If you are a hard-working blogger who is committed to creating valuable content for your blog, one of the most important concerns that you face is how to keep your blog secure and away from site hackers.
Hackers can harm you in many ways. First of all, they can steal your content and claim it as their own. Actually, once they are “in”, they can steal anything that you have connected with your blog.
They can change your information and attack and spam your blog by posting ads or other content without your consent and sometimes without you even realizing it.
They can install malware and spyware on your blog AND on your computer, so careful monitoring of your site is essential.
So how do you protect yourself and your valuable information?
1. Keep your computer updated.
When your computer gives you that little “update” prompt, do not ignore it! Update immediately because if you allow your computer to become compromised, it will be much more difficult to correct the situation. The best policy is to just go ahead and keep it updated.
2. Install antivirus software on your computer.
There are several antivirus software programs that are efficient and easy to use. The main ones are Norton, McAfee and AVG and some of these even offer a free version.
3. Keep your blog and all plugins updated to protect it from site hackers!
Just as your computer prompts you to update, the dashboard of your blog does the same thing. Pay attention and keep your blog theme and all plugins updated and safe.
4. Choose a username that is unique and hard to guess.
Using “Admin” as your log in name is going to be very helpful for your hackers. Choose something that is unusual and then from time to time, go in and change it to something different.
To change your username, click on “Users” on your blog’s dashboard. Next, click “Add New” and make up a new user name. Then choose “administrator” and save your new username.
5. Choose a unique password.
Do the same thing with your password that you did with your username. Change it from time to time to keep the hackers out.
6. Use strong security plugins on your blog.
Keep up with the latest plugins that will keep hackers from being able to steal your content. Some of the most popular and efficient ones are:
Securi Security
Sucuri Inc. is a globally recognized authority in all matters related to website security, with specialization in WordPress Security.
The Sucuri Security WordPress plugin is free to all WordPress users. It is a security plugin that will complement your existing security measures. It provides security features that are designed to have a positive effect on your blog’s security:
- Security Activity Auditing
- File Integrity Monitoring
- Remote Malware Scanning
- Blacklist Monitoring
- Effective Security Hardening
- Post-Hack Security Actions
- Security Notifications
- Website Firewall (premium)
Ithemes Security Pro
Pro Features:
- Two-Factor Authentication
- WordPress Security Keys – The iThemes Security plugin makes updating your WordPress keys so easy.
- Malware Scan Scheduling – Have your site scanned for malware automatically each day. If an issue is found, an email is sent with the details.
- Password Security – Generate strong passwords right from your profile screen.
- Password Expiration – Set a maximum password age and force users to choose a new password. You can also force all users to choose a new password immediately (if needed).
- Google reCAPTCHA – Protect your site against spammers.
- User Action Logging – Track when users edit content, login or logout.
- Import/Export Settings – Saves time setting up multiple WordPress sites.
- Dashboard Widget – Manage important tasks such as user banning and system scans right from the WordPress dashboard.
- Online File Comparison – When a file change is detected it will scan the origin of the files to determine if the change was malicious or not. Currently works only in WordPress core but plugins and themes are coming.
- Temporary Privilege Escalation – You can give a contractor or someone else temporary admin or editor access to your site that will automatically reset itself.
- Wp-cli Integration – Manage your site’s security from the command line.
Wordfence Security
Wordfence includes a firewall and malware scanner to protect your WordPress site. This plugin provides:
- WordPress firewall
- WordPress security scanner
- Login security
- Wordfence central – an efficient way to manage several sites at once
- Security tools
Protecting your site from hackers is essential to success online. Check out some of the tools above and get busy fighting off the attackers!
HAVE YOU ALWAYS WANTED TO START A BLOG? HERE ARE ALL OF OUR TIPS!
HOW TO START A SUCCESSFUL WORDPRESS BLOG
25 TOP PLUGINS TO BOOST YOUR WORDPRESS SITE
Leave a Reply