The last thing we would want to see on our computer screen is the message blinking and reminding us of our vulnerabilities as we see our WordPress website. Nevertheless website being hacked is a situation that requires quick solution and here are some instant ways to overcome this.
Here, it is important for users to have knowledge of the existing vulnerabilities.
Weak username or password
We may have failed to notice, but the standard “password strength detector” option of the WordPress version 3.8 allows its users to provide extremely strong passwords. In simple terms the way out is to do away with the usual “admin” username and provide a highly complex password with an assortment of numbers, letters, and letter-cases.
On theme or plug-in bugs
It is possible that even extremely popular themes or plug-ins will have some kind of security flaw. A lot of trouble can be avoided by simply reading up about the plug-in before installing. Avoiding themes or plugins that are not from the official WordPress directory is also recommended. It will be a good idea to stick to plugins that have a four or five star rating.
Outdated WordPress core and themes/plugins
It is understandable if the website is highly dependent on the functionality of the few available plugins but it is always wise to run an update because almost all high quality reliable plugins have an updated version within hours or days of the WordPress core release.
Unwanted personal attackers
These include the type of people who like to intervene in other’s lives in the most malicious ways possible. These hackers are just waiting for any casualty from the user so it’s highly recommended to remain cautious and vigilant.
So what can be done when the website gets hacked?
The easiest and the most reliable option is to hire a professional to do the work which will ensure a high standard of security. But the problem lies with the high fees that these experts charge, which can be difficult for individuals to afford. Below listed are some individual methods which can be used.
Maintenance and wordpress website development require care and caution and after going through the difficulties explained above one might want to secure their website to prevent any such further complications.
A note to the users in this regard is that Google has recently announced a change in the algorithm that impacts hacked sites with spam results. There is so much at stake when our websites get hacked and we become subject to losing our search engine rankings, exposing our readers to viruses and even we run the risk of tarnishing our reputations. So we would want to have strong footing when it comes to the security of our websites.
Conclusion:
A strong understanding on the vulnerabilities is crucial, based on which preventive measures such as development of the WordPress, managing its security, using strong passwords, maintaining updates, and incorporating security solutions should be considered.
Here, it is important for users to have knowledge of the existing vulnerabilities.
Weak username or password
We may have failed to notice, but the standard “password strength detector” option of the WordPress version 3.8 allows its users to provide extremely strong passwords. In simple terms the way out is to do away with the usual “admin” username and provide a highly complex password with an assortment of numbers, letters, and letter-cases.
On theme or plug-in bugs
It is possible that even extremely popular themes or plug-ins will have some kind of security flaw. A lot of trouble can be avoided by simply reading up about the plug-in before installing. Avoiding themes or plugins that are not from the official WordPress directory is also recommended. It will be a good idea to stick to plugins that have a four or five star rating.
Outdated WordPress core and themes/plugins
It is understandable if the website is highly dependent on the functionality of the few available plugins but it is always wise to run an update because almost all high quality reliable plugins have an updated version within hours or days of the WordPress core release.
Unwanted personal attackers
These include the type of people who like to intervene in other’s lives in the most malicious ways possible. These hackers are just waiting for any casualty from the user so it’s highly recommended to remain cautious and vigilant.
So what can be done when the website gets hacked?
The easiest and the most reliable option is to hire a professional to do the work which will ensure a high standard of security. But the problem lies with the high fees that these experts charge, which can be difficult for individuals to afford. Below listed are some individual methods which can be used.
- One should begin with cleaning up the entire system by running anti-virus and update everything.
- Next step would be to log into the hosting account and check with them to see what is going wrong. One needs to make sure that one has been hacked; it could be possible that they are experiencing a service outage for the site in question. If the hack is definite one can send them a support message inquiring about the cause of the hack and whether it is traceable or not. One can look out for some of the unusual activities that might be happening like failed login to the WordPress admin panel, redirection of the WordPress site to another website, or the marking of the website by Google as insecure.
- On the account one can change all the backend passwords and the passwords for everyone who has access to the site.
- If the site is already backed up one can simply perform a restoration. If not, it would be safe to back up everything.
- It is also recommended to secure the WordPress configuration file.
- A change of password can enhance security and assurance.
- A premium security solution can be considered such as managed WordPress hosting or Sucuri. ManageWP is another preferred solution for those who would like to retain their mutual hosting but want some added security and support.
Maintenance and wordpress website development require care and caution and after going through the difficulties explained above one might want to secure their website to prevent any such further complications.
- It is always wise to update cores, themes and plugins on a regular basis. We belong to an age of websites for all and we don’t need overqualified service providers for update and other works but not every user is aware of the importance of such act and hence are the high rates of hacking.
- Maintaining a daily backup for the site can be helpful. One might use the host or any of the many back up plugins like VaultPress, BackupBuddy, BlogVault etc.
- Creating a difficult password is very important. Passwords should be a combination of numbers, upper case and lower case letters, more random the better.
- One should secure the wp-config.php file
- Username should be hidden so should be the version of WordPress
- Login attempts should be limited.
- Install WordPress File monitor plus to receive notifications every time files are edited.
- It is commendable to use SFTP while logging in to the website via a FTP client or the host
- We don’t want our websites to add to the problems of our lives. Fighting an invisible enemy is scarier than we know so the advice is to use premium options such as managed hosting or Sucuri or ManageWP.
A note to the users in this regard is that Google has recently announced a change in the algorithm that impacts hacked sites with spam results. There is so much at stake when our websites get hacked and we become subject to losing our search engine rankings, exposing our readers to viruses and even we run the risk of tarnishing our reputations. So we would want to have strong footing when it comes to the security of our websites.
Conclusion:
A strong understanding on the vulnerabilities is crucial, based on which preventive measures such as development of the WordPress, managing its security, using strong passwords, maintaining updates, and incorporating security solutions should be considered.
