Is WordPress secure?

WordPress, as we all know, is the most popular publishing platform. It is widely used to build websites, and 34% of all websites are WordPress-based. It is also an open-source CMS, meaning the code that runs WordPress is visible to everyone.

Due to this, WordPress security has become a major concern for website owners, both private and industry-led. Hackers target websites powered by WordPress every single day. In fact, there are over 90,000 hacking attacks per minute, which is quite alarming.

How is my WordPress site being attacked?

If the security of your website keeps you up at nights, there are certain points to keep in mind while preparing for its security. The major concerns include source code protections alongside precautions taken by the hosting provider as well as the site owners.

Five major issues come into play in terms of WordPress security. Let's take a look at them:

• Brute-force attacks: Hackers use a trial and error method to gain access to your site. Let's say the login credential for a default WordPress admin page is "admin." It isn't going to take much effort for a hacker to get through such a poorly protected site.  
• PHP file exploits: Your wp-config.php file is the most important file in your site directory as it holds crucial information about your WordPress installation. Failing to protect this file will end up in insecure access to your blog or website.
• SQL injection attacks: While installing WordPress, the default prefix in the MySQL database turns out to be the [wp-] prefix. This gives hackers the chance to attack the database via SQL injections, and thus, access to your sensitive data.
• Cross-site scripting: Referred to as XSS, cross-site scripting is most commonly found in WordPress plugins. The attacker injects a malicious script into a trusted website or application and uses this to send malicious codes to the end-user. And all of this occurs without you ever finding out!
• Malware: Malware stands for malicious software. There are ways to redirect the web traffic to malicious sites by injecting redirect codes into the WordPress site. 

What can I do to protect my website?

Like many others, since your website is also powered by WordPress, it becomes a key target for hackers who want to infect your website. The good news is, there are multiple ways to defend your site from being controlled by such attackers. Look at the top tips below:

Settle on the right web hosting:

Choosing the right web host will solve most of the security issues for you. A secure host will have industry-proven processes in place and be right there for you in case something goes awry.

Ensure scheduled backups:

A great way of taking the site back online after a disaster is having timely backups. There are several free and paid back-up plugins that you could use.

Have a solid password: 

What makes a password strong? One that is hard-to-guess and contains alphabets, punctuation, and numbers. You could always take the help of a password manager to guide you with the generation of safe passwords and also then storing them all in a secure vault.

Limit login attempts:

To prevent hackers from trying to crack your passwords with different combinations, you can install a 'limit login attempts' plugin. This plugin will make sure to control the hackers from mounting a brute-force login attack on your website.

Edit the WordPress login URL and default username:

If you have a WordPress site, the login URL will be domain.com/wp-admin. Everybody knows this, including hackers. This calls for you to immediately change your URL and secure yourself from brute-force attacks. 

Another important tip is to never use the default username for your administrator account. Always opt for a custom username while installing WordPress and keep those hackers at bay.

Conclusion

Now we know the various factors that make a WordPress site vulnerable to attacks. Whether it is a weak password or an older version of WordPress, you can always harden your system by following the best security practices mentioned in the above points. Invest time and money in keeping your website well-protected and reap the benefits of a great WordPress experience.