As WordPress websites become more popular, hackers are becoming more interested in accessing them. It’s not just the outside world that poses a cybersecurity risk for WordPress websites, it is also employees and managers of WordPress websites who need to be aware of their actions so they don’t open up doors for hackers.
In this blog post, we want to list the top mistakes made by employees who manage WordPress sites that may have opened the door to hackers and how they can be prevented. We will also talk about some things you can do on the technical side of things to secure your site.
Mistake # One: Giving Out Your Password
This may be the most common mistake that can open up your WordPress website to hackers. Employees should never give out their password, even if it is for a colleague or someone they trust. It’s best not to share passwords by any means because employees might forget who has access and when those permissions expire. The employee could also add unnecessary users which would make it difficult for you to keep track of what is going on with your site security-wise.
If an employee ever feels like they need help accessing something from a WordPress admin panel, then reach out to the site admin instead! They will be able to reset credentials without compromising account information at all times so everyone’s needs are met.
Mistake # Two: Thinking Your Site Isn’t Important Enough to Hire a Professional
A lot of WordPress sites that have been hacked or experienced malware infections could have prevented it from happening if they had hired professional help in the first place.
It’s important for WordPress site managers and employees alike not to think their WordPress websites aren’t valuable enough to hire someone who can help secure them because there is always a risk that hackers will get into your website otherwise. If you are thinking about hiring professionals then reach out to us – we’re happy to talk with you more!
Mistake # Three: Not Changing Passwords Often Enough
It may seem like common sense when WordPress websites are hacked or WordPress malware infections happen, but it’s important for employees to change their passwords regularly. They should also avoid using the same password on different sites so as not to give hackers any information and they can’t access other accounts easily.
Mistake # Four: Not Taking Security Measures On Your Site
Some things you can do on the technical side of WordPress security is installing plugins that help prevent malware by scanning your site against viruses, tweaking .htaccess files to make sure nothing malicious gets in through open ports, and turning off comments from users who have never commented before (just like we talked about in our previous blog posts).
Making these changes will provide a significant boost to WordPress website security and there is more info at getshieldsecurity.com/blog!
To help you with securing your site we have put together a comprehensive security checklist that guides you in securing your website properly.
To summarize, making sure that you avoid these common mistakes that may have opened the door to hackers such as giving out passwords, not thinking your site is important enough to hire someone for help securing it, and not taking all of the security measures on their WordPress website will benefit you in the long run. Nobody wants to deal with a website that has been infected by malware due to user error, especially if small steps could be taken to prevent it.
We hope this blog post was useful in helping you understand what can happen if these mistakes are made and how they can be prevented!
Thanks for reading!
Paul & the Shield Security team.
