{"id":693,"date":"2020-09-13T04:37:46","date_gmt":"2020-09-13T04:37:46","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/?p=693"},"modified":"2024-10-17T06:51:04","modified_gmt":"2024-10-17T06:51:04","slug":"6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/","title":{"rendered":"6 Steps to Harden your WordPress Website Security"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) today. More than a third of all websites built are on this platform. Its relative ease of use, power, and modularity gives website owners a lot of leeway in their build.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As a web hosting provider concentrate on WordPress, HostArma offers specific <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hostarmada.com\/wordpress-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">WordPress-centric plans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to cater to the demand. However, given the <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/sectigostore.com\/blog\/42-cyber-attack-statistics-by-year-a-look-at-the-last-decade\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">increasing levels of cybercrime<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, website owners who wish to use WordPress should be equipped with knowledge that can help then increase their website security.<\/span><\/p>\n<div id=\"ez-toc-container\" class=\"ez-toc-v2_0_82_2 ez-toc-wrap-right counter-hierarchy ez-toc-counter ez-toc-transparent ez-toc-container-direction\">\n<div class=\"ez-toc-title-container\">\n<p class=\"ez-toc-title\" style=\"cursor:inherit\">Table of Contents<\/p>\n<span class=\"ez-toc-title-toggle\"><a href=\"#\" class=\"ez-toc-pull-right ez-toc-btn ez-toc-btn-xs ez-toc-btn-default ez-toc-toggle\" aria-label=\"Toggle Table of Content\"><span class=\"ez-toc-js-icon-con\"><span class=\"\"><span class=\"eztoc-hide\" style=\"display:none;\">Toggle<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-icon-toggle-span\"><svg style=\"fill: #565656;color:#565656\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" class=\"list-377408\" width=\"20px\" height=\"20px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" fill=\"none\"><path d=\"M6 6H4v2h2V6zm14 0H8v2h12V6zM4 11h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2zM4 16h2v2H4v-2zm16 0H8v2h12v-2z\" fill=\"currentColor\"><\/path><\/svg><svg style=\"fill: #565656;color:#565656\" class=\"arrow-unsorted-368013\" xmlns=\"http:\/\/www.w3.org\/2000\/svg\" width=\"10px\" height=\"10px\" viewBox=\"0 0 24 24\" version=\"1.2\" baseProfile=\"tiny\"><path d=\"M18.2 9.3l-6.2-6.3-6.2 6.3c-.2.2-.3.4-.3.7s.1.5.3.7c.2.2.4.3.7.3h11c.3 0 .5-.1.7-.3.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7zM5.8 14.7l6.2 6.3 6.2-6.3c.2-.2.3-.5.3-.7s-.1-.5-.3-.7c-.2-.2-.4-.3-.7-.3h-11c-.3 0-.5.1-.7.3-.2.2-.3.5-.3.7s.1.5.3.7z\"\/><\/svg><\/span><\/span><\/span><\/a><\/span><\/div>\n<nav><ul class='ez-toc-list ez-toc-list-level-1 ' ><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-1\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#6_Fundamental_Steps_to_Harden_WordPress_Security\" >6 Fundamental Steps to Harden WordPress Security<\/a><ul class='ez-toc-list-level-3' ><li class='ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-2\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#1_Keep_WordPress_Up_to_Date\" >1. Keep WordPress Up to Date<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-3\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#2_Remove_Unused_Plugins_and_Themes\" >2. Remove Unused Plugins and Themes<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-4\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#3_Install_a_Security_Plugin\" >3. Install a Security Plugin<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-5\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#4_Choose_a_Secure_Web_Host\" >4. Choose a Secure Web Host<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-6\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#5_Make_Use_of_a_Content_Delivery_Network\" >5. Make Use of a Content Delivery Network<\/a><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-3'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-7\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#6_Observe_Best_Security_Practices\" >6. Observe Best Security Practices<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/li><li class='ez-toc-page-1 ez-toc-heading-level-2'><a class=\"ez-toc-link ez-toc-heading-8\" href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/6-steps-to-harden-your-wordpress-website-security\/#Conclusion\" >Conclusion<\/a><\/li><\/ul><\/nav><\/div>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Fundamental_Steps_to_Harden_WordPress_Security\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6 Fundamental Steps to Harden WordPress Security<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The performance of a website can be heavily influenced by various factors ranging from the web hosting environment to how the website is built, configured, and maintained.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thanks to its core flexibility <a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">WordPress<\/a>, has many options that allow you to increase its security levels.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"1_Keep_WordPress_Up_to_Date\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">1. Keep WordPress Up to Date<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">One of the biggest mistakes that WordPress site owners do is fail to keep their WordPress installation up to date. When new versions are released, they have generally been tested to work. However, vulnerabilities may crop up from time to time.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">It is these vulnerabilities that cybercriminals often seek to exploit. One example is <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.fortinet.com\/blog\/threat-research\/wordpress-core-stored-xss-vulnerability\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cross-Site Scripting vulnerability<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. A flaw in the WordPress core allowed bad actors to hijack administrator accounts.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Thankfully, this vulnerability was quickly patched. The issue does serve to outline the importance of keeping your WordPress installation updated. It is with these updates that vulnerabilities are patched, along with other bugs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Updates can also sometimes bring performance improvements or add new features to your WordPress core.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-698 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-1024x431.png\" alt=\"Update WordPress Version through the Admin Dashboard\" width=\"1024\" height=\"431\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-1024x431.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-300x126.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-768x323.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-24x10.png 24w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-36x15.png 36w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version-48x20.png 48w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-wordpress-version.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> If you are running multiple WordPress installations, you can handle updates for all your sites from your web hosting control panel. If you are a HostArmada customer, you can do that through cPanel &gt; Software Feature Groups &gt; Softaculous Apps Installer &gt; Outdated Installations.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter wp-image-700 size-large\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-1024x445.png\" alt=\"Updating multiple installations can be done from your web hosting control panel\" width=\"1024\" height=\"445\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-1024x445.png 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-300x131.png 300w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-768x334.png 768w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-24x10.png 24w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-36x16.png 36w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345-48x21.png 48w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/update-multiple-wordpress-installations-e1599963627345.png 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net\/blog\/web-hosting-guides\/compare-web-hosting-control-panel-cpanel-vs-plesk\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">Web Hosting Control Panels<\/a> come integrated with an application auto-update functionality. This is much easier than logging into each individual site to perform updates, and it could save you a lot of time if you are running several WordPress websites hosted under the same account.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"2_Remove_Unused_Plugins_and_Themes\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">2. Remove Unused Plugins and Themes<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Plugins and Themes are not part of your WordPress core installation, but serve to add features to your site. They help increase flexibility in your site build since you can choose the themes and plugins to work with following your needs.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Because plugins and themes are often community developed, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/visualmodo.com\/how-to-choose-trustworthy-plugins-for-your-wordpress-site\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">not all of them are safe to use<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some are even built by a single developer seeking to address small issues. Be wary of over-using themes and plugins since each will be a potential source of more vulnerabilities.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you are making use of plugins, they too need to be kept updated. If you find that you have installed a plugin before that, you no longer use, make sure to remove it to avoid leaving a possible security loophole.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-699\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-1024x399.jpg\" alt=\"Pay attention to details of WordPress plugins and themes to make sure they\u2019ve not been abandoned.\" width=\"1024\" height=\"399\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-1024x399.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-300x117.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-768x299.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-24x9.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-36x14.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information-48x19.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/wordpress-plugin-information.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Keep an eye on theme and plugin updates. If you notice any that have not been updated by the developer for a long period of time, it might be better to seek an alternative and remove the old one.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"3_Install_a_Security_Plugin\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">3. Install a Security Plugin<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Since there are so many ways to harden an installation of WordPress, it can be daunting for some users to handle everything on their own. That is where security plugins like <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/wordfence\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Wordfence<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> come in handy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">They offer in-depth security to WordPress sites and can help you safeguard from many types of threats. These can include anything from brute force attacks to bad bots. Many security plugins also work with massive amounts of community data, so they can assess threats much better than doing it on your own.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Be cautious about your choice and configuration, even of WordPress <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/search\/security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">security plugins<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some may have an impact on the performance of your website if not configured correctly.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"4_Choose_a_Secure_Web_Host\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">4. Choose a Secure Web Host<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The choice of web host is vital to any website, not just for those who are thinking of running WordPress. Web hosting providers take <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">diverse approaches to security<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Some may not offer comprehensive security, while others may work with top security brands like Sucuri to provide users with greater protection.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"aligncenter size-large wp-image-697\" src=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-1024x435.jpg\" alt=\"Fast patching, Daily backups and User account isolation are the security solutions offered by HostArmada\" width=\"1024\" height=\"435\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-1024x435.jpg 1024w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-300x128.jpg 300w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-768x326.jpg 768w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-24x10.jpg 24w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-36x15.jpg 36w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat-48x20.jpg 48w, https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/09\/security-feat.jpg 1200w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">There are also some web hosting providers like HostArmada, implement <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hostarmada.com\/website-security\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">tight website security<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> features such as Proactive Zero-day attack detection and OS Patch Management to protect users\u2019 websites on their <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/hostarmada.com\/cloud-ssd-shared-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">cloud hosting plans<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Note what options are available to you in this regard when choosing a web hosting plan. If you are new to the web hosting concept, you would like to learn how to <a href=\"https:\/\/www.webhostingsecretrevealed.net\/website-hosting-cost\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">measure the value of a given hosting service<\/a>. Even if you have solid experience with web hosting, it is always a good idea to stay informed and <a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostscore.net\/news\/web-hosting-industry-statistics-data-and-market-trends\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">ahead of the industry trends<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Some web hosts may have extra security features that come at additional cost. Decide if you want to pay extra or simply choose a more secure host that is all-inclusive.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"5_Make_Use_of_a_Content_Delivery_Network\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">5. Make Use of a Content Delivery Network<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Content Delivery Networks (CDNs) help you speed up the delivery of your web pages by keeping caches of static content on their global network of servers. Because of this, they also act as a sort of \u2018front line\u2019 to your website.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">This makes them the perfect solution to increase your WordPress security as well. CDNs can be used for bot filtering and firewall rule implementation. The best part is that since these are done on the CDN servers, your web hosting will not have to bear the load, which will reflect in your resource usage and, consequently, in your expences.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Even though WordPress sites are dynamic, CDNs can still be very useful. In fact, <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">many CDNs integrate well with WordPress<\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and can offer many advantages. They are also widely used, so learning how to configure them properly should be easy.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> CDNs do not necessarily come with premium price tags. In fact, <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/wordpress.org\/plugins\/cloudflare\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cloudflare<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> offers free accounts that work well for many sites. Most CDNs will be priced based on the volume of data they help serve.<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<h3><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"6_Observe_Best_Security_Practices\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">6. Observe Best <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Security <\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Practices<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h3>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">You can use all the security plugins in the world with poor results if you fail to follow the best security practices in managing your WordPress site. This can be pretty comprehensive, depending on how serious you are about your website security.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">For example;<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Always use strong passwords (longer than eight characters, upper and lower cases, digits and special characters)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Avoid using the administrator accounts unless necessary<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Mask the administrative login screen<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Check your file and directory permissions<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Protect your wp-config.php file<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Disable file editing unless you need it<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Use 2FA authentication for logins<\/span><\/li>\n<li>Implement\u00a0<a class=\"c-link\" href=\"https:\/\/www.wiz.io\/academy\/secret-scanning\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\" data-stringify-link=\"https:\/\/www.wiz.io\/academy\/secret-scanning\" data-sk=\"tooltip_parent\">secret scanning for secure development<\/a>\u00a0to ensure sensitive information is not exposed in your codebase<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">If you just scour the web, you can easily fill pages with the number of things you can and should do simply as a precaution. In fact, many best practices in securing WordPress sites are not difficult to do, nor will they cost you money.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<p><b>Quick tip:<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">\u00a0 The list can go on indefinitely. Ideally, build a checklist of the things you want to do and keep track of it as you\u2019re hardening your WordPress site.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2><span class=\"ez-toc-section\" id=\"Conclusion\"><\/span><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Conclusion<\/span><span class=\"ez-toc-section-end\"><\/span><\/h2>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">The biggest mistake WordPress site owners can make is taking their site security for granted. Those that do typically end up blaming the software for being \u2018insecure\u2019 if anything happens to their site.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">As you can see from the points we have outlined here, the responsibility for the security of WordPress sites is shared in a way. However, you, as the site owner, need to make the choices and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.hostarmada.com\/blog\/5-tips-for-optimizing-your-website-to-make-it-more-attractive-for-your-visitors\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">put things into play<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Cybercriminals have the advantage of only having to succeed once in order to steal or otherwise wreak havoc. You need to consider things from the point of view that a single loophole could be a disaster for your site. Therefore, you should always keep healthy backups of your website. As we take security seriously at HostArmada, we do offer free daily backups stored on remote servers for enhanced security with all our <a href=\"https:\/\/hostarmada.com\/cloud-ssd-shared-hosting\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener noreferrer\">hosting plans<\/a>.<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>WordPress is the most popular Content Management System (CMS) today. More than a third of all websites built are on this platform. Its relative ease of use, power, and modularity gives website owners a lot of leeway in their build. 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