WordPress Security Plugins – The 3 WordPress Security Barriers

April 12th, 2016 Tags: wordpress security plugins
Posted in Essential WordPress Plugins Webinar, wordpress plugins, WordPress Security

Do you know the three biggest WordPress security barriers that frustrate most WordPress website owners? Are you aware that you can resolve a number of these just with WordPress security plugins?

If you're a WordPress website owner who wants to avoid security barriers and take practical steps to make your site hacker-proof, then read this article immediately.

Barrier No.1: I Don't Know If I Have a Problem!

Let’s deal with the most fundamental problem first. Many people suspect that they might have a problem with security but don’t realise the scale of the problem. They don’t know if they are a likely target for hackers or not. They don’t know whether or not their site is already under attack.

Why is it a Barrier?

Ignorance is not bliss. Turning a blind eye to a prevalent problem will not make it go away. Pretending it’s not a problem will not help. Hacking is one of the biggest and most costly problems out there for a website owner. It's vital you take action today to safeguard your site tomorrow. And that starts with discovering whether or not you have a problem.

What is the Real Problem Here?

The reality is that if you have a WordPress site, and especially if it gets a fair amount of traffic, that it may well already be under attack! In fact it's more than likely you site's under attack. You just can’t see it.

I see the results of hacking attacks every day. If you saw what I see, you'd realise the need for urgent action!

How Do You Get Around This?

You need to know a little about WordPress security plugins. You can get around this lack of knowledge simply by installing a free (yes, free!) security plugin.There's one I recommend to all my clients as a first line of defence. It's called WordFence.

Go to your WordPress Dashboard and search for the (free) WordFence plugin. You will need to configure this plugin to change some of the default options. But once you do, you’ll see the scale of the hacking activity that threatens your website.

For example, you’ll be notified about login attempts where hackers attempt to guess your WordPress username and password. This alone is worth getting this plugin for. If you're a bit overwhelmed by the options, just contact me and I can help you.

Barrier No.2: I Don't Know Where To Start

The next barrier I see is people who really don’t know where to start with security issues. Let’s say they have identified there are regular and persistent attempts by hackers to guess their WordPress administrator username and password.

Why Is It a Barrier?

It should be obvious this is a problem that needs to be resolved, but many people don’t know where to start. Again we need to start with objective facts. Your new WordFence plugin will give you loads of information if you let it. But security is not just about installing WordPress security plugins.

How Do You Get Around This Barrier?

After you’ve become aware of the hacking threats that face you by installing WordFence, you can start to configure it to meet your needs. The WordFence plugin will help you here by pointing to your likely security vulnerabilities.

Let’s say, for example, you have left the WordPress administrator username at the default value: ‘admin’. This is the most hacked username, as hackers realise that they can make their lives easier by hacking sites that leave their username as ‘admin’.

With WordFence, you’ll be able to see just how many hackers are trying to gain illicit access to your site in this way every day! You can see if hackers are trying 'admin' as a username. You'd be amazed how many do. This can be frightening and sobering, but there is a solution.

You Get Around This By ...

The way to get around this barrier is straightforward. Set up a new administrator user with a username other than ‘admin’. And give it a secure password – WordPress will do this for you. Now delete the 'admin' username so it can no longer be used.

If both your administrator username and your password are hard to guess, this is likely to block all but the most persistent hackers.

Barrier No.3: I Don't Know What to do After I'm Hacked

Why Is It a Barrier?

It’s best to know the route to sort out a problem before you come across it. That way you don’t waste time and potentially make costly errors.

If you don't know what to do when you’re hacked it can also mean your website is offline for longer than it needs to be. In the worst case, not knowing what to do could mean the loss of your site!

How Do You Get Around This Barrier?

You get around this by initially approaching your hoster. If they’re professional, they will have a service to clean up your site. This may either be included in your hosting fees, or may be an extra charge. Either way it may be cheaper than going to a specialist.

Failing that, there are a number of professional service providers who specialise in WordPress website cleanup. I use SiteLock and WordFence, and some of my clients use Sucuri. There are others out there, but I’d recommend checking out these providers first.

The service you’ll require depends on the nature of the hack, but if you know what cleanup is likely to cost beforehand and where to go, you’re in a much better position.

WordPress Security Plugins

WordPress security is a big and complex topic and can be a bit overwhelming to the uninitiated. There are many services available - and a lot of them are costly. The whole area can be a minefield! If this article has whetted your appetite to discover more about WordPress security plugins and what they can do for you, read on ...

Taking This Further …

Now you know the top three WordPress security barriers website owners face and how to bypass them. So I'd like to invite you to cut to the front of the line to discover what further steps you can take to increase your security of your WordPress site.

As there's more information here than I can cover in a short article, I've put together an free online training to help you. So if you want to make your website secure - so that it doesn’t get hacked - join me on this FREE online training.

This could be the first step in making your site hacker-proof! Click on the link now.

CLICK HERE: Discover a New Solution To Keeping Your WordPress Site Up To Date