Online Security: Ensuring Safety in the Digital Age

Sep 13, 2024 | Security

As technology becomes smarter, the opportunity for ‘bad actors’ to tangle you up in some pretty messy online schemes also increases. 2024 has seen the rise of some substantial security breaches, and online scamsters seem to be coming up with more sophisticated ways to lower your defences and increase their chances of success. Online security is a crucial concern that comes up repeatedly for our web design and hosting customers. How can they protect themselves, and how can Digital Tea help protect them from online threats that seem to be growing as technology expands?

Ensuring the safety of digital platforms has never been more critical, with cyber threats evolving at pace alongside technological advancements. For web designers/developers and hosting providers, maintaining a secure environment is essential to protect themselves, their clients, and the end-users of their websites and apps. Today we’ll discuss some of the key areas of online security, particularly for WordPress websites, focusing on nine important practices that form the foundation of a robust security strategy.

1. Ensure You Have Daily Backups

Daily backups are a critical component of online security. They serve as a safety net in case of data loss, hacking, or any other unforeseen issues. Regular backups allow you to restore your website to a previous state, minimizing downtime and data loss.

Why Daily Backups Matter

  • Data Protection: Protects against data loss due to hacking, server failures, or accidental deletions.
  • Quick Recovery: Allows for rapid restoration of your website, reducing downtime.
  • Peace of Mind: Assures that your data is safe, even in the event of a cyber-attack.

Implementing Daily Backups

  • Automated Backup Solutions: Use tools like UpdraftPlus, BackupBuddy, or Jetpack to automate daily backups.
  • Offsite Storage: Store backups in a secure offsite location, such as cloud storage, to protect against local server failures.

2. Keep Your Theme and Plugins Up to Date

Themes and plugins are essential components of WordPress websites, providing functionality and design customization. However, outdated themes and plugins are a significant security risk, as they can contain vulnerabilities that hackers exploit.

Importance of Updates

  • Security Patches: Updates often include fixes for areas where older versions may have had security concerns.
  • Improved Performance: Updates can enhance functionality, speed, and performance.
  • Compatibility: Ensures compatibility with the latest WordPress version.

Best Practices

  • Regular Checks: Regularly check for updates and apply them promptly.
  • Automatic Updates: Enable automatic updates for themes and plugins when possible.
  • Trusted Sources: Only use themes and plugins from reputable sources to avoid malicious code.

3. Use Proper (Highly Secure) Passwords

Weak passwords are a common entry point for hackers. As cumbersome as it may be to have a different password for everything, they can make the difference between staying safe online and potentially losing data to malicious users. Using strong, unique passwords for all accounts associated with your website (and in your personal online routines) is a fundamental security measure. Many web browsers such as Google and Microsoft Edge now offer secure password storage for frequently used websites which can make keeping track of all your unique passwords a less daunting prospect.

Characteristics of Strong Passwords

  • Length: At least 12 characters long.
  • Complexity: Includes a mix of uppercase and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters.
  • Uniqueness: Avoid using the same password across multiple accounts.

Password Management

  • Password Managers: Use password managers like LastPass, Dashlane, or 1Password to generate and store complex passwords securely.
  • Two-Factor Authentication (2FA): Enable 2FA where possible to add an extra layer of security to your accounts. This often includes receiving emails or text messages to verify you and/or other users on your site as being who you say you are.

4. Ensure You Have a Firewall Installed

A firewall acts as a barrier between your website and potential threats, monitoring and controlling incoming and outgoing traffic based on predetermined security rules. WordPress firewalls like WordFence provide robust protection against various attacks.

Benefits of Firewalls

  • Intrusion Prevention: Blocks malicious traffic and prevents unauthorized access.
  • Threat Detection: Identifies and mitigates security threats in real
  • Performance Optimization: Some firewalls also optimize website performance by filtering out harmful traffic.

Implementing a Firewall

  • WordFence: Install and configure WordFence for comprehensive security coverage on WordPress sites.
  • Alternative Solutions: Consider other firewalls like Sucuri, Cloudflare, or iThemes Security for added protection.

5. Never Use the Default Admin Username

Using the default admin username makes it easier for hackers to guess your login credentials. Changing the default admin username adds an extra layer of security by making brute-force attacks more difficult.

Steps to Change the Admin Username

  • Create a New User: Create a new user account with administrator privileges.
  • Delete Default Admin: Log in with the new account and delete the default admin username.
  • Assign Content: Reassign any content associated with the old admin username to the new account.

6. Make Sure Your WordPress Database Prefix Is Not wp_

The default WordPress database prefix “wp_” is well-known to hackers, making SQL (structured query language) injection attacks easier. Changing the database prefix adds an additional layer of security.

Changing the Database Prefix

  • Backup Your Database: Always backup your database before making changes.
  • Edit wp-config.php: Change the table prefix in the wp-config.php file.
  • Rename Tables: Use a plugin like iThemes Security to rename database tables to match the new prefix.

7. Disable Directory Indexing and Browsing

Directory indexing and browsing can expose sensitive files and directories to the public, providing valuable information to hackers. Disabling this feature prevents unauthorized access to these files. We don’t need to make their lives easier.

Benefits

  • Privacy: Protects sensitive files and directories from public view.
  • Security: Reduces the risk of attackers exploiting any exposed files.

8. Disable XML-RPC in WordPress if Possible

XML-RPC allows remote access to WordPress and is often targeted by hackers for brute-force attacks. Disabling XML-RPC can significantly reduce the risk of these attacks.

Disabling XML-RPC

  • Plugins: Use plugins like Disable XML-RPC to easily disable this feature.
  • Alternatives: There are several other options for remote access that provide better options for security and flexibility.

9. Turn Off All Comments

Comments can provide an easy way for spam and malicious content to make it’s way to you. If your website does not require user interaction through comments, it’s best to disable them entirely.

Benefits

  • Spam Reduction: Eliminates spam comments and reduces the risk of malicious links.
  • Security: Prevents exploitation of vulnerabilities in the comments system.

Rest Easy: How Digital Tea Can Help Protect Your Website

While some of these recommendations can be done easily by anyone with basic knowledge of websites, others on our list of suggestions can be a little intimidating as well as time-consuming. That’s where we can step in and offer some help. Digital Tea offers Managed WordPress Hosting, and websites can be hosted with us whether we have built them or not. Our hosting packages provide nightly backups, daily plugin and theme updates, and our servers have many automatic firewalls we have built in, helping to ensure your website and the data stored on it are as secure as possible. Additionally, our servers are located in Edmonton, Alberta, meaning no pandering to out-of-country entities or other potential privacy concerns, particularly for sensitive data.

Conclusion: Prioritizing Online Security

In the ever-evolving landscape of web design and hosting, prioritizing online security is essential. Implementing as many of these nine key practices as possible will greatly increase your online security and help decrease the risk of bad actors being able to access your website.

As cyber threats continue to evolve, staying proactive and vigilant is the best defence against potential attacks. By adopting a comprehensive security strategy, you can protect your website and your clients and ensure a safe and secure digital experience for all. Whether you’re a professional in the web design industry or someone searching out ways to keep you and your business safe online, prioritizing security will always be essential for your success. Contact Digital Tea today to find out how we can help you build a robust and secure platform for your business needs!

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