Attacks on large websites continue to become a more common problem. Unfortunately, the only way you will ever know if a website has been hacked is if the owners are willing to admit their security measures were less than optimal. With this being viewed as a negative to business, it is easy to understand why most companies never admit this to the public, to save the stigma of vulnerability and the loss of business this could bring.

Data information attacks are staged for a variety of reasons. Marketing companies will pay good money for information such as customer names and valid emails. Those purchasing information from marketing firms have no way of telling if the information was gained through legal and legitimate means or whether it is the result of a security breach. Other types of attacks are malicious in which they are designed specifically to make a website crash. These types of attacks are known as Denial of Service (DoS) attacks. These are accomplished by sending excessive requests for data, comments and trackbacks to the server or website, causing it to crash because it becomes overloaded and unable to handle the amount of information requested.

These types of attacks are common and not limited to large companies. All types of websites, even blogs, are subject to these kinds of malicious attacks. Occasionally, a user blog will be specifically targeted, but more often, it is the hosting company that is the target of these attacks.

WordPress (WP) is the most well-known blogging platform available today, and if you choose WP to host your blog or website, it is wise to play close attention to safety and security. If you are using your blog to help promote and brand your business and do not make security measures, this could very negatively affect your image and directly impact your customers. Even personal blogs are often attacked and followers can become victims when their personal information is compromised. However, there are a number of tools offered by WordPress that can help you secure your blog and your followers’ information.

Locking Your Login

One of the most basic steps you can take to keep your data secure is to not allow unauthorized users from accessing your WordPress control panel. Breaking a password is a favorite tactic used by hackers to be able to get information directly from your control panel. By using Login Lockdown, these attempts are effectively made more difficult. A default setting gives a 1 hour lockdown for 3 login attempts failed within a 5 minute time frame. You can adjust these settings through your WP control panel.

Download Login Lockdown

Setting Up A Strong Password

Most users are guilty of choosing a password that is easy for them to remember, typically just a word or a series of numbers that are significant to them. These types of passwords do little to stop hackers from accessing the information in your control panel. Whether you use a password generator program such as Random Password Generator or Strong Password Generator, or choose to set up a password yourself, using a mixed combination of special characters, numbers and letters will set a strong password that makes a hackers task much more difficult.

Using Antivirus WordPress

Because WordPress is a large company that hosts a large number of websites and blogs, there are hackers that specifically design malicious attacks in the forms of malware, trojans and worms that are designed to attack WordPress hosted websites specifically. Tools such as Antivirus WordPress will constantly monitor your website or blog for these kinds of attacks and quarantine them. By adjusting the settings, it can be set up to do a daily scan and notify you by email when it finds malicious or suspicious files.

Download Antivirus WordPress

Using WordPress Security Scan

Installation of updates or plugins can leave your website vulnerable to security attacks. Function or layout changes may allow hackers to access the admin controls to your website. WordPress Security Scan will scan and provide ways to fix these vulnerabilities.

Download WP Security Scan

 Using WordPress Database Backup

Backing up your work is a primary tool that should be used by any website owner. If you do not back up your work, sooner or later you will suffer when information is lost due to a crash. Using WordPress Database Backup will allow you to schedule backups on selected databases on a regular basis. You can choose to back this information up to the your email or directly to the server. Installing this plugin is easy and quick, and the backup option will appear in your control panel.

Download WordPress Database Backup

Keep Up-To-Date

By keeping your plugins and WordPress platform properly updated, you will help keep your website or blog safe from malicious attacks. WordPress is proactive in spotting potential problems and correcting them through updates. By using the tools they offer as listed above and keeping your add-ons updated, you will benefit from their experience and become more knowledgeable about administering your website and keeping it as safe as it can be from malicious attacks.