Contents hide
1 Why is WordPress a target for hackers?
1.1 Unsafe Web Hosting
1.2 Using weak passwords
1.3 Unprotected access to WordPress admin panel (wp-admin)
1.4 Incorrect file permissions
1.5 Not Keeping WordPress Up to Date
1.6 Plugins or theme are not updated
1.7 Using regular FTP instead of SFTP/SSH
1.8 Using Admin as a WordPress Username
1.9 Reset themes and plugins
1.10 Unprotected WordPress Configuration File wp-config.php
1.11 WordPress table prefix not changing
1.12 Cleaning a hacked WordPress site
2 Bonus tip
2.1 Related publications:
Why is WordPress a target for hackers?
First of all, it’s not just WordPress. All websites on the internet are vulnerable to hacking attempts. The reason that WordPress websites are a common target is because mongolia b2b leads
WordPress is the world’s most popular website builder . It powers over 43% of all websites, which means hundreds of millions of websites worldwide . This massive popularity makes it easy for hackers to find less secure sites to exploit. Hackers have different motives for hacking a website. Some are newbies who are just learning how to exploit less secure sites. Others have malicious intent , such as spreading malware , attacking other websites, and sending spam. With that said, let’s look at some of the main reasons WordPress sites get hacked so you can learn how to prevent your site from getting hacked .
Insecure Web Hosting
Like all websites, WordPress sites are hosted on a web server . Some hosting companies do not properly secure their hosting platform. This makes all sites hosted on their servers vulnerable to hacking attempts. This can be easily avoided by choosing the best WordPress hosting provider for your site. Properly secured servers can block many of the most common attacks on WordPress sites.
Using weak passwords
Passwords are the keys to your WordPress site. You need to make sure you use a strong, unique password for each of the following accounts, as they can all give a hacker full access to your site.
Your WordPress admin account
Your hosting control panel account
Your FTP accounts
The MySQL database used for your WordPress site
All email accounts used for WordPress administration and hosting
All these accounts are protected by passwords. Using weak passwords makes it easy for hackers to crack passwords using basic hacking tools. You can easily avoid this by using unique and strong passwords for each account .
Unprotected access to WordPress admin panel (wp-admin)
The WordPress admin area gives the user access to perform various actions on your WordPress site. It is also the most commonly attacked area of a WordPress site. If left unprotected, hackers can try a variety of approaches to break into your site. You can make it more difficult for them by adding layers of authentication to the admin directory. First, you should password protect the WordPress admin area. This adds an extra layer of security and anyone who tries to access the WordPress admin will have to provide an additional password. If you have a multi-author or multi-user WordPress site, you may want to consider setting complex passwords for all users of your site.
Incorrect file permissions
File permissions are a set of rules used by your web server. These permissions help your web server control access to files on your site. Incorrect file permissions can give a hacker access to write and modify those files. All your WordPress files should have 644 as the file permission. All folders on your WordPress site should have 755 permission.
]
Not Keeping WordPress Up to Date
Some WordPress users are afraid to update their WordPress sites. They are afraid that it will break their site. Each new version of WordPress fixes bugs and security vulnerabilities . If you do not update WordPress, then you are intentionally leaving your site vulnerable. If you are afraid that an update will break your site, then you can create a full backup of WordPress before running the update . This way, if something does not work, you can easily revert to the previous version.
Plugins or theme not updating
Just like the core WordPress software , updating your theme and plugins is equally important. Using outdated plugins or themes can make your site vulnerable. WordPress plugins and themes often have security flaws and bugs. The authors of themes and plugins usually fix them quickly. However, if a user does not update their theme or plugin , there is nothing they can do about it. Make sure you keep your WordPress theme and plugins up to date.
Using regular FTP instead of SFTP/SSH
