Is WordPress Secure?

Is your WordPress site protected, secured, locked down?

According to W3Techs, WordPress is used by 43.2% of all websites on the internet. Hackers know this, and unfortunately, due to its popularity, it makes WordPress sites a target. Is the WordPress core secure? Yes, very secure, but you need to keep WordPress updated to the latest version, and you should only use reputable, legitimate plugins and modules. Using strong passwords, two-factor authentication, captcha, and SSL Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a standard security protocol used to establish encrypted links between a web server and a browser in an online communication. This encryption ensures that all data transmitted between the server and the client remains private and integral. SSL is essential for protecting sensitive information such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal data from being intercepted by malicious actors during transmission. Websites that utilize SSL have URLs that begin with "https://" rather than "http://," indicating that they are secured by SSL technology. The protocol has evolved over time, with Transport Layer Security (TLS) being its more modern successor, but the term "SSL" is still commonly used to refer to this type of encryption. Implementing SSL is a fundamental step for any website that handles user data, providing both security and trust for its users. is also recommended, and hosting your site with a secure WordPress provider.

Are WordPress themes secure? Not always.

At Intrada, we build our themes custom to our client’s specific needs. This increases the development cost starting with a basic framework and building the templates, functions, menus, and styles from scratch, but provides the client with a secure, fast, and responsive result. Some quality theme sites follow the recommended code standards, and others are coded poorly, causing problems when modified, or are very slow because they are bloated with extra code that is sometimes never needed. This can be quickly verified by running a program like W3C’s validator or Google Lighthouse to check the site performance related to desktop and mobile.

As security concerns continue increasing, hackers have access to additional resources to learn about exploits and other vulnerabilities. These security releases are provided to help and guide the WordPress development community on how to protect their sites but are also used by hackers to exploit unprotected sites. Most attacks on WordPress come from brute-force attempts, cross-site scripting, backdoors, and Database Injections.

A few key points to securing your WordPress website:

1. Keep the WordPress core updated to the latest version.
2. Use only reputable, legitimate plugins and modules.
3. Keep all plugins and modules updated to the latest versions.
4. Remove any unused plugins and modules.
5. Use captcha.
6. Only allow strong passwords in user accounts.
7. Enable two-factor authentication to user accounts.
8. Install a reputable WordPress security plugin that can scan your site for malware.
9. Enable SSL Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) is a standard security protocol used to establish encrypted links between a web server and a browser in an online communication. This encryption ensures that all data transmitted between the server and the client remains private and integral. SSL is essential for protecting sensitive information such as credit card numbers, login credentials, and personal data from being intercepted by malicious actors during transmission. Websites that utilize SSL have URLs that begin with "https://" rather than "http://," indicating that they are secured by SSL technology. The protocol has evolved over time, with Transport Layer Security (TLS) being its more modern successor, but the term "SSL" is still commonly used to refer to this type of encryption. Implementing SSL is a fundamental step for any website that handles user data, providing both security and trust for its users. on all traffic.
10. Host your site with a WordPress Secure Host.
11. Make sure you are using the latest PHP PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. It powers many websites and content management systems, including WordPress. versions.
12. Check user accounts and remove unnecessary users.
13. Limit user accounts to only functions necessary.
14. Disable file editing in the WordPress dashboard.
15. Change the default WordPress login URL A Uniform Resource Locator (URL) is a reference or address used to access resources on the internet. URLs are essential components of web navigation and are used to locate web pages, multimedia content, and other online resources. A typical URL consists of several parts, including the protocol (such as "http" or "https"), the domain name (such as "example.com"), and often a path to a specific file or resource within that domain. For instance, in the URL "https://www.example.com/path/to/resource", "https" is the protocol, "www.example.com" is the domain name, and "/path/to/resource" specifies the path to the particular resource. URLs can also include other elements such as port numbers, query parameters, and fragments. They are universally understood by web browsers and other internet-based software to direct users to the appropriate resources. URLs play a critical role in the functionality of the web, enabling users to retrieve and interact with the vast array of information available online. .
16. Change the database file prefix.
17. Disable the xmlrpc. PHP PHP is a server-side scripting language designed for web development but also used as a general-purpose programming language. It powers many websites and content management systems, including WordPress. file.
18. Consider setting up a new admin and disabling the default WordPress admin account.
19. Consider hiding your WordPress version.
20. Back up your site after all significant changes.

If you would like one of our optimization or security specialists to review your site or provide an optimization and security review, contact James Haywood at 570.321.7370 or click here.