We take every measure we can to ensure your website won’t be hacked, but there's only so much we can do -- but website breaches can also happen through your actions, such as having spyware on your computer, or a weak password.

WordPress has a great article called "Hardening WordPress" that lists the myriad ways you can ensure your site is secure. (On a side note, the entire WordPress Codex is a great resource for WordPress users!) The article is quite long, and a lot of it applies more to developers than business owners, but there are some great security tips even for anyone who runs a website.

A few recommendations from "Hardening WordPress" include:

  • Make sure your computer is free of spyware, malware, and virus infections. No amount of security in WordPress or on your web server will make the slightest difference if there is a keylogger on your computer.
  • Always keep your operating system and the software on it, especially your web browser, up to date to protect you from security vulnerabilities.
  • Keep up to date with the latest version of WordPress. Enabling automatic updates makes this even easier.
  • Also make sure both your plugins and themes are updated. And if you're not using a specific plugin or theme, delete it.
  • Be careful about what networks you work from. An Internet cafe where you are sending passwords over an unencrypted connection, wireless or otherwise, is not a trusted network.
  • Make your password hard for other people to guess. Use an automatic password generator. Yes, passwords that are hard to guess are also hard to remember; if that's your challenge, try a service like LastPass, which stores passwords for you.
  • Don't use the default WordPress user -- delete it, and make your own. Many hackers try the username "Admin."
  • Keep regular and secure backups of your site.

Following these guidelines will give you a better chance of avoiding malicious attacks on your website, but unfortunately nothing can protect you completely if someone has targeted you. A hacked website isn't the end of the world, though! A good developer should be able to find you a fix, or at the most extreme, help you get a new site with better security up and running.

Vireo offers its clients dedicated hosting and maintenance, which gives us control over the quality of hosting, and enables us to do regular maintenance to stay ahead of security issues. Contact us if you're interested in learning more about our services!