Implement Security Measures to Avoid WordPress Websites Being Hacked

Last timeSharing a Case of a Foreign Trade WordPress Website Infected with MalwareNot long after, today I encountered another foreign trade website that was hacked. So, here I'll share how to reduce the risk of your website being hacked by hackers.

Several Manifestations of WordPress Being Hacked

WordPress is currently the most popular CMS website building program, so it is also targeted by many hackers. When your website exhibits the following symptoms, it is highly likely that the site has been hacked.

1. The website suddenly displays ads or redirects to other web pages.
2. The website responds very slowly, and operations are sluggish.
3. The website content has been tampered with, or additional content has appeared.
4. Files you did not upload appear on the server.
5. Many unknown links appear on the website.
6. Suddenly, the administrator account cannot log in.
7. Google warns that the website is risky during searches.

Impact of WordPress Being Hacked

What are the impacts of a website being hacked? This mainly depends on how quickly you discover and resolve the issue. If the hack is only for a short period, the impact on the website is minimal. However,if you do not properly address the content modified by hackers, the longer it persists, the greater the impact on your website.

1. Damage to brand image—which major company's website would be repeatedly hacked without being addressed?
2. Loss of website users and potential customers. If the website is inaccessible for several consecutive days, no one will trust it.
3. Damage to website SEO. Whether it's Baidu or Google, they will flag hacked websites in search results. If left unresolved for a long time, your website's ranking will be downgraded, requiring more time and effort to recover later.
4. Data or other losses.

How to Reduce the Risk of WordPress Website Being Hacked

Generally, hackers use software to scan website programs in bulk to discover and exploit vulnerabilities. Unless you have enemies, no individual hacker will specifically study the vulnerabilities of an ordinary website. Therefore, you only need to follow the points below to significantly enhance your website's security.

1. Use the latest version of WordPress
2. Use the latest versions of WordPress plugins
3. Delete unused WordPress plugins
4. Use a complex administrator password*
5. Find a reliable server or service provider for the website*
6. Install a WordPress security plugin*
7. Perform regular website backups*

Use a complex administrator password

Do not use common weak passwords. It is best to use a combination of numbers, English letters, and symbols. Some foreign trade companies leave their websites to employees to manage, and employees have poor security awareness, using weak passwords that can easily be cracked by hackers.

You can alsoinstall a plugin to hide the WordPress admin login URLto prevent brute-force login attempts.

Find a reliable server or service provider for the website

Large companies with conditions have their own servers managed by their own staff. So how can ordinary foreign trade websites find reliable servers or service providers?

In short, choose service providers from big brands and do not be tempted by cheap virtual hosts from small brands. Virtual hosts are relatively less secure; a single server may host hundreds of websites. If one website has a vulnerability, your website is likely to be affected as well.

Install a WordPress security plugin

Although this may consume some server resources, for a legitimate company website that relies on its site to build brand image or sell products, security and stability should be the top priority. You can refer to the article previously published by NaibaInstall a firewall for WordPress! Try Wordfence和4 Malware Scanning Plugins Recommended by WordPress

Perform website backup

Better safe than sorry. No one can guarantee 100% immunity from hacker attacks, so it's crucial to back up your website data. You can refer to the previously publishedAutomatically backup WordPress websites using plugins

By following the above steps, the risk of your website being hacked is significantly reduced.