Each year in Australia, thousands of businesses become victims of data breaches from hackers and malicious employees. Most of these breaches affect small businesses. But, occasionally though, large companies take a big hit. A recent report from the ACSC reveals the full extent of the threat to Australian businesses. Of course, WordPress takes security very seriously. But, like all other systems, potential security issues will always exist if some essential safeguards aren’t followed. So, what can you do to improve your WordPress security?
WordPress Security – Can You Be 100% Secure?
The answer is probably yes, but such a setup would be impossible to find and impractical for everyday use. Essentially, think of security as risk reduction. Security means deploying all reasonable measures that protect your website and therefore reduce the odds of being attacked.
Back to Basics – Check Your Website Hosting
Before we get into WordPress security, check the security of your hosting. First, you have to understand that the Hosting company is concerned with the security of their servers and infrastructure, not your website. This is an important distinction. So, a secure server protects the integrity, privacy, and availability of the resources under the server administrator’s control.
Common WordPress Security Considerations
Bear in mind the following security considerations across your system:
Limit Access – Restrict the number and ease of entry points available to an attacker.
Containment Plan – You must set up your system to minimise the damage or loss if a breach occurs.
Knowledge and Preparation – Ensure you are running the latest version of WordPress and keep regular backups. Also, have a plan to enable rapid restoration to minimise disruption.
Trusted Sources – As tempting as it is, do not download plugins/themes from unknown sources. The WordPress.org repository is the safest.
Vulnerabilities in WordPress
Like all major software programs, security within WordPress is an ongoing issue. WordPress provides regular updates to patch potential vulnerabilities. Therefore, ensure that you keep up-to-date with these patches. To do this, you can allow automatic updates. Also, the latest version of WordPress is always available from https://wordpress.org. Never download the program from anywhere else. For the latest information on keeping up-to-date with WordPress security, read the Site Health Status entries found on the Dashboard or the WordPress Developer Blog.
