The fact that WordPress powers over 40% of global websites is a testament to its reliability and security as a platform. However, combining such user numbers with the growing sophistication of cybersecurity threats means that WordPress can’t keep your site safe on its own.
Fortunately, managing WordPress security doesn’t have to be difficult. By implementing a few straightforward security measures, you can significantly improve your website’s defenses, keeping data safe and maintaining business as normal.
In this article, we’ll look into essential security tips every WordPress site owner should know, and introduce you to the best solutions to protect your website from external threats.
Essential WordPress security tips to fortify your website
Not following WordPress security best practices is the number one reason for hacked websites, so be sure to prioritize the following:
Install a reputable security plugin
Perhaps the most important measure of all is to install a reputable security plugin. The best tools on the market take care of multiple tips on our list, as we’ll discover in due course!
Plugins like Solid Security strengthen the most vulnerable areas of your website, including user login authentication and software vulnerabilities. Users gain comprehensive protection against common cyber threats like brute force attacks, Structured Query Language (SQL) injections, Cross-Site Scripting (XSS), and phishing attempts.
By continuously monitoring your site for suspicious activity and providing real-time alerts, a security plugin helps to keep potential threats at bay.
“The worst case scenario is losing your entire website over a security issue, so why take the risk? A reliable plugin is like your guardian, working away in the background while you run your business. They safeguard sensitive data, maintain your site’s integrity, and help you avoid costly breaches. With the sophistication shown by cybercriminals these days, investing in website security is nothing less than a necessity.”
David G Johnson, Product Owner, SolidWP
Choose a security-focused hosting provider
Choosing a security-focused hosting provider is another massive step in safeguarding your site. Look for providers that offer the following:
- Firewall protection: This filters and blocks malicious traffic from reaching your website, preventing unauthorized access.
- Malware scanning: This action detects and removes malicious software found on your site.
- Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) encryption: SSL secures data transfers between your website and its users, protecting it from interception.
- Automatic backups: Backups regularly save copies of your website’s data, essential in cases of data loss or file corruption.
- Continuous network monitoring: Real-time surveillance of your network detects security threats as they occur, allowing for a timely response.
Additionally, consider the types of hosting offered. Dedicated and Virtual Private Server (VPS) hosting isolates your resources, offering better security than shared hosting.
Use a Content Delivery Network (CDN)
CDNs improve website performance by caching content at edge servers located closer to users. This results in faster load times and an ability to handle traffic spikes, which can send a server haywire. A CDN plays a crucial role in managing Distributed Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks, as it can proactively monitor and cleanse incoming traffic.
By caching content, CDNs serve cached versions to users, reducing server load in the event of an attack. Furthermore, a rate-limiting function restricts the number of requests from a single Internet Protocol (IP) address and can block known malicious IPs or bots. Many hosting providers offer built-in CDN services, making it a valid consideration when shopping around.
Enable SSL/HTTPS
SSL encryption secures data transfer between your website and its users. It also ensures that your site loads over HTTPS — the secure version of HTTP — protecting sensitive information from being intercepted.
Beyond security, SSL offers significant benefits, including improved search engine optimization (SEO), as Google uses SSL as a ranking factor. An SSL certificate also increases consumer trust, as users are more likely to visit a site marked as secure.
Most reputable hosting providers automatically handle SSL encryption, so double-check this prior to agreeing on any plan. As of 2023, more than 85% of websites were using an SSL certificate, and it’s one of the easiest security measures to implement.
Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
A WAF identifies, filters, and blocks malicious traffic from accessing your website. By monitoring incoming and outgoing traffic, a WAF can protect your site against various common cyberattacks, such as SQL injections, XSS, and DDoS attacks.
The best way to set up a firewall is by choosing a reputable security plugin like Solid Security or a hosting provider offering this as a built-in feature. These solutions manage the configuration for you, removing the need for coding.
For more detailed information, read our comprehensive guide to firewalls.
Keep WordPress, plugins, and themes updated
Regular WordPress core, themes, and plugin updates help to maintain a secure website. These often include security patches that protect your site from known vulnerabilities. You can automate plugin updates from the WordPress Plugins dashboard and core files from the main dashboard.
Alongside keeping your system updated, ensure that all unused plugins, themes, and user accounts are removed to minimize potential security risks. The fewer gateways hackers have to exploit, the better. Keeping your Hypertext Preprocessor (PHP) version up to date is also vital, as an outdated PHP can expose your site to threats. Most reputable web hosts manage PHP updates on their servers.
When it comes to updates, Solid Security Pro offers automatic vulnerability patching. By integrating with Patchstack‘s enormous database of known vulnerabilities and fixes, patches can be applied whenever a problem is found.
Change the default ‘admin’ username
By default, older versions of WordPress set the site admin username to ‘admin’. This gives potential hackers a headstart when trying to break in through your login screen, as they’ll only need to guess your password.
To guard against this risk, create a new admin account with a unique username. Log out of WordPress, then log back in using your new name. Delete the old admin account, making sure to transfer any content to the new one.
It’s also good practice to update your WordPress database prefix to further secure your site. This is a string added to the start of database table names, with the default prefix wp_. You can do this by renaming all database tables using phpMyAdmin or the MySQL command line interface, making it harder for hackers to guess table names and exploit these gateways. For more detailed information, download our free guide to brute force attacks.
Use strong passwords
Strong passwords are difficult for both humans and automated scripts to guess, reducing the likelihood of someone accessing your site through its login page. Follow these best practices for creating strong passwords:
- Use a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters.
- Include both upper and lowercase letters.
- Ensure passwords are over 12 characters long.
- Avoid using known words to guard against dictionary list hacking attempts.
- Avoid using your name, username, business name, or website address.
- Regularly update your passwords to maintain security.
Solid Security can help with this process by forcing strong passwords and regular updates. It also prevents the use of any passwords that have appeared in data breaches tracked by Have I Been Pwned.
Use two-factor authentication (2FA) or passkeys
2FA adds an extra layer of security by requiring a second form of verification in addition to a login password. This is usually a code, sent to a mobile device, which protects an account even when a password is compromised.
The easiest way to implement 2FA on your WordPress site is by using a plugin like Solid Security. For an even tighter login defense, consider using passkeys, which eliminate the need for passwords and 2FA by using biometric data or device-based authentication. Passkeys also speed up sign-ins for users, with the average login taking 14.9 seconds, compared to 30.4 seconds via a password.
For more information on passwordless logins, refer to our in-depth guide to passkeys.
Limit login attempts
Limiting login attempts is an effective way to prevent brute force attacks, which rely on repeatedly trying different username and password combinations to gain access. By using a solution like Solid Security, you can easily set a threshold for the number of login attempts allowed before a user is locked out. Such a move also protects your server from being overwhelmed by repeated login attempts, ensuring site performance is unaffected.
Solid Security adds further protection by connecting you to its Brute Force Protection Network of over 1 million sites. This automatically bans any IP addresses that have attempted to break into a site within the Solid community.
Enable automatic logout
Automatically logging out inactive users prevents unauthorized access by guarding against cookie hijacking. Enabling automatic logout ensures that idle sessions are terminated, reducing the risk of malicious activity.
The easiest way to add this feature is by using a free plugin like Inactive Logout. This tool allows you to automatically log out users following a specified time period. You can also customize logout messages and redirect users to a specific page after they’ve been automatically logged out.
Run regular backups
In the event of a security breach, server crash, or user error, having a recent backup allows you to restore your site and avoid data loss. Solid Backups is an excellent solution, offering secure offsite backups that act as insurance against various threats, including hacks and malware infections. An automated process provides peace of mind, knowing that your data is safe and can be restored with ease whenever necessary.
Regularly scan for vulnerabilities
Regular vulnerability scanning can identify potential weaknesses in your WordPress site before they can be exploited. These scans help detect security flaws in your core files, themes, and plugins, allowing you to address them the moment they’re found.
A variety of vulnerability scanners are available for WordPress, many of which are integrated into comprehensive security plugins. As we’ve seen, Solid Security Pro is an excellent choice for finding — and repairing — vulnerabilities. Its Patchstack integration helps to automatically identify and fix potential problems, ensuring your site remains secure.
Monitor user activity
Monitoring user activity is particularly important for sites with multiple users. Keeping track enables site owners to have an overview of any insider activity that may compromise security. The easiest way to monitor user activity is by using the likes of Solid Security, which offers comprehensive user logging. This feature allows you to see who logged in, what changes were made, and the time they occurred. Any suspicious behavior can easily be detected before it leads to bigger problems.
Set file permissions
Setting correct file permissions in WordPress protects your core files from unauthorized access. Only necessary users will have the ability to read, write, or execute files, protecting your site from potential security breaches. Follow these steps to secure your WordPress files:
- Use a Secure File Transfer Protocol (sFTP) client like FileZilla or your hosting provider’s File Manager to connect to your server.
- Locate the root directory of your WordPress installation, which contains folders like wp-admin, wp-content, and wp-includes.
- Right-click on each directory and set permissions to 755. This allows the owner to read, alter, and execute, while others can only read and execute.
- For files, set permissions to 644. This allows the owner to read and write, while others can only read.
- Your wp-config.php file should have permissions set to 444 to prevent any modifications.
To further secure your files, you can disable file editing from the WordPress dashboard. This prevents attackers from changing your files through the backend or WordPress admin area. To do this, add the following code to your wp-config.php file:
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);You can find more information in our comprehensive guide to file permissions.
Disable XML-RPC
The XML-RPC function allows external services to access and modify content on your WordPress site. Common services that use XML-RPC include the Jetpack plugin, WordPress mobile apps, and pingbacks. If you’re not using any services that require XML-RPC, it’s best to disable it to prevent attackers from exploiting the gateway.
The first step should be to check if any of your themes or plugins use the XML-RPC function. To do this, input your site address on the XML-RPC validator.
If you discover the function is working, you can check the plugin/theme files in your wp-content directory, found via an sFTP or your hosting provider’s file manager. Any devices using the function will have the xmlrpc.php string in their file name. You can then decide if those devices are needed, or to disable the XML-RPC function completely.
The easiest way to disable XML-RPC is by using a plugin. Solid Security offers built-in functionality to disable the function at the flick of a switch. Download our free guide to WordPress security to find out more.
Take action: Secure your WordPress site with Solid Security today
Securing your WordPress site is not just a recommendation, it’s a necessity. Increasingly sophisticated cyber threats mean that extra precautions are essential to safeguard your website and your customers’ data.
Having the right infrastructure in place to protect your site against malicious actors is one of the most important security measures you can take. For this, you’ll need to choose a reputable hosting provider and a powerful WordPress security plugin.
Solid Security offers a comprehensive feature set designed to strengthen site security with minimal setup. From real-time monitoring and automated vulnerability patching to 2FA and brute force attack prevention, Solid Security provides all the tools you need to keep your site safe.
Don’t wait until it’s too late! Get started with Solid Security today and take your website’s defense to the next level.