How to Secure Your WordPress Login from Hackers and Spammers

WordPress has become renowned for its ease of use, including how easy and accessible it is for nearly anyone to create a beautiful, high quality website. However, with that ease of use and accessibility comes the fact that those with sneakier or not-so-good intentions will also try to use that WordPress login to get into your site and cause all kinds of mayhem.

The fact is, the WordPress login page is the same for every single WordPress site out there. Because it doesn’t change by default, it’s very vulnerable. With that being said, even hackers with basic skills can commit brute force attacks where they create a sort of “bot” or program that guesses every conceivable username and password to try to gain entry into a site. It might seem like a momentous waste of time – but once they’re in, they essentially have the keys to the kingdom.

So how can you protect your WordPress login and keep your site safe from hackers, spammers and scammers? The truth is that there are a lot of simple things you can do that most people don’t even think about when setting up their site. Plus, these things only take a few minutes to do and will make it much harder for hackers to sneak in. They don’t require any coding know-how or programming prowess, so it’s easy to get started. Here’s what you do: 

Use Stronger Passwords (And Use a Different Password for Every Account) 

Don’t use your dog’s name, your birthday, or even your dog’s birthday (well…maybe that last one wouldn’t be such a bad idea if you know it!), since your dog’s name and your birthday and any other personal information can be found easily through social media. Even if you are careful about what you post and share on sites like Facebook and Twitter, your friends or family may not be that careful and that information could be floating about on the web. 

Ideally, you’ll want to choose a password that’s at least 10-12 characters long and draws from a variety of characters and cases. Numbers, symbols, capital and lowercase letters, all of them can and should be used to create a WordPress login password. When installing WordPress on your own server, the system even makes up a password for you that’s pretty strong. You’re welcome to use that one if you’d like. However, it’s a good idea if you have several WordPress logins or blogs, to use different passwords on each one of them so that even if one gets hacked by chance, the others aren’t at risk. 

The reason you’ll want to use a unique password for your WordPress login (that is, a password not used anywhere else) is because one hackers and scammers get one password of yours, they’ll try to use it anywhere and everywhere they can. Using the same password across multiple sites is not only opening the door to hackers but inviting them in for tea! 

Limit Login and Authentication Attempts 

In most cases, installing WordPress through a third party hosting provider will also give you the option to install a plugin that limits login attempts. Without putting this limit in place, hackers are free to continue to spam your login and try to get in through brute force alone. 

By limiting outside authentication attempts, you’re also providing an extra layer of protection. There is more than one way to get into WordPress, and the login screen is not the only way in. By limiting outside login attempts, you prevent third parties from trying to sneak into your WordPress through alternate methods.

Add Two-Factor Authentication or Install a Plugin to Help with Security

Two-factor authentication requires an extra code in addition to your WordPress username and password to login. This code is usually sent to you by email, and has an expiration timer, so it can only be used that very moment. This provides another level of security that might be a little inconvenience, but provides you with a lot of protection in the case of WordPress brute force attacks and security hacks. 

In addition, there are also several good WordPress security plugins out there to help. These plugins can proactively scan your site for any code that has been changed, any strange links or usernames that you don’t recognize. We’ve reviewed several of the best ones on our blog, so if you’re concerned about your WordPress login being hacked or you want to avoid becoming a victim 

Some of the WordPress security plugins do more than just harden your WordPress login. They can also scan for viruses and malware, which can be used to secretly and covertly hack users who simply visit your website. Because WordPress is so popular, it’s often a target for hackers and scammers, so take steps today to safeguard your site, yourself and your visitors. 

Taking Steps to Secure Your WordPress Login, and Much More

As you can see, there are several common sense yet ultra-helpful things you can do to help bolster your WordPress security. However, keep in mind that the more plugins and such you have, the more slowly your WordPress site can load (since it’s often scanning in the background looking for threats). It can be a chore to try to maintain them all and keep your WordPress login protected from malicious users. 

That’s why it’s a good idea to have a company like WPDandy on your side. Our proactive WordPress management and maintenance services include installing security plugins and helping harden you site against would-be hackers. We can also maintain and manage your site for you so that you can concentrate on building and promoting it. Setting up a WordPress site is not a once and done thing, and it takes a lot of dedication and work to make it into a solid blog with a strong audience and great discussions. If you could use a hand, reach out to us at WPDandy today and learn more about our comprehensive WordPress services!