It is something that many website owners worry about, the idea that your website has been hacked. Not only can it be a concern, but it can also lead you to think that your security isn’t up to scratch.
What if your website is hosted by a specialist provider such as WordPress? Does this mean that it is impossible to hack? The answer is no, any website, even those that are hosted by WordPress can be hacked.
The reasons behind this can be linked to your own security vulnerabilities, or those that can be found within WordPress.
Security threats to your website
Here are some of the biggest security threats to your website, whether the threat comes from your own computer or WordPress itself.
• Out of date anti-virus software on your computer
• A hack on your shared hosting provider that affects more website than just yours
• A weak username or password
• Bugs in the themes or plug ins
• Not updating WordPress properly
What to do if you have been hacked
Despite there being a number of ways that your WordPress site can be hacked, should the worst happen it can be rectified. Here are our top tips.
Stay calm
There is no point starting to panic if you have been hacked, instead take a moment and a deep breath. You should try to avoid doing anything rash, which could make things worse.
Give everything a good clean
We don’t mean grab the hoover and start dusting, rather make sure that your local machine is nice and clean. Run an anti-virus scan on the machine, and make sure that everything is up to date.
Check in with your hosting account
It may be a good idea to log into your hosting account and send their support team a message asking if they can trace why your site was hacked. You should also take this opportunity to change your passwords.
Close the door
There is a chance that the hackers may have left backdoors open to your site, if they have then you will need to make sure that you firmly slam these, and secure your wp-config.PHP file too.
Think about your future security
After being hacked, the chances are that you won’t want it to happen again. So, why not take a look at some more premium security options that are open to you. There are a number of them to consider including Managed WordPress hosting, Sucuri and Manage WP.
Avoid a hack in the first place
You may not realise it, but there are some best practices that you can follow to minimise your risk of being hacked in the first place.
• Always make sure that you update your WordPress themes, core and plugins as soon as one becomes available
• Get used to backing up your site on a daily basis
• Never use a default username to log in, such as admin
• Make sure that your password is unique and difficult to guess
• Set a limit on log in attempts
• Install a monitor to receive notifications every time your files are edited
• Use a premium managed hosting option
By following these tips you can minimise your risk of being hacked and make sure that your WordPress site is well protected and safe from any harm. If your website has been hacked then call our friendly support team who will advise you what you need to do.