Common Security issues for Your WordPress Site and How to Protect Against Them

Posted by Rachel Gringer on July 25th, 2018

As the popularity of WordPress is increasing rapidly, the chances of WordPress security vulnerabilities are also at record time high. WordPress which powers more than 30% of the total website available on the internet can not be untouched by these security issues.

WordPress is quite secure if a website owner follows the security protocols properly. But if a hacker finds a way into one of the millions of WordPress websites available on the web, he can scan for other websites with similar security issues and hack those too which certainly can be catastrophic for any business.

Hacking costs businesses billions of dollars every year including the cost of disruption of day to day business. No one can forget the case of Sony Picture hack in which, Sony Pictures employees and their families along with e-mails between employees and other confidential information got leaked by a hacker group Guardian of Peace. The hacker group then used a sophisticated variant of malware name ‘Shampoo Wiper’ to erase Sony’s computer infrastructure. It costs Sony Million dollars in IT repairs and a movie called “The Interview” as they had to release the movie on the Internet rather than on cinema.

Wordpress, which runs on the open source code, takes its platform security very seriously. This is the reason it has a dedicated team specifically to find, identify and fix the WordPress security issues. As security issues are discovered, fixes are pushed out to patch any new security issues discovered in WordPress. This is the reason one should always keep WordPress updated to the latest version.

Not only WordPress core is the only culprit behind security vulnerabilities but according to a recent report by wpscan.org, a WordPress security vulnerabilities scanner, more than 3000 issues were discovered in WordPress security which includes:-

52% are from WordPress plugins

37% are from core WordPress

11% are from WordPress themes

Top 5 WordPress Security Issues are:-

1.     Brute Force Attacks:-

As the name suggests, Brute force attacks happen due to using a weak password for your WordPress account. Hackers use hit and trial method of entering into your WordPress account multiple times until they succeed. As WordPress doesn’t limit login attempts, hackers can use bots to hack your WordPress login page.

2.     PHP File Inclusion Exploits:-

By exploiting your security lapses, hackers can gain access to your most important file wp-config.ph in WordPress installation. This happens if you do not update your Plugins and themes regularly.

3.     SQL Injection:-

By using plugins and themes for your WordPress site from an untrusted source, you are giving an open invitation for hackers to take control of your MySQL database.

Using SQL injection, a hacker may gain full access to your WordPress site data, create a new admin account to log in and get the full access of your WordPress site.

4.     XSS or Cross-Site Scripting:-

XSS or Cross-Site Scripting is the most common vulnerabilities found in WordPress plugins which can exploit to gain access to your site. By using Cross-site scripting, attackers can make a website owner inputs its data into the form of an insecure JavaScript page and that data can be stolen easily.

5.     Malware:-

Malware is a form of malicious software which uses a code to gain unauthorized access to a website. The most common WordPress malware infections are:-

•          Backdoors
•          Drive-By downloads
•          Pharma hacks
•          Malicious redirects

How to Increase your WordPress website Security:-

1.     Invest in a Good Web Hosting Platform

A good and reliable web host not only takes care of your website security, but it also takes care of your data in case of any use domain crashes or hacked. There are numerous types of hos providers available and the popular ones are:-

Shared hosting: - As the name suggests, you will be sharing the server with

hundreds of other sites. It is one of the most cost-friendly option available for new and small business as in the beginning they don’t expect much traffic on their website.

Cloud-Based Web Hosting: - In Cloud-Baed hosting, lots of servers work together like a giant server, and if the needs and traffic grow, the web host provider can add more hardware and create an even larger server.

VPN or Virtual Private Servers: - Virtual private servers share one server but act like multiple and private servers by using software called hypervisor. You will get a dedicated portion of an entire physical machine instead of owning one.

Dedicated Server Hosting: - As the name suggests, dedicating server hosting means having a physical server at your place by renting it from a hosting company. You have full control over the machine. By having a dedicated machine you do not need to worry about slowing down of your website and other website taking up your resources.

Choose any of these web host providers according to your business needs and budget for the security of your WordPress site.

2.     Update Plugins & Themes Regularly:-

Updating plugins and themes could be a tiring task but it is an important aspect of any website security. Plugin developers keep working on finding the vulnerabilities in their product as they are well aware of how hackers can use WordPress plugins to hack a website. This is the reason they regularly send an update for any security lapse. If you do not want to update your plugins and themes manually, you can choose from numerous WordPress support services available to automatically update your WordPress website plugins and themes. The not only provide automatic update features but also take care of security but provide many other useful features like 24X7 support, backup, plugins and core updates, security monitoring and many other important services.

3.     Use a Strong Password:-

Use a strong password for your WordPress login to save your website from Brute force attack. We have mentioned above how a brute force attack exploits a weak password to hack your website. A strong password can save you from these type of attacks.

Also, use Google invisible reCaptcha service to stop the attempt of multiple login attempts by bots. It will be activated in case Google suspects the visitor is not human

4.     Limit Your Login Attempts:-

WordPress doesn’t limit the login attempts for a visitor to try out Username & Password which is an advantage for Brute force attacks. By using a plugin like limit login attempt, you can prevent hackers from guessing your password.

Also, you can use Two-Factor authentication (2FA), which is a two-step process that requires two or three proofs of identity before granting the access. By usingTwo-Factor authentication, you can use e-mail account or mobile no. to receive authentication code. It creates an extra layer of security on your website.

5.     Remove Unused Plugins:-

Plugins are great to improve your website functionality, but unused or inactive plugins which are of no use for your website can be a potential threat. Sometimes a developer stops developing or updating the plugins from potential threats due to various reasons like job shift, not getting many users or any other reason, focusing on other project or many other reasons. Those unused plugins can be an easy target for hackers to exploit the security of your website.

Remove all those unused plugins from your WordPress website instead of deactivating them.

Conclusion:-

As the businesses are more and more depending on their websites, the hackers are also finding more sophisticated ways to hack a website for their personal gain. The security of your website is in your hands. Take the security measures seriously and do not leave a loophole in your site security.