Sometimes you just need a few suggestions to get going with a concept. In this case, we want a few tips on how to keep our WordPress website from being hacked. Keep in mind that these are just a few suggestions out of many that will help keep your users and your data secure. For a more in-depth discussion, check out 10 Steps to Better Website Security.
Tip 1 – Use an SSL Certificate
If you are working with a WordPress site that requires a password or takes payments from credit cards then it should be mandatory that you use an SSL Certificate. The certificate allows your viewers to form a secure connection between their browser and your site. SSL Certificates are either free or paid. Free SSL certificates offers minimal security, whereas, paid SSL certificates can vary. The more expensive ones will also provide fraud protection to help insure that your transactions are protected.
Tip 2 – Use Two-Factor Authentication
One of the easiest ways for users to be hacked is through their access to a website. While WordPress can restrict users to more secure passwords, the requirement can still be bypassed in the WordPress Administrator Dashboard. Using two-factor authentication creates a secondary check on the person logging in to make sure that they are legitimate. This is typically done with a mobile device or through an authentication application like Google Authenticator. You can install two-factor authentication with plugins in WordPress, or through options in your hosting interface. For example, cPanel provides two-factor authentication that can be verified with a smartphone. Using two-factor authentication will help prevent intrusion due to easy to break passwords that people often use.
Tip 3 – Use a Security Service or Plugin
You may think that you know the best on how to secure your website without using a service, but you’re typically not going to be monitoring your site every single hour of the day. We recommend that you use a security service or plugin that helps to keep your WordPress site secure. Quite often these services not only include 24-hour monitoring, but also integrated backup services to help insure your site. Some examples of both services and plugins are the Automattic Jetpack Security Services and Sucuri. You may pay a little bit of money for a certain level of protection, but it will save you a lot of time and money for peace-of-mind for your website.