The online network has become a massive digital world where everybody has made their presence visible across on the Internet, both individuals and businesses. Even the shabby local store from your neighborhood has surely at least put its name on Google Maps. Thus, the website has come to play a major part in any business plan. A plan that can be abruptly halted by hackers working their way through your cyber security measures.
Your WordPress site is not only the work of your life but also the core of your business. More than 80% of customers choose a certain brand based on the quality of solutions the websites offer them for various life problems. So, the more vital the content, the more users it will attract. In the end, the website engulfs all business plans as a whole.
This is the point where cyber security becomes a necessity. Once your site works with an essential and massive part of your business, or once your business activates solely through your website, taking security measures is no longer optional.
We’ll take a more in-depth look at the importance of cyber security, and mark the four main reasons why you should be more protective.
1. Your Website Is A Hacker’s Shortcut To Your Business
[pullquote]A website can hide many trade secrets that are essential to your business. The easiest way to lose control over it is for hackers to discover your admin password.[/pullquote]
Every WordPress website has an administrative area that controls every aspect and function. The admin directory can usually be easily accessed by typing “domain.com/wp-admin/”. All there is left to do for hackers is crack the password and username. Since the admin password opens one’s way to controlling the pages, blog articles, comments, links, and form entries, your website will become a vulnerable target if these protective measures are too weak.
This is how someday you might open it and discover that all the content has been erased or replaced with deceitful products. Or, potentially worse, the website no longer exists. It is best to be cautious and plan a basic security system like changing your admin password every month and make sure it has at least ten digits in length.
2. Your WordPress Theme Might Be An Open Door For Hackers
There are thousands of compelling WordPress themes on the Internet, but not all of them are safe. Security measures are sometimes neglected in favor of attractive visuals, unique website design, and low prices.
It is recommended to avoid the illusions of “free” premium features some WordPress themes show off. These themes might actually hide traps for the integrity of your website. They might conceal malware that breaks your server or viruses that attack your data files.
A clear indication that helps you to track down broken themes is the lack of customer care support. The free status might seem like a good excuse for not providing support, but don’t be deceived. The truth is that the theme might be pirated or hacked and can’t ensure the protection of your website.
3. The WordPress Plugins Are Vulnerable To Hackers
Any plugin, no matter how sophisticated it is, can present a flaw in its code. This usually happens when the developers of the plugins are not updating their products in keeping with the WordPress official releases. Other plugins might just be built on elusive code syntaxes that are usually used by developers as shortcuts. Whichever the situation might be, it’s important to keep an eye on the WordPress plugins you choose.
Once attackers discover a weak spot, they are ready to inject their own scripts into the main code. This way, they can control the backend of your website. From this point, it’s just a matter of time before they reach the sensitive database. The longer the faulty code in a plugin is, the greater the chances are that your website will be taken down altogether.
This is why it is important to gain control over your set of plugins. Make sure that you are using a minimum number of plugins, and uninstall the ones that have similar functions. If some of your plugins have not been updated in a while, make sure you check the reason why and eventually replace them with other similar products on the market.
4. The Hosting Service Is an Appetizing Target
Even the very foundation of a website is prone to cyber attacks. Once a web hosting platform is breached, thousands of websites will become vulnerable targets for hackers. Usually, the most affordable and popular web hosting service is the shared web hosting service. It can offer a low priced package because your website will be hosted with other hundreds of sites on the same server. So, taking control over one server that belongs to a web hosting platform means taking control over all the hundreds of websites hosted on that server.
This is why choosing the wrong service may make your website exposed and a sure profit for hackers. The safest way to ensure its protection is to choose a VPS service (Virtual Private Server). It was introduced initially on the market by the tech geniuses from BlueHost. With a VPS hosting service, you will basically have your own virtual space on which to host your website.
This way, you won’t share its security with other websites, and it would become a less appealing target for hackers since the efforts of breaking the server will get them access to only one website instead of thousands. It might not make it more challenging for them to breach its security, but it will make it less worth it.
In conclusion, your website holds too many important resources to keep it exposed to cyber threats. The danger can come in many forms and from different directions. So, investing in a strong cyber security is the best measure to prevent fatal consequences of cyber attacks.
How To Patch Up Your Website’s Cyber Security
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