How to Protect Your WordPress Website With CyberDefender

WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) in the world, powering millions of websites around the globe. It’s a fantastic tool for creating a professional-looking website quickly and easily.

But that doesn’t mean it’s perfect. In 2018, cyberattacks against WordPress sites rose 66% from the previous year, hitting a record high of 419,000 attacks globally.

And it’s not just WordPress. According to the Verizon Data Breach Investigations Report 2018, around 77.5% of data breaches can be directly tied to software or services used by the business.

So if you run a WordPress site, or plan on doing so, you’re going to want to do everything you can to protect it from cyberattacks. In this article, we’ll cover eight ways you can do just that.

1. Install Only The Necessary Plugins

WordPress is a powerful tool, but it’s also incredibly flexible. Which means there are a lot of plugins and tools out there that can be used to automate almost every aspect of website building. These plugins can interact with each other, creating somewhat complex processes that are all too easy to overlook.

If you’re planning on using WordPress to build out your site, you need to be mindful of which plugins you install. Ensure you only install plugins that are necessary for the functioning of your site. Avoid installing any plugins that are already on the WordPress.com repository, as these are automatically loaded onto every WordPress installation.

For instance, if you’re using a free version of WordPress, you may want to consider installing Jetpack. This is the WordPress companion app that provides a range of powerful features, from responsive design to SEO tools and more.

But if your site isn’t yet live and you don’t need all of its features, you might want to consider investing in a premium version of WordPress, which doesn’t have Jetpack preinstalled.

2. Keep Your WordPress Website Password-Encrusted

If your site gets hacked, the scammers will usually try to get access to your WordPress account. But since your account is protected by a complex password, they’ll have to try many combinations of words and characters to get in. This makes hacking your site very time-consuming. So it’s a good idea to keep your WordPress website password-encrusted.

But this doesn’t mean you should keep your WordPress password to yourself. Far from it. Give this important password to someone you trust and feel comfortable sharing it with. Someone who will take care of your site if anything happens to you. So they can access and edit everything on it.

The reason for this is simple. If a hacker gets access to your WordPress account, they can change almost all the settings on your site. From its name to its theme and everything in between. If this happens, you’ll have no idea what’s going on and your site could become contaminated with malware and viruses. Which brings us to our next point.

3. Keep Your Computer Clean

Keeping your computer clean is an absolute necessity if you want to avoid malware and viruses. These aren’t complicated programs, by any means. But they do need simple instructions to follow. If you’re the kind of person who regularly visits questionable websites and downloads files from them, then you’ll likely encounter malware sooner or later.

Keeping your computer clean is a never-ending process, but there are daily things you can do to ensure it remains that way. For example, you can routinely scan your computer for viruses and malware. Use legitimate software to remove them. And update your anti-malware software regularly.

4. Back Up Your Website

You don’t need to have a backup of your website every day, but it’s a good idea to do so at least once a week. This will ensure you always have a copy of your site if something happens to it. Regularly backing up your site is also a great way to ensure its performance and reliability.

To do this, create a back up of your site using a tool like CrashPlan. This way, if your site gets compromised in some way, you’ll have a backup you can use to restore it. The best part is that with CrashPlan you can do this without worrying about paying for additional storage space.

5. Use Strong Passwords

A strong password is one that complies with password best practices, such as being at least eight characters long and containing upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols. While it’s great to keep your WordPress password protected by a complex combination of characters, don’t give someone else your password. Instead, keep it to yourself and use it only when logging into WordPress.

If you think that maybe someone you know may know your password, then it’s time for you to change it. Now. If you use the same password for multiple accounts, then it’ll be very easy for someone to gain access to all of them. Changing your WordPress password is easy – as long as you remember it. If you forget it, then you’re in trouble. Luckily, you can write it down on a piece of paper and keep it with you. Or you can use an online tools like 1Password, which automatically generates complex passwords for you, filling in the blanks in the form of words, phrases, or images.

6. Use A VPN To Secure Your Internet Connection

If you use public Wi-Fi to access the Internet, then you’re opening yourself up to security risks. Your personal details and financial information may be at risk of being hacked if you don’t have a private Internet connection available via VPN. Plus, if someone else is using the same Wi-Fi, then they may be able to see your activity.

A VPN provides a safe and private connection to the Internet that encrypts all data being sent and received, making it difficult for hackers to intercept and read your communications. Plus, you can restrict access to specific locations, ensuring your personal data remains secure even when traveling abroad.

7. Use Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication reduces the risk of your account being compromised by requiring a second step of verification when logging in. This could be anything from providing a code texted to your phone or using a special authentication key tied to your email account. Using two-factor authentication in addition to a complex password is another great way to keep your account secure and also makes logging in extra cumbersome for any potential hackers.

8. Update Your Website’s Software

Keeping your website’s software up-to-date is essential for ensuring it remains safe and secure. Without it, all of the above may not matter at all. The good news is that automatic updates are a feature built into most versions of WordPress.

So all you have to do is make sure you have the latest version and all the necessary patches applied. This way, you won’t have to worry about getting infected by malware or viruses that may lie dormant within the software.

If you want to be able to successfully protect your WordPress website, then you need to take the time to learn how to do it. The above eight tips should provide a good starting point. But don’t worry – it’s not as complicated as it sounds. Keeping your website secure simply involves being mindful of the actions you take on a regular basis.