ve probably seen the CAPTCHA. The CAPTCHAs are designed so that automated spam comment software cannot read them so that spammers using software won’t be able to bother you. This can be done with an application or plugin such as iThemes.
The author must approve comments.
It’s a little complicated, but opt for this option in the Discussions screen (see Settings > Discussion in the sidebar). settings > discussion within the menu) You’ll get an email each when you receive a comment. You will then have the option of whether to publish, delete or mark each comment as spam. WordPress will eventually figure out the difference between spam and what’s not and will handle many of your spam messages for you.
Use the blocklist keyword function.
On the Discussion screen, you have the option to create a list of keywords you should never use to be used in comments. If you continue to receive certain types of spam in your comments, search for the words they are using consistently and add them to this page. The comments they leave won’t be added to the moderation queue, meaning you’ll never need to handle them.
What happens if I do not make use of WordPress?
There are over 80 different blogging platforms on the market. However, WordPress remains the No. one in the world, making it the most appealing to hackers. This is why WordPress has developed more robust blog security than other platforms. If you’re using an account on Blogger, Tumblr, or Medium site, ensure that you have complex passwords. However, you’ll be unable to utilize plugins or other measures to protect your blog.
Your website and blog are vital to your company, and when you’ve put in it for a while, and you’re not careful, you’ll be unable to salvage a significant amount of work, which could be devastating. It is necessary to make each effort to secure your blog.
Ensure you have a secure password, remove your admin account, and keep your plugins current and limitless. Enure that you are using a reliable security solution like Sucuri. If you can do all of these, then your blog’s security is strong enough to make it virtually difficult for hackers to get into.
Of course, there is nothing impossible to hack and so be sure to have a backup plan to be in place in the event of something going wrong. Some plugins can help also!