Tips To Prevent Your WordPress Website From Being Hacked
When your website goes live it is just like unlocking the door to your office. Better yet, it is just like unlocking the door to your office, leaving the safe wide open, and going home for the evening. It goes without saying that there are people out there that want to steal your valuable information. Electronic thieves, also known as hackers, can strike faster than you can say cyber security. Even the largest corporations with the highest levels of protection are hacked on a constant basis. This is due to the fact that some hackers are the best computer programmers on the planet.
However, most hackers that go after small to mid size business based websites are not on that level. These thieves are typically looking to steal your customers/clients data, especially their credit card information. They may also attempt to hack your website in order to cause absolute destruction or to simply use your server space as their own platform for spewing their ugly spam all over the internet! For example, there are a plethora of hackers out there that simply want to destroy your reputation, ruin your records, or even send a disturbing message to your customers/clients. Sometimes they simply find this to be amusing.
Other times they are being paid by your competition to make your life miserable. The good news is that there are steps that you can take that will discourage some hackers. Remember that thieves are far more likely to steal from people who leave their doors unlocked. So how do you lock your doors when it comes to your website? You can start with proper website maintenance. For example, if your website was built on the WordPress platform, which the vast majority of websites are, running the latest version of WordPress is a key to stopping hackers.
In fact, running the latest version of any software is the most obvious security related measure that should be taken. Unfortunately, over 86% of WordPress installations are actually running outdated versions of WordPress. That is truly a mind-boggling statistic. You may or may not know this, but each update of WordPress not only includes new features, it also incorporates security fixes that help your website to stay safe against vulnerabilities. It is just as important to run the latest versions of plugins and themes because they may contain vulnerabilities that will compromise the overall security of your website.
For example, there are old versions of plugins and themes that actually provide hackers with the ability to steal your database credentials. That means the cyber thieves can completely compromise your website through the database if you are utilizing outdated versions of those plugins and themes. It is essential to run the latest version of plugins and themes in order to ensure that your website is utilizing the latest security based updates.
Your Page Today specializes in custom web site design, custom web site development, search engine optimization, monthly or weekly blog writing services, content management solutions, and ongoing maintenance and support. Our company began its journey as an owner operated web development company in 2001. Back when websites were just that; web pages. With well over 18 years of hands on experience in the world of website design and development, we have the expertise to not only get your website up and running, but get it visible to those ideal prospects who ARE your target audience.
If you need help protecting your website from hackers and or would like more information about our WordPress Website maintenance packages, please click here. We look forward to working with you.
