WordPress is a popular open-source content management system that makes website creation easier.
WordPress has a lot of functionalities that enable users to create blogs, personal or business websites, and eCommerce websites.
A lot of websites on the internet use WordPress because its functionality can be expanded with the help of plugins, as a result, sites built on WordPress are vulnerable to cyber-attacks.
There are many ways to secure your WordPress website from cyber-attacks, some of the ways are described below.
1. Using valid SSL Certificates.
Secured Socket Layer (SSL) uses standard security technology to encrypt all data between your web server and your website.
This encryption safeguards any information that is transferred from and to your website.
You can purchase your SSL Certificate here.
2. Changing your default login URL to a custom one.
WordPress by default comes with yourdomain.com/wp-admin for your admin URL and yourdomain.com/wp-login for default customer or client URL.
It is recommended to change those default URLs to custom ones. There are a lot of plugins that can assist you with this. Go to plugins in your admin dashboard area, click add new, and search for a custom login URL.
Check the plugins with great reviews and install, following the instructions.
3. Use a strong username and password with re-captcha.
WordPress by default assigns you the username for admin as admin. This is very easy to guess for hackers and bots.
It is recommended that you change your admin username to something unrelated to your site, something very difficult for cyber-attackers to guess.
Also use a strong password with at least eight characters, one capital letter, and a special symbol.
In addition to a strong username and password, you should also use google ReCaptcha or hCaptcha to help prevent bots from brute-force attacks.
4. Always install at least one security plugin.
There are a lot of security plugins for WordPress, some being free, others paid. It is recommended that you install at least one security plugin to help prevent attacks on your website at the web level even before it gets to your server.
Some of the popular security plugins are All in one security, Wordfence, Cerber, Jetpack, etc… Here’s a link to those https://wordpress.org/plugins/search/security
5. Always keep your themes and plugins updated.
Most WordPress themes and plugins come with regular security updates that patch loopholes.
It is recommended to keep all those updated.
6. Always avoid using poorly coded or nulled plugins and themes.
There are some websites that provide paid plugins and themes of others for free. Most times these plugins and themes have been modified and embedded with malicious codes that make your WordPress website vulnerable and open to attacks later on.
It is recommended that you purchase or get plugins and themes either directly from WordPress or the developer's website.
