Last updated on November 20, 2023 by Mushfiq
WordPress is the most popular CMS managing 43% of website content worldwide. With that staggering amount of traffic, it is bound to allure a fair share of attackers and intruders. Thus, WordPress security can become an issue sometimes.
So, does that mean WordPress is not secure enough?
Well, the answer is not an easy yes or no. WordPress is pretty secure in terms of its security measures. But also, it can get messier if you don’t take some precautions.
Read ahead to know everything from a WordPress security standpoint and the things you can do to safeguard your site from any prying eyes. So let’s get started.
New to to WordPress? Read our guide on How to start WordPress blog and jumpstart your blogging journey with WP!
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Yes, WordPress is pretty secure with the latest security measures built-in. Its core team of security analysts and researchers is always looking for exploits or loopholes in the core software and patching them immediately with frequent software updates.
You will attract ants where there is sugar, right?
Likewise, hackers target WordPress sites because almost half of the internet runs on it.
To save the sugar, we keep our sugar can intact and secure, just like keeping the WordPress site safe by doing the best WordPress security practices. That’s all you need to do to minimize WordPress vulnerabilities.
However, you may be wondering, why are hackers able to take control of websites running on WordPress.
Well, the software itself isn’t responsible for that to be honest. It is us who leave our doors open for the hackers. Most often, users are not prepping up their websites with the latest WordPress security practices.
Intruders enter your kingdom from the tiniest and least cared window – a very easy password on the admin page.
Now, that’s something that is the user’s fault. WordPress can do nothing if your admin panel password is 12345678. Even a fifth grader can break through that level of security!
On top of that, using outdated themes and plugins can also pose a security threat. If these do not come from a reputed source, they can compromise your WordPress website’s security. They will inject malware and viruses into the site’s files and send sensitive information back to the hackers.
Know what breaks you and tighten it up for the next time someone tries to! Likewise, knowing how intruders commonly try to get into your websites is important to keep your site safe.
Commonly hackers use a variety of security vulnerabilities that exist. But the good thing is these can easily be fixed.
Let’s find out some security concerns that can break your WP website:
A very common newbie mistake many website owners make is not updating the core WordPress software. Maybe you have looked at the notification asking you to update the software. But you ignored the message and as a result, compromised your WordPress security.
Updates are not meant to only add new features. They come with patch fixes, removing vulnerabilities and addressing security concerns. When you delay the update, you are essentially inviting intruders to utilize these known issues and take control of your site.
Nobody wants that right? So, as a rule of thumb, always look out for any update notifications every time you log in to the WordPress dashboard and click on the Update button. Even better, set WordPress to update automatically and get rid of this annoyance.
However, WordPress recently released its core update – WordPress 6.4 along with an immediate maintenance release 6.4.1. If you haven’t updated the latest version yet, update it right now to ensure your site’s overall security and performance.
Plugins and themes form an essential component of your WordPress site. When you Install and customize a Plugin, you must keep it up-to-date. The same goes for the WordPress themes. These are pieces of software that need to be updated regularly. Without any patching, these pose the same level of concern as outdated WordPress software.
So, ensure that every theme and plugins are running on the latest version. This prevents any security risk from building up and ensures that the site performs to the best of its abilities.
An attacker will try to input a malicious piece of code into your website’s contact form. Then, they are saved into a database. The code can then run in the server’s backend, stealing passwords, credentials, and important information about your site’s users. For an e-commerce site or a financial website, this can do severe damage.
Intruders can insert pieces of malicious code into a legible website using Javascript. You may not even know a trusted website is running a malicious piece of code. Sometimes, they can even change the HTML code to show banners or adverts that may entice you to click it.
Most of the time, they will ask for personal and credit card information. Once the information is entered, it will end up in the wrong hands.
Hackers can target your website and send a huge amount of traffic. That would overload the server, and it crashes as a result. Then, legitimate users who would want to access your website will not be able to do so.
Another form of this attack is when intruders target your website from multiple locations. That makes it even harder to distinguish real users from hackers.
This is a somewhat common way of getting inside your WordPress site. Hackers will try to enter some common passwords to log in to your WordPress admin panel. They will continue doing this until they can enter. Normally, bots are used for these activities.
Compromised login credentials for WordPress, FTP, or hosting can severely make your site vulnerable. Most of the time, users do not change their username from the admin. Then, all they would need to do is guess the password that you have.
This process becomes much more difficult when you use a difficult password that is long and contains random numerals and symbols. Adding 2FA and Limit Login Attempts will also help a lot to prevent brute-force attempts.
Most websites allow users to comment on their posts. That’s where hackers can place links that can entice other users to visit a malicious website. Clicking on the link can also trigger downloading malware to your computer. They can then get hold of your credit card information or account passwords by accessing the browser cookies.
Even worse, they can lock down your files and ask for money to unlock them. For confidential information residing on your computer, this can be a major risk.
While using WordPress.org, security remains a major concern for yourself. You need to take actions on your own. On the other hand, if you buy a plan from WordPress.com then the company will take care of such security vulneribiity for you. See the difference between WordPress.com and WordPress.org to understand this topic more clearly.
As a website owner, you have multiple ways of ensuring your WordPress website remains safe. From taking prevention measures to removing malware, you have to do everything very carefully.
However, I have listed some commonly used security guides that most cybersecurity experts suggest.
Remember one thing. WordPress Security vulnerabilities will pop up every now and then. And how fast you respond to that threat determines your WordPress security. It is a continuous process just like your car’s maintenance. You have to continue doing this as long as your website remains live.
Let’s learn how to protect your WordPress site from hackers:
There is no alternative to using a strong password for your WordPress account login. Use a password generator to generate a password, which is long and hard to guess. Avoid using common passwords which are similar to your username. This will keep WordPress safe from unauthorized logins.
Also, enforce the same rule for users who log in to your account. Force them to change the password every few months. Keep the option to use two-factor authentication to harden the site’s login security.
Do change the WordPress username from admin. This is a serious security flaw, as the hacker is one step closer to logging in to your account. It is such a common issue reputed security firms are recommending.
So, change the default WordPress username as the first thing to do when setting up your WordPress site.
Developers release WordPress updates to patch WordPress security loopholes. By installing them, you are making sure hackers cannot use them to get hold of your website. A recent study revealed that outdated WordPress is one of the key reasons behind most website security breaches.
Your WordPress Dashboard shows if the latest core update is available. There is also an option to set up auto update, where WordPress automatically downloads and installs the most recent update. But remember that this can sometimes cause compatibility issues with plugins and themes.
Similar to WordPress, you must run the latest version of PHP. This is what your entire site runs on the backend. So whenever PHP has an update, you must install it.
Usually, PHP updates from your web host provider’s end. So log in to your hosting account and update the version of PHP.
If the same user tries to enter the wrong password many times, this can be a sign of a brute force attack. So, keep the number of times a user can attempt to log in to a small number. That way, the site won’t accept the user’s request when they try to log in.
Use a Limit Login Attempts plugin to easily add this WordPress security feature to protect your login.
This is also a healthy practice as it keeps legitimate users from changing their passwords regularly. Suppose a user cannot remember the account’s credentials. When they cannot log in, you force them to reset the password to WordPress login.
If you don’t want your WP admin panel to be accessible to anyone, you can set up specific IP Addresses that can get to the login page. Users who are coming from a different address will be blocked when trying to access this page. And you can successfully ensure your WordPress security.
But this has implications. You must use a static IP address that remains unchanged. Most users use dynamic IP addresses that change from time to time. Then WordPress will block you from accessing the admin page.
WordPress Security plugins are like antivirus programs for your website. They scan the website for malware, and viruses and remove them.
The plugins will also show you the recommended actions that you can do to strengthen the WordPress security of your website. Once you click these actions, it will take you straight to a particular WordPress setting that needs your attention. You change the setting, and your website gets secured.
Some popular WordPress security plugins you can use are Sucuri, Wordfence, and All in One WP Security. The best way to get full protection is by using their paid plans. But there are time-limited trials that you test to see if they are worth purchasing.
It would be best if you chose a web hosting provider who will always prioritize your WordPress security before anything else. Some companies provide automatic backups of your site, plus updates to WordPress, SSL certificates, and so on. You can definitely do these on your own, but in a managed hosting scenario, ensure that you are getting these features.
However, know what are the host providers’ disaster recovery plans – actions the company can take to mitigate the threat. This outlines how you can take control of your site in the event of a website takedown.
If you’re a beginner and want to know what factors to consider while choosing WordPress Hosting, then read another article specially curated for beginners on how to Choose the Best WordPress Hosting as a beginner!
Themes and plugins are what make WordPress unique. You can do an endless level of customization thanks to these tools.
But as you are bringing third-party code to your website, you should be vigilant that these do not harm you or your site’s users. A malicious code inserted anywhere in themes or plugins can easily steal the website’s data.
However, not all themes and plugins are harmful. Trusted companies make numerous reliable plugins and themes. For example, Thrive Themes, Astra, and Elementor are among the highest-selling plugins themes worldwide. They always ensure WordPress security.
Moreover, there are theme marketplaces where you get a good collection of WordPress themes. And they are used by millions of people worldwide.
So, keep an eye out for the tools you use for your site’s customization. You don’t want to jeopardize the user’s safety for some visual flair.
WordPress is secure and can be trusted for an e-commerce website. If you use an SSL certificate, add 2FA to your WordPress installation, and take the necessary security recommendations, it can safeguard your site.
To secure a WordPress site without any plugins, change the default admin username, use strong passwords, limit login access to the WordPress dashboard, restrict access to wp-admin and .htaccess files, change the default WordPress login URL, and use SSL on your site.
Yes, both hosted and the free version of WordPress encrypts your data. You won’t see an option to disable this. This shows how important WordPress considers encryption.
WordPress plugins and themes are secure as long as you buy them from a reputed source. They are pretty safe to use if the user ratings are positive and the manufacturer has a good reputation in the WordPress plugin and theme directory.
Just like any other website, WordPress can be hacked if you do not secure it properly. WordPress itself is pretty secure, with security updates pushed out regularly to close the security flaws. That also means you need to follow security practices such as strengthening your passwords, changing the default username admin to something else, and so on.
Similar to any other site, hackers can target your WordPress site with SQL Injection, phishing comments, XSS Scripting, installing backdoor access, Brute force, and DOS attacks. You need to have security measures in place for each of these vulnerabilities and protect your website from intruders.
You will see some anomalies in user activity and traffic when someone else takes control of your website. The number of user accounts will be increased, existing users will not be able to log in to their accounts, and you will see the site’s contents change.
WordPress is as safe as any content management system you can use today even if some potential vulnerabilities exist with this platform.
Nonetheless, There are a lot of different ways to safeguard your website. And once you apply these, the chances of getting your site compromised are reduced drastically. Keep yourself informed with the best security practices from the world of cybersecurity and your WordPress security should not be an issue.
I hope this article helps to keep your WordPress site secure. Do not forget to comment if you have any suggestions or questions. We’ll be happy to help further. Thanks for reading!