The Risks of Lacking Security Measures in WordPress Hosting

The WordPress content management system (CMS) is a powerful and popular tool. However, it also has some drawbacks. Since it’s so widely used, hackers target it frequently. To prevent WordPress security issues, site owners should become familiar with them and take measures to prevent them.

There are various steps you can take to secure WordPress, from choosing reliable WordPress hosting services to taking the right security measures to eliminate any vulnerabilities. With a reliable WordPress hosting provider, you can be sure you will get access to advanced security to keep your website running.

Here, we will cover the common WordPress vulnerabilities and measures to keep up with security.

Top WordPress Security Mistakes and How to Avoid Them

Not updating WordPress core and plugins

Website owners make numerous WordPress security mistakes by not updating the core and plugins. To understand WordPress, you must realize it’s constantly evolving, with updates coming out constantly. Additionally, the updates fix security vulnerabilities and bugs that could damage your website.

Furthermore, plugins add functionality to your website, making them a crucial component of WordPress. In addition to security risks, they are also susceptible to vulnerabilities.

Many website owners don’t update their plugins frequently despite the plugin developers constantly updating them.

Solution

To avoid this mistake, regularly check for updates to WordPress’ core and plugins. Keeping an eye on updates at least once a week is recommended. Ensure that WordPress core and plugin updates are scheduled automatically, but ensure that your website is tested after each update to ensure all functions are working as expected. Moreover, you should remove deactivated plugins and themes because leaving them unattended could cause security problems.

Weak Passwords

It is very common for website owners to use weak passwords when securing their WordPress sites. Automated tools can guess or crack passwords, which makes them essential for protecting against unauthorized access.

If a password can be guessed easily, such as “123456,” “password,” or “qwerty,” it is considered weak. Weak passwords essentially leave your website’s entryway wide open to cyber criminals.

Solution

To avoid making this mistake, create complex, difficult-to-predict passwords. To create a strong password, make it at least 12 characters long, including capitals, lowercase letters, and numbers. Hackers can easily predict words and phrases that are common. If your password is compromised, your accounts could be compromised as well.

Poor hosting

Security problems can arise from insecure hosting, including data breaches and website defacements. Unless your hosting provider implements the necessary security measures, there may be vulnerabilities to your site.

Even though most shared hosting environments operate securely, some don’t properly separate users’ accounts. If a shared server doesn’t have user accounts separated correctly, one compromised account could take down all its websites.

Keep your host up-to-date on security patches and adhere to best practices regarding server and file security.

Solution

Don’t make this mistake by choosing a hosting provider that doesn’t take security seriously. Choose reliable wordpress website hosting provider that offer regular backups, SSL certificates, and malware scanning. Keep your host’s server software and hardware up-to-date and check if it supports the latest WordPress versions. In addition to reading reviews and ratings, you can consult other people’s reviews before choosing a hosting company.

Lack of HTTPS

The HTTPS protocol encrypts communication from a website to a visitor’s browser. A website that doesn’t use HTTPS can send sensitive information such as login credentials, personal information, and credit card information to unauthorized parties.

HTTPS protects your website against threats such as man-in-the-middle attacks and session hijacking. Among the dangers associated with these attacks are:

• The theft of sensitive information.
• The theft of an individual’s identity.
• Other major security risks.

Solution

Be sure to use HTTPS on your website to avoid this mistake. The best way to do this is to get an SSL certificate and configure your web server to use HTTPS. HTTPS enhances your website’s performance, increases user trust, and boosts your SEO ranking.

By choosing a reliable managed wordpress hosting provider, you can get quality hosting, SSL certificates and all your hosting needs will be addressed under one roof.

Not backing up website data

Backing up your WordPress site before a malware or ransomware attack is a good way to keep your data secure.

Failing to back up your website’s data regularly is a grave error. A hacked website or technical issue can cause all your website data to be lost, and there’s a good chance this will damage your business or online presence.

A ransomware attack is being conducted for financial gain to compromise your website’s security and render inaccessible. A thorough backup will prevent you from paying hackers for access and restoring your site.

Solution

Keeping your website’s data backed up regularly will help you avoid the problem. An external hard drive or cloud storage service can offer a secure place to store data exported from your website.

Furthermore, make sure your backups are current and working properly. It is important to test your backups regularly to ensure they are recoverable in an emergency. Using the Auto backup mode will enable automatic backups.

If you frequently back up your website’s data, you can minimize the risk of harm or downtime in case of a problem or attack.

No Two-Factor Authentication

Two-factor authentication is an essential security measure to ensure the safety of your WordPress website. The login process requires a second form of identification, such as an email or phone verification code. Many WordPress users ignore this security feature, leaving their sites open to attack.

Hackers use brute force attacks and password guessing to gain access to user accounts. Two-factor authentication can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized entry into your WordPress site. Hackers who steal your password can’t access your account without the verification code.

Solution

Almost every WordPress security plugin now includes two-factor authentication support, and configuring it is relatively simple. Authy or Google Authenticator are two third-party authentication apps that you can use to increase your login security.

Two-factor authentication can significantly minimize the chances of an unauthorized user accessing your WordPress site. This strategy is a simple and effective way to add security to your website and protect your users’ data.

Dashboard access unrestricted

One of the biggest security mistakes you can make is allowing unrestricted access to your WordPress admin dashboard. You should be aware that someone with your login credentials could modify your website. A site with multiple users is especially vulnerable to compromise since any one of them could compromise the entire site.

If you allow unrestricted access to your WordPress admin dashboard, you may be exposed to various security risks, such as brute-force attacks and unauthorized access to sensitive details. If your administrative accounts use weak passwords or give too many users access without restricting their privileges, such problems can arise.

Solution

To avoid this mistake, dashboard access should be limited to trusted users and their permissions should be granted. For example, different users could have different levels of dashboard access through separate accounts.

Moreover, you must use strong, difficult-to-guess passwords for these accounts. Adding two-factor authentication to your security measures is a good idea.

Also Read : Essential Security Measures for Your WordPress Website

Can Quality Website Hosting Improve Website Security?

Website security can be enhanced with high-quality web hosting, but it isn’t the only factor. Hosting providers with quality features like SSL certificates, firewalls, virus scanning, and backups provide a more secure hosting environment.

The website owner should also take additional precautions to ensure comprehensive protection, such as regular software updates, strong passwords, and security monitoring regularly.

Also Read : Cloudflare Firewall Rule to Enhance WordPress Website Security

Conclusion

WordPress is susceptible to several security issues. However, you can usually avoid them by following the best practices for WordPress security and being aware of the risks. With the right knowledge and strategies for securing your WordPress site, you will be less vulnerable to hackers.

Choosing a quality website hosting provider solves most of your security gaps. This is where WeWP comes in as your leading wordpress hosting company, offering a range of hosting plans, with every plan backed with high-end security features like malware scanning, regular backups, etc.

With our hosting solutions, you will get SSL certificates that will keep all the attacks away keeping your website secured.

Contact us today to choose from Website hosting services that meet your website hosting needs, top notch security and eliminate all gaps.