Security in the online world is becoming more and more important every day. Especially popular content management systems (CMS) like WordPress can become a target for attackers. Therefore, it is vital that you take certain steps to ensure the security of your site. Today, I will explain in detail how you can improve the security of your WordPress site.
Why It's Important to Do Special Security Work on Your WordPress Site
WordPress is an open source platform used by millions of websites around the world. This popularity makes WordPress an attractive target for cyber attackers. A successful attack on a WordPress site can result in your site crashing, data being stolen or damaged. In addition, malware can also affect your site's visitors and damage your brand reputation. Therefore, you have to take proactive measures to secure your WordPress site.
How to Improve the Security of Your WordPress Site
1. Use of SSL Certificate
SSL (Secure Socket Layer) certificate increases security by encrypting data communication between your site and your visitors. The SSL certificate, which provides data transfer over the HTTPS protocol, plays a critical role in protecting sensitive data, especially user information and payment transactions. In addition, search engines such as Google show sites that use SSL in higher rankings.
2. Use and Enforce Strong Administrator and User Passwords
Strong passwords are your first line of defense for a secure WordPress site. It is essential that admin and user passwords are complex, long and unique. Passwords should include uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. Also, requiring all users to use strong passwords is an effective way to protect your site from potential threats.
3. Install WordPress Security Plugin
WordPress security plugins are an effective solution for protecting your site against potential threats. With these plugins, you can detect vulnerabilities, monitor malicious activity, and keep your site secure. Here are some security plugins I recommend:
- Wordfence Security: It offers comprehensive protection features such as advanced security scans, malicious traffic blocking and firewall.
- Sucuri Security: It is known for security scans, malware removal and firewall. It keeps your site constantly protected against potential threats.
- iThemes Security: It identifies vulnerabilities, offers two-factor authentication and performs regular security scans."
4. Regularly Use Updated Versions of WordPress
Regularly updating WordPress core, themes and plugins is one of the most effective ways to close security gaps. Updates are released to fix known vulnerabilities and add new features. So make sure your site is always on the latest version.
5. Do Not Use Warez, Cracked Plugins and Themes
Illegally obtained plugins and themes may contain security vulnerabilities and malware. Avoid such sources and use only plugins and themes from the official WordPress repository or trusted developers.
6. Make Regular Backups
Regular backups are one of the most effective ways to protect your site's data. In the event of an attack or data loss, you can restore your site quickly thanks to your backups. You can make this process easier by using automatic backup plugins.
7. Avoid Using the Admin Username
“admin” kullanıcı adı, saldırganlar tarafından kolayca tahmin edilebilir. Bu nedenle, yönetici hesabınız için farklı ve karmaşık bir kullanıcı adı seçin. Mevcut “admin” kullanıcı adını değiştirerek güvenliği artırabilirsiniz.
8. Hide your Admin Login Page
WordPress' default admin login URL (/wp-admin or /wp-login.php) is known to attackers. By changing or hiding this URL, you can make brute force attacks harder. Plugins like "WPS Hide Login" can help with this.
9. Disable XML-RPC
XML-RPC is a protocol that WordPress uses for remote connections. However, this protocol can cause some security vulnerabilities. If you are not using XML-RPC, disabling it will improve the security of your site.
10. Strengthen the wp-config.php File
The wp-config.php file is one of the most critical configuration files of your site. To protect this file, you can add access restrictions in server configuration files (for example, .htaccess). You can also provide additional security by updating security keys and salts.
11. Test Your Site with a Security Scanning Tool
Security scanning tools identify potential vulnerabilities on your site and make recommendations to close them. Use tools like "WPScan" and "NinjaScanner" to scan your site regularly.
12. Choose a Good Hosting Company
A reliable hosting provider is critical to the security of your site. A good hosting company offers additional security measures such as firewalls, DDoS protection and regular backups. Pay attention to these criteria when choosing your hosting provider.
13. Use the Latest PHP Version
PHP is the programming language that underpins WordPress. Using the latest PHP version improves your performance and closes known security vulnerabilities. Make sure your hosting provider supports the latest PHP version.
14. Choose an Isolated Server
Using an isolated server (VPS or dedicated server) instead of shared hosting increases the security of your site. Isolated servers minimize potential threats from other sites.
15. Use a Web Application Firewall
A web application firewall (WAF) monitors traffic to your site and blocks malicious activity. WAF provides an additional layer of protection against SQL injection, XSS and other common types of attacks. Services such as "Cloudflare" and "Sucuri" offer WAF solutions.
