Most newbie bloggers are quite happy to start out with WordPress. This is because you can access a plethora of features without really spending a penny for it. Its free application let's you self-host your blog or website. However, often this one feature overshadows many other essential aspects including security.
Day in and day out, we hear of blogs being hacked and sensitive information being leaked out. A few have lost their entire blogs. Imagine! What a shock you would be in for if it ever happens to you. Your investment of time and effort will all go to waste.
So, if you've recently set up a WordPress blog or website, here's a list of the 5 safety precautions you can take to hack-proof your site.
1. Fortify it with a Strong Password -
A strong password is one that includes a string of letters (uppercase and lowercase), numbers and symbols as they are most difficult to guess. It should be minimum 10 characters long. Your name, birth date and cell phone are among the weakest passwords. Avoid using the same password for multiple accounts. Along with this, you should also change your WordPress password frequently.
2. Update plug-ins and themes periodically -
WordPress keeps alerting you on updates whenever they are released. The main purpose of releasing updates is to add new features as well as fix bugs and security loopholes in the existing versions. Therefore, you should upgrade themes and plug-ins as soon as they are made available.
3. A reliable web host -
Your choice of a web host might also help tighten the security features of your blog. The shared hosting option is often considered to be the most economical option for small business websites because of the lower charges. However, it might pose a problem if you are lumped together with hundreds of other sites.
If a shared server is what your pocket allows, make sure that it has a minimum number of sites on its hosting stack. Also, it should have several security features in place to prevent and deal with attacks and to mitigate risks. If you have the budget for a dedicated server, there is nothing like it.
4. Regular Backups -
As a matter of fact, no security measure is full-proof; the hackers are always one step ahead. Therefore, you must be prepared for the worst by regularly backing up your WordPress Database. The database comprises your site's content includes posts, comments and pages.
There are several free plug-ins you can use to take automatic backups of your website. This way you will not lose private and confidential information if ever your site is hacked. You will require a more comprehensive tool if you want to backups the images, plug-ins, theme customizations and system files.
5. Restrict Login Access -
The original admin account is one of the security loopholes most hackers exploit. The first thing to do is delete the original admin account and create a new one with a different name (not admin). Make sure you attribute the old content to the new account. Do not allow too many people to log in to your WordPress dashboard as well as the number of apps you can access.
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