According to a reliable study, an average of over 30,000 websites fall prey to cyber attacks every day. A staggering 43% of these attacks target small businesses. This makes the security of your personal or business website the top priority for success. It would help if you had the latest software installed and all your data should be backed up in a safe place.
WordPress hosting security has many tiers and each one requires different procedures to be implemented properly. For example, the biggest importance is your login credentials. You need to have a combination of words that cannot be decoded easily. Also, do not store it in some compromisable place.
Also, use the web hosting’s built-in backup features to securely create and store backups of the data available on your website.
In this article, I will explain WordPress hosting security and everything you need to know about it. I will also help you learn about backups if you are a beginner. Without any delay, let’s jump right into the center of it!
Importance of Website Security: Explained for Beginners
Your website’s security has to be air-tight for multiple reasons including the reputation of your business and the data available on your website. If your website is compromised, the aspect of trust will be lost, damaging the conversion rate extensively. This directly leads to a bad reputation for your online presence.
What can happen if a hacker gets hold of your website? Some bad or really bad things could happen in this scenario. They could publish random/illegal content that your audience is unaware of. Malware presence can permanently damage your website as well. And if the hackers publish illegal content on it, your site could face Google warnings of drinking as a consequence.
So now that you know what could happen if your website’s access is compromised, it should help you learn the importance of a hosting server’s security as well.
5 Common WordPress Security Vulnerabilities
A website is always at risk of cyber attacks. However, it is the vulnerabilities of a certain website that allow attackers to get access to it. There are many popular vulnerabilities to WordPress websites’ security. The most common one is having weak and easily detectable passwords. Similarly, other security weaknesses of WordPress include insecure themes or software presence on your website.
Here is a list of the 5 most common security vulnerabilities of WordPress websites in today’s age:
- Weak Login Credentials (Passwords)
- Outdated Software
- Insecure Themes and Plugins
- Presence of Pirated Software/Products
- Lack of Regular Site Maintenance
There are many other backdoors for cyber attackers to break into your website and get access to administrative controls. I have provided a list of some of the common ones to you. Now keep reading as I am going to explain how to improve the security of your website in 2024.
Security Measures to Secure Your Website: 101 Guide
I have explained the importance of putting in place the best security measures to enhance the safety of your website. But, how do you do that? I will explain the top security practices in this section of the article.
The most obvious security steps include having a strong password, an up-to-date WordPress version, and installing an SSL certificate. You could also conduct a security audit of your website to find out useful information about its security.
Here are the top steps to complete for the improvement of your WordPress website’s security:
1. Secure Web Hosting
The top priority is to buy web hosting that has secure servers. Look at your desired hosting provider’s security features and analyze them according to your requirements. You can also browse the internet for any past incidents that might make web hosting a weak choice. Also, check if the hosting provider offers SSL certificates like WPX Hosting and other major hosting companies do.
2. WP Security Plugins
Install WordPress plugins that focus on enhancing your website’s security. Make sure to cross-check the reviews on platforms like Trustpilot before installing a plugin. The WP Security plugins have an important role to play in strengthening your website’s security against different types of cyber attacks. Hence, this step is important for the safety of your site.
3. 2 FA and Strong Passwords
Enable 2-factor authentication on your website to ensure no one can easily break into your website. These should include a code sent to your phone number or email before authorizing a login. Similarly, the password you set up for your website and its WordPress dashboard should be strong and secure. Make a password with a combination of different symbols, numbers, and letters and store it in some place that can’t be compromised under any circumstances.
4. Firewall Protection
Firewall protection is another important aspect of your website’s security. You should purchase a web hosting that offers it by default. For example, WPX Hosting boasts robust firewall protection that works flawlessly to protect your site. Its functions include filtering malicious traffic and protecting against potential threats.
5. Malware Scanning
This is a crucial step and it needs to be conducted regardless of whether your website is at risk of attacks or not. Malware is extremely threatening to the security of your website. You can use any malware scanning tools for this purpose. Also, WPX Hosting provides built-in malware scanning tools which are efficient and feature advanced detection techniques.
6. Vulnerability Assessments
Run regular assessments to know about the vulnerabilities of your WordPress website and then work towards fixing those. Some popular security plugins and themes help you run such assessments. Hosting providers such as WPX Hosting will also inform you if there are any major flaws in the security of your website. Hence, keep an eye out for security notifications from your hosting provider to deal with such issues on time.
7. Additional Smart Security Tips
Apart from the above steps, you can also do some other things to enhance your WordPress site’s security. For example, you can use security logins to lock out a user from logging in to your website after a certain number of failed attempts. The lock can be temporary or permanent. Similarly, hiding the backend and SQL injection also improves security.
Some other security measures include protection against DDoS attacks which your hosting company often provides. Also, it would help if you had notifications that notify you about any login attempts to your site on WordPress or the hosting server. These smart steps help you stay ahead of the attackers and hence, your website is less likely to be compromised.
Backups and Everything Related to it: Explained for Beginners
Having a backup is nice in general but it is sort of a must for a website. That’s why hosting companies like WPX provide regular backup services. This has many benefits including the option to restore your website’s data in case of a server failure or other issue.
Why are our regular backups important? The backup of your website ensures that you can restore its data in case of a major problem such as site failure or search engine deletion. The routine backups allow you to recover your website’s data to the same position as it was before a problem occurred. It also makes the procedure of recovery quicker hence the data will be automatically restored on your website.
Now I will help you choose the right backup solution for your website:
Automatic Backups: Automatic backups allow your website’s data to be backed up without requiring any manual interference. The procedure keeps running as you upload new content or media to your website. WPX Hosting provides daily automatic backups, ensuring that your data is consistently backed up.
One-Click Restore: In the event of a data loss or security breach, the one-click restore feature works like a charm. It helps you take your website to normal within hours. WPX Hosting enables you to restore your site with a single click which minimizes downtime.
Off-site Backups: Choose a web hosting provider that offers off-site data backups. This means even if some disaster were to occur on the main server of the company, your data would still be safe and sound on the off-site location.
You need to have a web hosting provider that offers all three of the above backup solutions.
Wrap Up
Security is an important aspect of the online world. Whether it is personal accounts or online business websites, the passwords should be strong and hard to decode. WordPress websites are exposed to several types of cyber attacks daily. This is why you need to stay ahead of the attackers by implementing every possible security measure at your disposal.
Your website should be updated with the latest software, it should have security plugins installed, and the login credentials should be stored somewhere safe. Similarly, you also need to make sure it has SSL certificates and protection afaibst DDoS attacks. This is often provided by web hosting providers.
This article features a complete guide to make your website secure in 2024. I explained the importance of secuirty, WordPress security vulnerabilities, and the top secuirty measures every website needs. You can also find valuable information about site backups in this article.
If you still have any questions left, feel free to ask in the comments section!
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