 and capturing almost 60% market share of all open source content management systems, there is no doubt about WordPress’ popularity. But when it comes to popularity on the internet, there are often consequences. Because […]&media=https://www.the-blogsmith.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/11/WordPress-security-issues-WordPress-security-checklist-2.png&description=Updated 12/10/18. Please note: this article contains affiliate links for businesses I use and love. Powering 30% of all websites in the world (and growing!) and capturing almost 60% market share of all open source content management systems, there is no doubt about WordPress’ popularity. But when it comes to popularity on the internet, there are often consequences. Because […])
Updated 12/10/18. Please note: this article contains affiliate links for businesses I use and love.
Powering 30% of all websites in the world (and growing!) and capturing almost 60% market share of all open source content management systems, there is no doubt about WordPress’ popularity.
But when it comes to popularity on the internet, there are often consequences. Because of its widespread use, WordPress has become a favorite target for hackers and attackers.
Did you know:
- There are roughly 91,000 attacks on WordPress every minute.
- During the worst WordPress security breach, over 18 million users were compromised.
- 73% of the 40,000 most popular websites that use WordPress are vulnerable to attack.
Many of these hackers use bots to automate the process of sniffing out vulnerabilities from your site. With this in mind, an attack isn’t necessarily personal, which is why even the smallest, under-the-radar websites get hacked. Once their bots find a viable entry point, hackers jump in and take advantage. If you’d like to learn more about ways cybersecurity works and how websites can be hacked, consider taking cybersecurity courses to gain a deeper knowledge on the subject.
Before going through the comprehensive WordPress security checklist I’ve put together to help you safeguard your website from the worst possibilities, let’s take a deeper look into some common WordPress security issues.
Jump Ahead to a Specific Section:
What Hackers Can Do to your WordPress Website
WordPress Security Checklist: How to Protect Against WordPress Security Issues
#1: Use a WordPress Security Plugin
#2: Create Backups Regularly (& Automatically)
#3: Update WordPress Regularly
#6: Use a Secure Hosting Provider
#7: Use a Web Application Firewall (WAF)
Final Thoughts: An 8 Step WordPress Security Checklist for WordPress Security Issues
What Hackers Can Do to your WordPress Website
According to the 2017 Cybersecurity Report by ISACA, 53% of enterprises experienced more attacks this year than the year prior. This is supported by research from Symantec, who found that ransomware attacks increased by 37% in 2017.
Here are some of the most popular reasons (and resulting impacts) for hacker activity on a website:
- Website vandalization. Hackers do this to make a name for themselves while hurting your brand.