Just as computers are vulnerable to viruses and malware that can damage files, compromise privacy and spread to other computers without your knowledge, the same can be said for websites even though their files are located on remote servers rather than your local one. computer.
Performing regular checks and testing the security level of a website is essential to prevent hacker attacks that exploit potential security flaws in the platform that hosts your website.
Regarding CMS platforms, according to the latest research, almost 30% of websites worldwide are on the WordPress platform. With over 1.3 billion active installations on the Internet, it is certainly the most popular choice by developers and website owners. However, thanks to its popularity, it attracts much more attention from hackers than some other CMS and can often be the target of hacker attacks.
In this text, we will talk about the measures you can take to check the security of your website. By implementing these measures, you can greatly reduce the chance that your site will be the hacking target and fall into the hands of the “bad guys”.
Nine tips for checking website security
- Activate HTTPS connection
- Update WordPress plugins and themes regularly
- Remove WordPress plugins you don’t need
- Make regular backups of your website and data
- Control and verify file integrity
- Protect your site from brute-force attacks
- Change your username
- Automatically generate new passwords
- Do a site security check online
So let’s start.
1. Make sure you have a valid SSL certificate
The letter “s” in https:// stands for Secure Socket Layer , which encrypts the data moving between the web browser and the server. This has become so important that having an SSL certificate is a significant screw and ranking signal for website search engine optimization. Also, several years ago, Google started a phased introduction of changes whose ultimate goal is for all sites to have an SSL certificate. One of the stages involved marking all sites that do not have an SSL certificate installed as “NOT SECURE”. Make sure Google doesn’t flag
2. Regular updates of themes and plugins
If your site is on the WordPress platform, it is extremely important to update WordPress and the installed themes and plugins regularly. Due to its open source code, and the fact that it is used by millions of people worldwide, WordPress is an almost perfect target for various hacker attacks that occur due to security flaws. With regular updates, security flaws that potentially exist in earlier versions are corrected in new ones, and therefore there is less chance of you becoming the target of an attack.
You can view a list of the latest security vulnerabilities in WordPress themes and plugins at this link.
3. Remove plugins you no longer use
Deactivate and delete all those add-ons you don’t use, especially add-ons that haven’t been updated in months or even years. Such add-ons are a perfect target for hackers who buy and update them, with the change that they now contain malicious code that consequently gives the hacker the ability to access your site through the add-on.
In addition to the security aspect, removing unused plugins and themes helps reduce complexity and prevent confusion if other people have access to your website. Also, the amount of files is reduced when a backup is generated; consequently, regular “cleaning” can partly affect performance improvement.
4. Make regular backups of all data
It’s not uncommon for years and years invested in a blog and creating its content to disappear in an instant with the help of a bit of malicious code. All of this can be prevented if you have a website backup – usually in multiple locations.
5. Control and check the integrity of files
Pay attention to all those files you add to your website and consider them when thinking about security. Photos – as well as Excel and Word documents, even PDFs – can be altered by hackers. In this regard, a plugin that scans or monitors file changes can help you.
6. Protect your website from brute-force attacks
What is a Brute-force attack? Imagine a thief trying every key on your key fob until he finally finds the one that unlocks the door to your home. This is exactly how a brute-force attack works in the online world. Attackers let the computer do its job – trying different combinations of usernames and passwords until they find the one that allows entry, or they use various software to attack the login button at a hundred clicks per second. You can counter these actions in several ways:
- Use complicated passwords, preferably with random letters and numbers, or even better, random words
- If you use WordPress, use plugins like “Limit Login Attempts” to block brute-force attacks and ban those IP addresses from which the attacks come.
7. Change your username
Brute-force attacks typically target the wp-login.php file within a WordPress installation repeatedly. Therefore, we advise you not to use “admin” as a username. Most attacks assume that people are using this username because early versions of WordPress defaulted to “admin” as the username. If you’re still using this username, create a new account, transfer all posts to that account, and change “admin” to a subscriber (or delete it entirely).
8. Automatically generate new passwords
Speaking of brute force attacks, you can greatly reduce the chances of them happening by using strong passwords. Don’t try to come up with complicated passwords yourself. Instead, generate passwords through a program like 1Password or LastPass and use their automatic password generation service to create an almost impenetrable protection. These programs create a password that is a string of words, letters, or numbers that is nearly impossible to decipher.
Also, by using such software, all passwords will be in one place.
9. Check the site online
Several services for checking site security, including WordPress plugins, can do this.
Conclusion
There are dozens, if not hundreds, of useful measures you can take to protect your website from hackers. Many of them are an integral part of the security measures provided by the hosting provider as part of its service. If you are more of a “do-it-yourself” type of person and have your own personal server or are building a website from scratch – you will need a professional developer to take care of these things. However, there are basic security check steps that everyone should follow regardless of who the site is hosted by or what type of software it uses.
In short, if you have a website that is hosted on a server, unfortunately, there is always the possibility that you will be attacked by hackers, cybercriminals, and other “bad guys”. The likelihood that they will manage to access your website and steal important data – depends on you.
