WordPress' popularity as a content management system (CMS) has made it a prime target for cyber attacks. In order to protect your site and its data, it is essential to implement effective security measures. In this article, we will explore the key security measures to adopt to ensure the protection of your WordPress site.
1. Regular updates
WordPress, themes, and plugins are regularly updated by their developers to fix security vulnerabilities and improve performance. It is therefore important to update them as soon as a new version is available. If it is possible to enable automatic updates, that is even better.
2. Securing access and passwords
TThe longer and more complex a password is, the more difficult it is for hackers and their bots to crack it. It is therefore important to use strong passwords made up of letters, numbers, and special characters, and to change them regularly. Limiting the number of login attempts to prevent brute-force attacks is also a good way to prevent intrusions. Additional measures such as changing the login URL to the administration or using security plugins can be very useful.
3. Choose your themes and plugins carefully
Many plugin publishers are themselves dishonest, and often integrate malicious code into their products. It is therefore important to install only themes and plugins from reliable sources. In addition, checking the reviews and ratings left by other users/buyers can help you get a precise idea of the publisher's credibility. Finally, you should avoid using outdated, unmaintained, or "cracked" themes or plugins.
4. Protect your database
By default, the prefix of the tables in the WordPress-created database is _wp. It is strongly recommended to change this value during installation to make it more difficult for hackers to have access to your content.
5. Make regular backups
Despite all the precautions you can take, it happens that you are the victim of sophisticated attacks, or simply that a human vulnerability is exploited by a hacker. That's why you should always have an up-to-date copy of your project (files and database) to restore everything in desperate situations. This measure is really of paramount importance.
In conclusion, the security of your WordPress site is essential to protect your data and that of your users. By adopting the measures mentioned in this article, you are establishing a solid barrier against online threats. Keep in mind that security is an ongoing process that requires constant vigilance. By staying proactive and following best practices, you are contributing to creating a safer and more reliable online environment.