As a global leader in WordPress backups and security, our job involves receiving mails from distraught customers who have been hacked. Maintaining a completely secure WordPress site isn't practical, but there are ways to make things harder for hackers. Here are a few essential practices to follow to harden your WordPress site's security.

1. WordPress
Security
Shivam Singh
@s6s5a2

2. ● How To Secure Your WP Site
● How To Secure Your Code (for
developers)
● Wasting Time In The Name Of Security

3. How To Secure
Your Site

4. ○ Use strong passwords passphrases
○ Limit login attempts
○ Use two-factor authentication
Secure login

5. ‘Strong Passwords*
’ gone wrong
*Courtesy: https://xkcd.com/936/

6. Keep your software up-to-date
◦ WordPress Core
◦ Plugins
◦ Themes
◦ Delete deactivated plugins/themes
◦ Reduce number of plugins/themes
◦ Use only trusted software sources

7. ◦ Change table prefix
◦ Disable file editor
◦ Disallow users from installing plugins & themes.
◦ Set auth keys and salts
◦ Block PHP execution in uploads/temp folders
Harden security using wp-config.php
Reference Links:
https://goo.gl/swDsWX
https://goo.gl/RC4ycj

8. ◦ Off-site
◦ History
◦ Quick restore
Backup - Basic makeup of a good backup

9. ◦ SFTP over FTP
◦ SSL (https://letsencrypt.org/ for free certificate)
◦ Secure file permissions (dirs: 755, files: 644)
◦ Captcha for login and comments
Other settings

10. How To Secure
Your Code
(for developers)

11. ◦ WP assigns every user a role
◦ Every role has specific set of capabilities
◦ Restrict plugin actions to specific capability
Checking user capabilities

12. No restriction
With restriction

13. ◦ Check that required fields have not been left
blank, and values match type, etc.
◦ Data validation should be performed as early as
possible
◦ Validate Javascript in the front end, and PHP in
the back end
◦ Built-in PHP functions + Core WordPress
functions.
Data Validation

14. ◦ Input data should be sanitized when you don't
know what to expect in inputs, or you don't
want to be strict with data validation
◦ Use built-in WP helper functions - sanitize_*()
series
Sanitize Input Data

15. ◦ Whenever you’re rendering data, make sure to
properly escape it.
◦ Escaping output prevents XSS (Cross-site
scripting) attacks.
◦ Use built-in WP helper functions - esc_*() series
Sanitize Output Data

16. ◦ Use nonces to check that the current user
actually intends to perform the action.
◦ Use wp_create_nonce() function to add nonce
Use nonces

17. Wasting Time
In The Name
Of Security

18. ◦ Hiding WordPress versions
◦ Hiding login errors
◦ Changing wp-admin locations
◦ Removing readme.html or other files
◦ Disabling XML-RPC

19. ◦ Hardening security
◦ Firewalls
◦ Website antivirus & hack cleaner
Security Plugins
Reference Links:
https://goo.gl/m1maKV

20. “ Thank You