It is often that when we use a blogging site such as WordPress that we assume that all of our content is secure, and that content is only available to those we allow to read it.
However, if you don’t take precautionary steps to ensure that your website is secure, a hacker may be lurking to obtain information about you, your work, your personal accounts and/or your whereabouts. Moreover, depending on the intent of the would-be hacker, your reputation could be jeopardized and your work stolen.
The last thing you want is for your property to to get in the wrong hands – it feels completely invasive when someone hacks into your private life and files. To make sure that your work and your wordpress account does not become vulnerable to hackers, consider the following tips to hack-proof your blog.
Get creative with your password
Make sure you make a strong, complex password that only you would know. Don t make it short and simple; a hacker’s ability to guess your password is often overlooked, and he/she can easily gain access to your site if your password is obvious. Use a mix of symbols, numbers, uppercase and lowercase lettering.
Moreover, WordPress allows for a plugin where you canlimit the number of incorrect login attempts, which you can set up as an administrator. Simply go to ìPlugins, choose ìAdd New, and install and change your settings to your desired amount of incorrect login attempts.
Be wary of your plugins
While plugins can be very helpful and can improve the overall user experience of your site, it would be a good idea to carefully consider the plugins that you install. Make sure they are legitimate ones, as hackers can use a plugin as a means of gaining access to your account.You can look to the reviews on WordPress.org to check their veracity of the plugin.
Create a unique username
Don’t use the default username of admin you are already giving a potential hacker half the information they need to log into your blog when you stick to the default admin username. Instead, create a user profile that is entirely new. Next, make yourself administrator of this new profile; then, delete your old profile and its default administrator position.
If you have content on the default profile, there will be an option for you to transfer the data to your new profile.
Regularly update your software
WordPress is constantly updating for their software and programs to take care of any bugs or holes in their system. Make sure you take advantage of these and update to the latest WordPress versionwhen they are available. You should be notified with a yellow banner atop your WordPress dashboard, indicating that an update is available.
Backup your content
While you may do your best to protect your WordPress site with these preliminary precautionary measures, it would still be a good idea to backup your files in case a hacker is able to breach the system you want to make sure that your blog content is secure.
Fortunately, WordPress has options for you in terms of backing up your content you can choose a free or paid option, and then choose to manually backup your data or have scheduled backup sessions. Then, you can opt to have your content sent to your server or downloaded onto your hard drive. You can even look into free (but legitimate, of course) content delivery networks for additional filtering and protection.
While you may be excited to jumpstart your blog, it is important to be aware of the risk and capabilities of potential hackers that can gain access to your WordPress site. Be sure to take the precautionary security steps to ensure that only you have access to your account and that your content remains yourcontent.
Marcela De Vivo is a freelance writer and online marketing professional from Southern California. She specializes in social networking, search marketing and web analytics. As the founder of Gryffin Media, she is always sure to take the necessary security steps to ensure the protection of her content.
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