6 WordPress Security Tips for 2023
If you want to build a safe website, using WordPress as your platform is a great place to start. It’s not only versatile and sophisticated but remarkably secure as well.
WordPress developers are concerned about security and are committed to reinforcing it as much as possible. Furthermore, they routinely issue security patches, which are downloaded and applied to your site automatically. In turn, your website is well-prepared to deal with new threats as soon as they emerge.
Importance of WordPress Security
Even though developers try their best, no platform can be fully secured. WordPress hackers are hard at work trying to break into even the most secure websites. They can compromise valuable data, modify your site to suit their interests, or even bring it down.
Such attacks can be detrimental to both you and your users, and if you’re a business owner, it can result in losing clients and revenue. That’s why it’s critical to treat WordPress security seriously.
So, in this article, we will share 6 WordPress security tips you can apply today to improve your website’s security.
WordPress Security Tips
Get a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
You’ve probably heard of a firewall, which is a program that helps prevent various types of malicious attacks. A web application firewall prevents harmful traffic from reaching your website, such as DDoS attacks or SQL injections.
WAF serves as a barrier between your WordPress website and the internet. Instead of allowing direct access to your website, the WAF will force traffic to go through it first.
Web application firewalls run according to a set of rules known as policies. These policies try to guard against WordPress vulnerabilities by screening out harmful traffic. The value of this firewall solution stems in part from the ease and speed with which policy changes can be made. Rate limitation, for example, can be immediately established during a DDoS attack by altering these policies.
To improve your WordPress website security, you can install a WAF in the form of a plugin or use any popular cloud-based solution.
Run Regular Malware Scans
Malware infections usually leave clues on your website. These include everything from traffic decreases to strange redirects to different websites. But that’s not always the case. Sometimes, you might be unaware that your website has been hijacked.
Fortunately, there’s a simple way to find out, and that’s by running a malware scan. Regular malware scanning is very important, especially since WordPress is the most popular CMS and, as such, the most targeted by malware.
A variety of solutions are available for performing malware scans, such as security plugins and even online scanners that only ask you to enter your website’s domain name. So make sure you use one to protect your website from a whole host of WordPress security vulnerabilities.
Note: Sometimes, using a commercial malware scanner just doesn’t work. Especially if your website is highly compromised, in which case you will likely need to purchase a manual malware removal service.
Set up Security Headers
Security headers are another great security measure that protects your website from some common WordPress vulnerabilities that can lead to serious damage.
When a user opens your website, your web server responds by sending an HTTP header to their browser. This answer provides information to browsers about cache, error codes, and more.
HTTP 200 is the standard header response status, which usually results in the user’s browser successfully loading your webpage. If your website is having problems, your web server may transmit a different HTTP header. It may, for example, send a 500 internal server error or a 404 not found error.
Security headers are a subcategory of these headers, and they are used to protect websites from common threats such as cross-site scripting, click-jacking, and more. Here are two HTTP security headers that can help safeguard your website.
- X-XSS-Protection is used to prevent cross-site scripting.
- X-Frame-Options is used to prevent click-jacking and cross-domain iframes.
You can add these headers to your website in a variety of ways. For example, you can use .htaccess, install a plugin, and even enable them through different WAF solutions that support this feature.
Use Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Enable two-factor authentication on your WordPress website to enhance login security. It will shield you from someone guessing your password or attempting to brute-force it.
This authentication technique adds an additional layer of security to the WordPress login page by requiring users to enter a unique code from their phones in order to log in successfully. The code can only be obtained by a text message or an authentication app.
To add 2FA to your website, install a 2FA security plugin on WordPress and an authentication app, such as Google Authenticator, on your phone.
Add a CAPTCHA
Adding a CAPTCHA is the easiest thing you can do to improve WordPress security, and you’ve already encountered it countless times while browsing the web.
CAPTCHAs can take several forms, the most popular of which is distorted text that you must decode. Other types of CAPTCHA ask you to select photos that satisfy specified criteria. Google reCaptcha is much simpler, requiring only a single mouse click from the user.
The challenge offered in all circumstances is one that most humans should be able to easily complete. Even today’s most proficient bots, however, are incapable of understanding corrupted phrases or visual fragments. In turn, they are temporarily blocked from your site if they are unable to pass the test.
Bots attempt to attack any part of your site that allows information input, such as login forms and comments. By requiring a CAPTCHA before form submission, bots are prevented from successfully accessing your site or injecting harmful code into it.
To secure a WordPress site, you can install a CAPTCHA solution, just like you would any other plugin.
Change the Login Page
As a final step, consider changing the URL of your login page to further protect your website against brute-force attempts.
By default, the WordPress login page is easily accessible by adding wp-admin to the site’s main URL. WordPress hackers can try to brute force their way in if they know the direct URL of your login page.
Using 2FA and CAPTCHA on your login page is great, but wouldn’t it be better if hackers didn’t even know where to start? Defaults can be our most vulnerable security points, and changing your wp-admin page is too easy to overlook.
Dozens of plugins provide this service, so make sure to get one in order to secure your WordPress site.
Final Words
Taking care of WordPress security is not a one-time endeavor. In fact, your website’s security should be frequently reassessed.
Using our six-step guide is a great place to start, but it’s important to stay vigilant and take security seriously. So make sure to stay informed on the latest WordPress security trends and keep its core and plugins up to date.
Published version: wpguardians.com/six-wordpress-security-tips-for-2023
Task: Write a 1000-word long article about 6 basic WordPress security tips.
Client: WP Guardians