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WordPress now powers more than 25% of all websites on the internet–and that can be seen as a positive or a negative by people who aren’t familiar with the platform. Glass-half-full people see the massive community of developers who extend and protect the platform as a major benefit. Glass-half-empty people focus on how its proliferation makes it a bigger target for hackers. Of course, both are right–and the same could be said for any market-dominant technology. But there IS water in that glass that can quench the concerns of even the most serious WordPress doubters.
The wealth of security plugins available gives the advantage to the glass-half-full crowd, hands down. While there are no guarantees when it comes to website security, being smart about it (including server-side measures and smart user policies) will help protect your site, and make it much more likely that hackers will leave, in search of easier targets. Here are some of our favorite WordPress plugins to enhance security:
iThemes
With just a few clicks, the iThemes security plugin can protect your site from unauthorized login attempts by hiding your login page, limiting the number of failed login attempts, and even disabling your admin panel according to a daily schedule. In all, it has more than 30 different ways to help protect your site.
Sucuri
The free version of Sucuri‘s security plugin allows you to hide what version of WordPress you’re running, and provides hardening of the most vulnerable WordPress directories–plus a wealth of other, more advanced features. The paid version adds malware scanning and post-hack recovery options; in fact they provide those features to premium iThemes users, too.
Security Headers
Secure HTTP headers help protect your website from cross-site scripting (XSS), clickjacking, and MIME-sniffing attempts, among others. The Security Headers plugin allows you to easily add the most common secure headers, and through the plugin’s Edit function, you can add any other custom headers you want. (Check your website’s headers at securityheaders.io.)
UpDraft Plus
UpDraft Plus backup and restoration plugin can automatically backup all site files, including your database, and save them to a linked Google Drive or Dropbox folder. If, despite your best efforts, your website does get compromised, you’ll be able to restore your entire website with just a few clicks.
If you have questions about this topic, or any other questions/suggestions about website development, brand development, or digital marketing, please send an email to [email protected]. We appreciate your suggestions, and enjoy helping you make the most of your brand and your online presence.
