The security of a WordPress site is an ongoing and essential process to prevent cyberattacks, data loss, and damage to reputation. Many vulnerabilities do not come from the WordPress core itself but from themes, plugins, and weak user security practices.
1. Main security threats for WordPress.
- Brute Force Attacks: Automated attempts to guess usernames and passwords to gain access to the admin panel.
- Malicious Code Injection (Malware/Phishing): Hackers may inject harmful scripts into site files that redirect visitors, steal data, or turn the site into a “zombie” for DDoS attacks.
- Vulnerabilities in Plugins and Themes: Poorly coded or outdated plugins and themes often contain security holes that allow hackers to access the site.
- XSS Attacks (Cross-Site Scripting): These allow hackers to inject malicious code directly into site pages, affecting visitors.
- Unauthorized Access to Files and Databases: Misconfigured servers can expose sensitive files such as wp-config.php, which contains database credentials.
2. Finding and fixing problems.
If you suspect your site has been compromised, follow these steps:
- Log in to the cPanel control panel, go to the Security - Imunify360 section, and check the antivirus scan history. If infections have been found, you will see full details about your account and infected files.
- Check and remove infected files.
- Restore a backup using JetBackup 5, access link
- Change all passwords: admin panel, database, FTP, and hosting control panel.
- We recommend using the WP Toolkit tool, where you can find additional security options and apply necessary updates. Access the link.
3. Comprehensive protection strategies.
The following measures, structured by complexity, are essential to secure a WordPress site.
Essential measures (for all users).
- Regular updates for plugins and themes. Most attacks exploit known vulnerabilities in outdated extensions.
- We recommend using WP Toolkit, where you can find tools to customize site security. Access the link.
- Delete unused plugins and themes.
- Install extensions only from official sources (WordPress.org or trusted developers).
- Use a unique username: Never use “admin” as the administrator username. Create a complex administrator account and remove or downgrade the admin account.
- Choose a strong and unique password: At least 12-15 characters, including uppercase, lowercase, numbers, and symbols. Use a password manager to generate and store secure passwords.
- Limit login attempts: A security plugin is the easiest way to apply this measure.
- Wordfence Security: A complete suite with firewall, malware scanner, and login limiter.
- Sucuri Security: Excellent for scanning, file integrity monitoring, and security audits.
- All In One WP Security & Firewall: A very popular option combining various measures in an easy-to-use interface.
4. Advanced measures (for users with technical knowledge).
- Protect wp-admin using .htaccess:
This method is very effective but requires a static IP and correct configuration.
.htaccess code to block access:
# Block access to wp-admin
<FilesMatch "(wp-login.php|wp-admin.php)">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
Allow from x.x.x.x
</FilesMatch>
- Exception for AJAX (admin-ajax.php).
The admin-ajax.php file is used by themes and plugins to communicate with the server without reloading the page. Blocking it will break the site.
# Allow access to wp-admin/admin-ajax.php
<Files admin-ajax.php>
Order allow,deny
Allow from all
</Files>
- Protect wp-config.php.
This file contains the most sensitive information. Add the following lines in the main .htaccess file to protect it:
<Files wp-config.php>
order allow,deny
deny from all
</Files>
- Change the database prefix.
The default prefix wp_ is a common target for SQL injection attacks. Change it to something unique (e.g., abc123_) during installation or with a specialized plugin.
- Disable file editing: Disable theme and plugin editors in the WordPress admin panel. A hacker with admin access won’t be able to inject code directly. Add this line to wp-config.php:
define( 'DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true );
The security of a WordPress site largely depends on the vigilance and attention of the site owner. Implementing a robust security plan and keeping everything updated are the best defenses against cyberattacks.
