Top Reasons Why WordPress sites Get Hacked And Prevention

If you are thinking that only WordPress sites get hacked then this is not the case. Almost every website (irrespective of the CMS or platform used) poses a potent threat from hackers. However, WordPress being the most popular CMS, it is more prone to getting hacked as you will find approximately 35% percent of websites are based on WordPress. That means a large number of websites are WordPress based. And do you know that every minute WordPress websites face 90,000 attacks!!! As WordPress is popular among developers, it is an equally popular target for hackers as well.

However, hackers look for opportunities where they can easily penetrate and exploit the weakness of your website rather than specific targeting (this may happen with the most popular and top brands websites though). Hackers hack the websites to carry out malicious activities which may include stealing the data of your clients, selling illegal products, stealing money, and more. The common reasons that allow hackers to hack your website are:

Insecure web hosting
Security loopholes in the theme, WordPress plugin, or it may be WordPress security issues. This usually happens when any of these have not been updated.
Through login details- trying to login by using multiple usernames and password combinations.

Let it be any security breach, it will prove costly for your website as well as your business. If you pay negligence to your website’s security, there will be no surprise if your WordPress site gets hacked some or other day. So website security is vital.

Does My WordPress Website Possess a Threat From Hackers?

This might be the question lingering in your mind at this moment. Let me rule out all the presumptions (that are completely baseless of course) that most of the WP beginners and small website owners have. They have assumptions such as small websites are not targeted by hackers and are insignificant to them. These assumptions are totally wrong guys!!! The fact is hackers use automated bots that scan the internet to find sites with security loopholes and they hack the website wherever they see any opportunity. This is applicable for all small as well as big websites so all websites possess an equal threat.

You won’t get an alert message beeping on your screen saying that ‘Your website is being hacked!!!’(we haven't reached that further in the technology yet). So, for now, all you can do is take some preventive security measures that won’t let the hackers penetrate easily and keep your site safe.

How Can I Beat The Hackers?

Here are a few simple ways that will help you to prevent your website from being hacked.

1. Safe Web Hosting

Choose a good hosting provider as all good web hosting providers will take all the measures to ensure the complete security of your information on their servers. So while choosing a web hosting provider, do have a check on WordPress security measures they take ( they may be using a firewall or secure FTP), see how they respond and handle the security breaches, and know-how they monitor the servers.

Don’t opt for a shared hosting plan. If you have a shared hosting plan, there are more chances of your hacked wordpress site. This is because hackers can easily use other websites that are on the same server and get access to your website. The most reliable (and costly) option for hosting is to have a dedicated server. This is great particularly for those websites that have high traffic and hold sensitive data.

2. Install A Security Plugin

A security plugin works comprehensively for your website’s security. A high-quality plugin plays a significant role in enhancing the WordPress security of your site. Most of the security plugins have a firewall for blocking any kind of suspicious traffic coming to your site. For random and multiple login attempts being made to your website, they have brute-force protection. Security plugins issue regular notifications about your website’s security as they include a scanner that checks the themes, plugins, and files on your website to see if there is any security-related issue.

3. Selecting A Secure WP Theme

It is crucial to select a secure WP theme and for this, you need to get a deeper look into the features and other aspects of the theme. You can check on a few things to make sure that the theme you are choosing is secure. A secure theme is usually updated regularly and has optimized and secure codes in its core. It follows high coding standards and hardly has any bugs. However, selecting a secure WordPress theme can be tricky as you have thousands of themes to choose from. So, you should start by looking at themes on WordPress.org because here, you will be able to check about the number of installations the theme has, when was the theme updated, what are the clients’ reviews about the theme. These are all very useful indicators about the security of your theme.

4. Updating WordPress

Yet another important security measure is to keep WordPress updated. You need to keep it up-to-date since WordPress software undergoes regular updates for fixing any bugs, or security issues and for optimizing its overall performance. Normally, if any new update in WordPress is available, a notification message will appear on your WordPress dashboard. When you click on them, the updated version begins to download. You can also apply automatic updates for every new and updated version of WordPress release. But you do have to keep in mind that before you make any update to WordPress, take the backup of your site.

We have already discussed that hackers try to infiltrate into your website by submitting multiple login attempts. They try to access your website through multiple automated ‘guessed’ login attempts. If your login credentials are common and more obvious, there are more chances that the hackers’ attempt will succeed. So if you want to fail their attempts, you need to choose an atypical username and password. While setting a password, include a mix of letters, numbers, and special characters. It is normally recommended that your password should be of at least 12 characters and you should not include any dictionary words into it. Do not use similar usernames and passwords for your website related accounts. Otherwise, there is also a chance of those accounts being hacked.

6. Strong Authentication

Merely using a strong password is just not enough to ensure the security of your website. You need to further strengthen it by using two-factor authentication. It is extremely useful in cases where you have multiple users logging into the back-end of your website. Using two-factor authentication is much safer as users need to complete the login procedure in two stages. First, they need to enter their username and password. And the second time they need to enter the OTP i.e. one time password for getting their identity verified. For this, you may also use the relevant plugin or app.

7. Disable The Option Of File Editing

As WordPress has a code editor allowing you to edit the files of your site through the dashboard, it is a tiny gap from where the hackers can peek into your website. Though file editing is very useful from your website’s point of view, As it can be seen as an opportunity by hackers for hacking your website, it is better to turn it off.

8. Timely Scanning Of Your Website And Computer

Scanning your website at regular intervals can be a great help as it will check the viruses, malware, and suspicious codes. There are several plugins that can be used for scanning your website as these plugins will scan the site and if there are any security-related issues, these plugins will suggest ways to fix them. However, merely securing the site won’t help if the system or computer you are using to run your website is not itself secure and is infected. You need to make sure that you scan your computer regularly. Using good anti-virus software on the device can keep your system free from malware and viruses. Checking your privacy settings while browsing the internet is also recommended.

9. Making Use Of HTTPS

HTTPS means that the conversations or communications between the users' browser and your website are encrypted. You can implement this way before your WordPress sites gets hacked. Even if you do not possess an HTTPS website, you can transfer it simply by getting an SSL (i.e Secure Sockets Layer) certificate. This is available to all the websites free of cost from Let’s Encrypt. In case you have an SSL certificate, you need to renew it every two years.

10. Always Take A Backup

Though this tip won’t help prevent the WordPress website from being hacked, it is definitely the most important step to take even before your WordPress sites get hacked. Taking a backup helps you to reinstate the website again in a quick time even if it gets hacked. If you do not take the backup, you will tend to lose everything present on your site. So always take a backup and store your backup files safely.

Conclusion

In conclusion, understanding the top reasons why WordPress websites get hacked is the first step in fortifying your online presence against security threats. From vulnerable plugins and themes to weak passwords and outdated software, there are various entry points for malicious actors. However, armed with this knowledge, you can take proactive measures to safeguard your website.

By regularly updating WordPress, themes, and plugins, employing strong and unique passwords, and implementing security plugins and practices, you can significantly reduce the risk of a successful hack. Additionally, consider using the WP Theme Bundle, which offers a selection of premium, secure themes to enhance your website's defenses.

Remember that the digital landscape is constantly evolving, and security threats continue to adapt. Staying informed and maintaining a proactive approach to website security is crucial in the ongoing battle against hacking. Protect your WordPress website, your users, and your reputation by prioritizing security at every step.

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