If you are looking for a 100% secure, totally safe and completely hack-proof website, you only have one option – disconnect from the web. As long as you remain online and connected to a network with at least one other computer, you are vulnerable.
30,000 websites are hacked every day, with the costs to businesses averaging $8700.
One option some choose to protect their site is to hide that they are running WordPress. Some do this for security reasons while others simply don’t like the perception that WordPress is not a professional content management system.
Whatever the reason, security through obscurity is not the best – or at least not the only – step you should take when securing your website.
Here are some basic security measures to protect your online presence:
- Update the operating system with the latest patches and security implementations
- Update wordpress with the latest versions, and do the same with all plugins
- Use strong passwords and consider a two-step authentication process
- Rename the admin account
- Lockdown file permissions on the wp-admin directory
Some additional steps you can take include:
- Hire a third party vendor to evaluate your site for security holes
- Implement third party software for added security
- Buy insurance against any potential losses from hackers
- Use a separate, secure service for processing credit card payments
Following the “ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” philosophy, make sure you backup your website so that if an issue occurs, you will not lose data and can quickly revert back to a stable version of your site.
The bottom line is that WordPress is a secure system when properly implemented and maintained. Under most circumstances, hiding WordPress is not necessary, but if you still want an added level of super-security, Code Canyon provides a Hide My WP plugin which implements a series of measures to conceal the fact you are running WordPress.
Whatever actions you take to implement security, at the end of the day you are responsible for your own safety and giving your users confidence in your ability to protect them and their data. Following basic rules of security and using multiple layers of defense, will go a long way towards keeping your site safe and secure.
