· Vulnerabilities · 6 min read
How to check wordpress website security
A Step-by-step guide.
How to Check WordPress Website Security: A Step-by-Step Guide
WordPress is one of the most popular content management systems (CMS) globally, powering over 40% of websites on the internet. However, its popularity makes it a prime target for cyberattacks. To keep your site safe, you need to regularly monitor and assess its security. In this guide, we’ll walk you through how to check WordPress website security, covering essential steps and tools to safeguard your site from potential vulnerabilities.
Why is WordPress Security Important?
With WordPress’s widespread use, attackers frequently target websites that have weak security configurations. Common vulnerabilities include outdated plugins, weak passwords, and insecure file permissions. A compromised WordPress site can lead to data breaches, malware infections, and loss of customer trust.
By performing regular WordPress security checks, you can ensure that your site is well-protected against the latest threats and prevent unauthorized access.
How to Check WordPress Website Security: Key Steps
Let’s break down the process of checking and enhancing your WordPress site’s security, focusing on surface vulnerability scanning and other best practices.
1. Keep WordPress Core, Themes, and Plugins Updated
One of the easiest ways for hackers to gain access to your site is by exploiting outdated versions of WordPress, themes, or plugins. Vulnerabilities in older software versions are well-known, and if they aren’t patched, your site is at serious risk.
To check for updates:
Go to your WordPress dashboard.
Navigate to Dashboard > Updates to see if there are any available updates for your WordPress core, themes, or plugins.
Make sure to back up your site before applying any updates.
2. Use a WordPress Security Plugin
Installing a WordPress security plugin helps automate the process of checking for vulnerabilities, monitoring suspicious activity, and enforcing security protocols. Some of the most popular security plugins include:
Wordfence: A robust firewall and malware scanner that checks your site for security issues and blocks malicious traffic.
Sucuri Security: Offers security hardening, malware scanning, and post-hack security actions.
iThemes Security: Provides over 30 ways to protect your WordPress site, including brute force protection and database backups.
These plugins will scan your WordPress files and alert you to potential vulnerabilities or malicious code on your website.
3. Perform Surface Vulnerability Scanning
A surface vulnerability scan is a critical step in identifying weak points on your WordPress site that are visible and easily exploitable by attackers. This includes checking for:
Open ports that could be exploited.
Insecure file permissions that allow unauthorized access to sensitive files.
Weak passwords for user accounts.
You can use tools like Dragonsec or WPScan to perform vulnerability assessments on your WordPress site. WPScan is a specialized scanner for WordPress that identifies common security issues like outdated plugins, insecure passwords, and other vulnerabilities.
4. Check for Malware and Unauthorized Changes
Hackers often inject malicious code into WordPress files or create unauthorized changes to existing files. To check for this, you can:
Use Sucuri’s SiteCheck to scan your WordPress site for malware, blacklisting status, and website errors.
Cross-check WordPress files with the original core files from the WordPress repository to ensure no unauthorized changes have been made.
Enable file integrity monitoring using Wordfence or another security plugin. This feature will notify you if any core files, themes, or plugins are modified.
5. Secure Your Login Page
WordPress login pages are frequent targets for brute force attacks. To check and secure your login page, you should:
Limit login attempts: Use the iThemes Security plugin or similar tools to lock out users after several failed login attempts.
Enable two-factor authentication (2FA): This adds an additional layer of security by requiring a code from your phone or email in addition to your password.
Change your login URL: By default, WordPress login pages are located at /wp-login.php or /wp-admin/. Using a plugin like WPS Hide Login, you can change the login URL to something less predictable and harder for attackers to find.
6. Check and Harden File Permissions
File permissions control who can read, write, or execute files on your server. Incorrect file permissions can leave your WordPress site open to exploitation. Here’s how to check and fix them:
Root directory (/): Should be set to 755.
WordPress files: Should be set to 644.
wp-config.php: This file contains sensitive database information and should be set to 440 or 400.
You can change these permissions via your hosting provider’s control panel or using an FTP client like FileZilla.
7. Monitor Activity and Logs
Monitoring your site’s activity and logs is crucial for identifying any suspicious behavior. Tools like Wordfence or iThemes Security can help monitor:
Login attempts and login failures.
File changes and new file uploads.
404 errors, which might indicate attempts to find vulnerabilities on your site.
Setting up real-time alerts for critical actions, such as unauthorized logins or file changes, ensures that you’re informed immediately if something suspicious happens.
8. Perform Regular Backups
Even the most secure websites can fall victim to attacks. Having a recent backup can save you from permanent data loss and help restore your website quickly. Use plugins like UpdraftPlus or BackupBuddy to automate backups of your WordPress files and database. Ensure that your backups are stored securely and can be easily restored.
Best Practices for WordPress Security
As you monitor your site for vulnerabilities, follow these best practices to ensure long-term security:
Use strong passwords: Encourage all users to use complex, unique passwords.
Disable file editing: By adding define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true); to your wp-config.php file, you can prevent users from editing theme and plugin files directly from the WordPress dashboard.
Use HTTPS: Ensure your site is secured with an SSL certificate to encrypt data transmission between your server and users.
Regularly review user roles and permissions: Limit access to your site by only assigning necessary roles and permissions to users.
Because vulnerabilities are constantly emerging and appear very frequently, it is recommended to automate vulnerability scans for your WordPress site using tools like Dragonsec.
As a final thought
Maintaining a secure WordPress website requires continuous effort. Regularly checking for vulnerabilities, updating software, and implementing strong security measures will help protect your site from cyber threats. By following this how to check WordPress website security guide, you’ll be well-equipped to safeguard your WordPress site and keep it secure from potential attacks.
Make sure to incorporate these steps into your routine maintenance to stay ahead of evolving threats and protect your website’s reputation.
