Security

Several factors can make your WordPress site more vulnerable to WordPress security issues. Checkout a detailed Article on Common WordPress Security Issues

REASON #1. Weak Passwords

Using a weak password is one of the biggest security threats you can easily avoid. Your WordPress admin password should be strong, that must include multiple types of characters, symbols or numbers. In addition, your password should be specific to your WordPress site and not used anywhere else or any other type of account.

REASON #2. Not Updating WordPress, Plugins or Themes

Running outdated versions of WordPress, plugins, and themes can be an open invitation for attacks. Version updates often include patches for security issues in the previously installed version, so it’s important to always run the latest version of all software installed on your WordPress website.

Updates will appear in your WordPress dashboard as soon as they’re available. Make sure to create a backup and then running all available updates every time you log in to your WordPress site. While the task of running updates may seem inconvenient sometimes but, it’s an important WordPress security best practice.

If you manage more than one WordPress website, then there are plugins available on WordPress repository to sync all site at one place and can help by giving you one dashboard to manage multiple WordPress sites.

REASON #3. Using Plugins and Themes from Untrustworthy Sources

Poorly-written, insecure, nulled or outdated code is one of the most common ways attackers can get access to your WordPress website. Since plugins and themes are potential sources of security threats, as a security best practice, only download and install WordPress plugins and themes from reputable sources, such as from the WordPress.org repository, or from premium companies that have been in business for a while. Also, avoid NULLED or “FREE” versions of premium themes and plugins, as the files may have been altered to contain malware.

REASON #4. Using Poor-Quality or Shared Hosting

Since the server where your WordPress website hosts is a target for attackers, using cheap hosting or shared hosting can make your site more vulnerable to being hacked. While all hosts take precautions to secure their servers, but not all hosting providers uses the latest security measures to protect websites on the server-level.

Shared hosting can also be a concern because multiple websites are stored on a single server. If one website is hacked, attackers may also gain access to other websites and their data. While using a VPS, or virtual private server, is more expensive, it assures your website is stored on its own server.

The most common WordPress security issues occur before or just after your site has been compromised. The goal to hack a website is to the gain unauthorized access on an administrator-level, either from the front end (your WordPress dashboard) or on the server side (by inserting scripts or files).

ISSUE #1. Brute Force Attacks

WordPress brute force attacks are the trial and error method of trying multiple usernames and password combinations again and again until a successful combination is found. The brute force attack method is the simplest way to get access to your website: your WordPress login screen.

WordPress itself doesn’t limit login attempts, so hackers can attack your WordPress login page using the brute force method. Even if a brute force attack is unsuccessful, it can still affect your server, as login attempts can overload your system. While you’re under a brute force attack, some hosts may suspend your account, especially if you’re on a shared hosting plan, due to system overloads.

ISSUE #2. SQL Injections

Your WordPress website uses a MySQL database to handle the backend of your site. SQL injections occur when an attacker gains access to your WordPress database and to all of your website data.

With an SQL injection, an attacker will be able to create a new admin-level user account which further can be used to login and get full access to your WordPress website. SQL injections can also be used to insert new data into your database, including links to malicious or spam websites.

ISSUE #3. File Inclusion Exploits

File Inclusion Exploits are also the way to get access to your WordPress. WordPress website’s PHP code can be used to exploit your website by attackers.

File inclusion exploits occur when the vulnerable code is used to load remote files that allow attackers to gain access to your website. File inclusion exploits are one of the most common ways an attacker can gain access to your WordPress website’s wp-config.php file, one of the most important files in your WordPress installation.

ISSUE #4. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS)

Around 80% of all security vulnerabilities on the entire internet are called Cross-Site Scripting or XSS attacks. Cross-Site Scripting vulnerabilities are the most common vulnerability found in Nulled WordPress plugins or Nulled WordPress Themes.

The basic working procedure of Cross-Site Scripting works like this: an attacker finds a way to get a victim to load web pages with insecure javascript scripts. These scripts load without the knowledge of the visitor and are then used to steal data from their browsers. An example of a Cross-Site Scripting attack would be a hijacked form that appears to reside on your website. If a user inputs data into that form, that data would be stolen.

ISSUE #5. Malware

Malware is the code that is used to gain unauthorized access to a website to gather sensitive data. A hacked WordPress site usually means malware has been injected into your website’s files, so if you suspect malware on your site, take a look at recently changed files.

Although there are many types of malware infections on the web, WordPress is not vulnerable to all of them. The four most common WordPress malware infections are:

• Backdoors
• Drive-by downloads
• Pharma hacks
• Malicious redirects

Each of these types of malware can be easily identified and cleaned up either by manually removing the malicious file, installing a fresh version of WordPress or by restoring your WordPress site from a previous, non-infected backup.