If you have chosen to use the open source resources, then you are automatically signing up for a potential security threat to your digital property. WordPress is no exception! But, there are various practices to make your website not only more secure but also more efficient.
With the advancement in security measures, there also comes an advancement in the techniques used by the attackers. This is why we need to make sure that our website is protected from all the sides.
The list of measures one has to take for keeping the website secure is too long. Hence, at DRC systems we ensure you a trouble-free website development experience.
The one simple practice that everyone can adapt to without having to take care of any technical measures is to choose passwords carefully. All the check-points where you are asked to set a password during WordPress installation and set up are crucial even if you can’t anticipate their criticality at that moment.
Also, read: Top Tips To Protect WordPress Admin Area
Best Practices for making WordPress less vulnerable to attacks-
Objectives:
1. To protect the Login page
2. To make the admin dashboard secure
3. To make the database more secure
4. To let the host take care of your WordPress security
5. To protect the website by proper usage and updating of themes and plugins
Protecting the Login page
By default, you can access the Login page of any WordPress site by adding /wp-login.php or /wp-admin/ at the end of its URL. Now, this access to the login page can be changed to something less easy for the attacker to get through. How?
1. By locking the user out after a specific number of failed login attempts
The purpose of limiting the number of failed attempts is to minimize the risk of Brute force attack.
Achieving this by tweaking the code is one way to go. There are many WordPress Plugins like Loginizer, iThemes Security, and WPS Limit Login out there for this.
2. By using two-factor authentication
This is the simple principle of using ‘something you know’ and ‘something you have’ components for logging in. Simple as it may sound, but this method produces a large combination of inputs making it a good safeguard against identity theft. Google Authenticator Plugin is the most widely used one for this purpose. Also, SecSign and Shield Security are among the popular ones.
3. By changing the Login Url altogether.
As mentioned above, accessing the Login page of any WordPress site is no big deal. But you can make it a tough task by changing the generic Url. This can be achieved by choosing a less obvious yet, SEO friendly URL.
You can change the login URL even without a plugin but that is not recommended as it requires messing with the WP Core files. So some of the recommended plugins for this task are Custom Login Url and WPS Hide Login.
4. By logging out the idle users automatically.
This can be of great help in an organization where authorized users leave the panel open for everyone (including unauthorized party) to access the data. Setting a time limit for every active session is how you can implement this goal. Some of the plugins out there for this purpose are, Idle User Logout and WP Security Audit Log.
Making the dashboard more secure
Suppose, the attacker somehow manages to get past the Login process. This gives him direct entry to the dashboard. Admin dashboard is probably the most important backend component of your WordPress website. Hence, protecting it becomes crucial. To be able to see and edit the data of dashboard, one needs access to the wp-admin directory.
1. By securing the wp-admin directory
Securing the wp-admin directory can be achieved in two ways- with or without using a plugin. Both ways are equally effective for the basic purpose. But Plugins such as WP htpasswd provide an edge by automatically generating passwords, taking care of their encryption and managing the permissions.
2. By using an SSL certificate
This is a standard practice simply because of its effectiveness. Using an SSL certificate would imply encrypting the data to be transferred between the user and the server. This makes it difficult for potential attackers to breach the connection. This also prevents spoofing of data due to the man-in-the-middle attack.
Making the Database more secure
It goes without saying that ensuring utmost security for your database is crucial. Let us see how to take proper measures for achieving this goal.
1. By changing the database table prefix
WordPress Database, by default, uses the prefix wp- in every table name. This generic nomenclature makes the database vulnerable to attacks. Changing it to something specific can be helpful. Plugins like WP-DBManager make it a ‘single-click’ task.
2. By regulating automatic backups
Keeping a safe last-copy of your website is an old trick that never goes out of fashion. Backups give you that room for setting up your entire website from scratch again if something catastrophic happens. Automatic backups can be scheduled and spaced as per your wish.
Plugins like VaultPress make sure to take it an extra mile by letting you know if any shady data is infested in your latest backup.
Ensuring WordPress security by using the website host
Hosting companies ensure minimum security of WordPress websites. But just to extra sure that we are reaping the maximum benefits, we can undertake the following measures.
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1. By disallowing the file editing
This can be achieved by adding ‘define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true); in wp-config.php file at the very end. This disables everyone else\s authority to modify any of the files. This trick comes handy even if the attacker has access to the dashboard.
2. By disabling the directory listing with .htaccess
Every time you create a new directory, you are required to put an index.html file in it. If you fail to do so, that directory will be available for everyone to see if they have access to your browser.
What if you can’t remember putting index.html in every directory, and yet don’t want its access to be public on your browser?
Adding Options All -Indexes in the .htaccess file is a sure way to tackle this problem.
3. By protecting against DDoS attacks
This form of attack is referred to when an attacker who has access to your server populates it with other data and tries to consume the bandwidth of your website. This isn’t a data compromise threat at its core. But it poses the risk of your site crashing.
Premium subscriptions to plugins like Sucuri, Cloudflare help WordPress Developers take care of this issue.
Protecting the website with proper usage and updating of themes and plugins
It is impossible to imagine an efficient WordPress website that doesn’t use themes and plugins. Security breaches due to suspicious plugin installation is a very common occurrence. Therefore, it is sometimes recommended that you get your customized plugin developed by a trustworthy team.
Though careful consideration is always necessary before putting any plugin or theme to use, there are other ways to tackle this issue too.
Updating as per the industry norms and developers’ recommendations are important because many types of attacks rely on your sluggishness. Hackers would always want to exploit the bugs in previous versions.
Automated notifications and information on WordPress updates can be seen on the dashboard. Themes and Plugins require manual updates.
Shradha Makhija, an enthusiastic tech geek with a goal of making people more
aware of various technologies. Writer By Day and Reader By Night. Writer at DRC Systems – a
leading IT company in Gandhinagar.
