There are numerous things you can do when it comes to WordPress security tips to prevent potential threats and hackers from damaging your eCommerce site and blog.
This article will discuss and share several tips, techniques, and strategies that ensure security for your eCommerce website.
As per the statistics provided by Internet Live Stats, over 100,000 websites are hacked every day and therefore, it is imperative for businesses owners to cautiously go through the recommendations shared below to better your security on your eCommerce website.
Here are security tips that will protect your site from any threat:
Always use the latest version of WordPress
Implementing the latest version of the software is probably the most obvious first security step. However, since more than 86% of WordPress installations run outdated versions of wordpress security tips, this point has not been emphasized.
Every WordPress update brings new functionality and, above all, bug fixes and security fixes that protect your WordPress site from common security holes that are easy to use.
Running the latest version of themes and plugins.
Simply running the latest version of WordPress is not enough – there may still be vulnerabilities in the plugins and themes on your website that can compromise the security of your WordPress site, which in turn can make you a victim of WordPress hacks.
The Slider Revolution plugin is a great example of how outdated plugins and themes can compromise the security of your website. Vulnerable plugins allow malicious users to steal credentials from databases, potentially allowing wordpress security tips sites through their databases to be completely compromised.
Therefore, it is crucial to ensure that all the themes and plugins you use are updated to the latest versions. By updating plugins and themes, you can ensure that your website has the latest security updates.
Delete inactive users
Keeping inactive users on your WordPress site increases the scope of your attacks. Users, especially admins and others who have the capability to change their content, are probably one of the weakest points for any website, as, unfortunately, most users tend to prefer weak passwords.
You must support inactive users in your WordPress database and change their role to Customer to limit all possible actions.
Restrict direct access to plugins and PHP files
Enabling access to PHP files can not be a good choice for a number of reasons. Some plugins and theme files may have PHP files that should not be accessed directly because they call functions defined in other files. This could cause the PHP interpreter to display an error or warning, leading to information disclosure.
Select a thoroughly secure environment
It is often suggested to opt for server hardening to ensure an in-depth and secured environment. It includes various layers of hardware and software to enable the IT infrastructure of your website become capable enough to defend against threats, both physical and virtual.
Protect the wp-config.php file
wp-config.php file holds crucial information regarding the installation. The strategy to move your file to a higher level than a root directory makes it impossible for hackers to penetrate your website.
Enable two-factor Authentication
Two-factor authentication (2FA) acts as an additional layer and has an add-on benefit of protection to your WordPress site to prevent phishing and brute force attacks. You will need credentials along with TOTP to log-in to your site.
Backup and Update Regularly
By default, wordpress security tips regularly installs minor updates, hence, always ensure to backup the site with the latest plugins and themes.
- Dropbox is a free plugin enabling businesses to select how often they want to backup. Setting it up is as easy as installing the plugin, activating it, and then linking it with Dropbox.
- A lockdown feature restricts the several attempts to hack your eCommerce site. The website is locked when someone attempts to log-in with repetitive wrong passwords, and you are immediately made aware of an unauthorized activity. Installing and activating Lockdown plugin is easy, go to Settings > Login Lockdown to configure the plugin’s settings.
- php is the backbone of your WordPress site and so using the latest version on your server is very important.
Use https for encrypted connections
The best way to tighten up the website security is to install an SSL certificate and run your site over https. It is a mechanism that enables browser or web applications to safely connect with a website.
Hide Your Website Version
Hiding website versions allows you to secure your eCommerce site by obscurity. The less other people know about your site configuration the better.
Use a clever username and password
Using a non-unique username as admin allows hacker to access your website. To avoid this, you should think of a clever username and a unique password that does not enable any hacker to break into your website. Another important tip is that you should frequently change your passwords and improve its strength by making it a longer password with various combination of special characters and numbers. Besides, you can always change the login URL by using WPS Hide Login Plugin. To enable this feature, you just input your new login page URL and save the changes. You can set the URL to anything you want. Changing the URLs for the WordPress dashboard area adds an extra layer of protection to your site.
Add GSC
It is recommended to add your site to Google Search Console (GSC) as it is helpful in the SEO and detects issues with your site and notifies you via email. It enables Google to understand your website with an essential feature, such as a “security issues” dashboard.
Disable XML-RPC
By default, WordPress uses XML-RPC to allow your site to establish connections with mobile apps and plugins. This gives hackers an opportunity to run various commands at once, which leads to trying out numerous attempts to crack your password and easily gain access to your website. Disabling the feature will help limit the number of attempts of penetration.
Summing up:
You can see there are numerous ways of hardening your wordpress security tips. If you are cautious and implement the tips mentioned above, you can save your website from cyber-attack.
Katalyst Software Services Limited can help you with experts that can provide services such as hosting, developing and security of your eCommerce website in this every growing market.
