Common WordPress Security Issues in 2018 and How to Tackle Them

WordPress has evolved to be the most customizable and dynamic Content Management Systems (CMS) and is every website developer’s favorite. But even the best is never free from any threat. WordPress is built on the framework of MySQL and PHP and this architecture makes the platform vulnerable to attacks from hackers and other security concerns. WordPress is not completely risk-proof. But you can definitely use the latest security tools, updated techniques, and a reliable WordPress Hosting solution to create a safe and secure content development platform.

With these smart measures, you can easily handle any security risk that might affect your website. 

Change your default account

Every WP user tends to continue using the CMS with its default login details. But that can easily expose the account to hackers and data pilferages by making your login details easily predictable. The best way to avoid this risk is to delete the default admin account and replace it with a personalized admin account, with your choice of username and a strong, alphanumeric password. 

Restrict access to files

The WP website stores all your vital data, client and business information, user data etc. which is valuable not only for your website’s performance but also for your business. And you cannot afford to lose any of it by making them accessible to anyone outside your regular team members. That is why you need to restrict access to your WP account and the data therein by hiding your WordPress version from the general public and prevent hackers from accessing your site. This is where a managed WP hosting plan comes to rescue by restricting access to your WP site by providing you with high-end security tools and other measures. 

Remove SQL Injection 

SQL is the foundation of WordPress and is required to build all databases on the platform. That is how you can collect your users’ information from various data points like signup, login, contact page, search, feedback, a point of sale (for e-commerce) etc. This could expose your site to malicious code insertions from the backend using parameters which might not recognize but eventually lose vital data. The best-known method to avoid such situations is to run a WP scan across your site. There are various scanning tools offered by WP which can discover such SQL threats. The next step is to run an update of your WP core, PHP versions, themes, and finally install the latest plugins and upgrade your account to a more secure status.

Make your databases unpredictable

Predictability is the gateway to risk. Since all WP databases have a default prefix assigned to them, it makes these databases predictable to hackers, making them easily access your important site data. To avoid this threat, the best you can do is to remove the default settings and change your database prefix to an uncommon tag that might be difficult to search. 

To summarize…

There is no failsafe method to work on WordPress. Hence, for business owners, it is essential that they keep themselves aware and take precautionary measures to mitigate risks and keep their site up and running at all times.