WordPress Security 101 - How to secure your WordPress site against hackers

By Brecht Ryckaert

Worried about hackers taking over your website? Discover how to secure your

WordPress site so you’ll never lose control.

Are you afraid of losing your personal information in a security breach? Has your

website already been hacked? As the founder of a web security company and tech

blog, Brecht Ryckaert has years of experience in teaching proper online precautions.

And now he’s here to help you.

WordPress Security 101 contains step-by- step solutions for safeguarding your site

against potential threats. Through Ryckaert’s methods, you’ll discover common

WordPress weaknesses that attract hackers. You’ll also learn to identify these weak

spots and exactly how to bulk up your defenses against harmful breaches.

In WordPress Security 101, you’ll discover:

- How to scan your website and plugins for malicious content

- How to configure security plugins for an extra layer of protection

- Where to find plugins and themes that won’t harm your website

- How your website could get hacked through your own PC

- What steps to take if your site has already been hacked, and much, much more!

This must-have resource is your comprehensive guidebook for a hack-proof website

that’s suitable for any level of experience. If you like hands-on approaches to web

security, simple explanations of complex topics, and learning the most up-to- date

information, then you’ll love Brecht Ryckaert’s actively maintained and practical

guide.

Buy WordPress Security 101 today to fend off hackers for good!

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mediagraaf.be
• Release date: Jul 16, 2015
• ISBN: 9781516301065

Brecht Ryckaert

When working with websites you'll encounter problems you need to tackle. What you need (and what Brecht offers) is a set of detailed how-to guides -- Each designed to help you solve a specific problem with your website or server! Brecht writes his books for a variety of people: Bloggers, web developers and designers, system engineers and the guy around the corner managing his own website. What separates him from other authors is his ability to explain complex topics in a no-nonsense, straightforward manner and the fact that he writes out of years of experience. This way he always delivers step-by-step solutions and tips you can immediately implement.  In his spare time, Brecht likes to blog, taste whisky, read great books and present talks at user groups and conferences. 

Book preview

1.0 What is this book about?

First and foremost, I’d like to thank you sincerely for purchasing my book. Writing this book has taken me quite some time and I’ve tried to pour all of my knowledge into it. This way I can at least try to help you avoiding your website being hacked. I hope it can make all the difference for you.

In this book I’ll inform you on the various ways a WordPress can be hacked and, most importantly, how we can prevent it. We’ll be looking at security tweaks in your WordPress backend, on the server, in the PHP-configuration, by using plugins and much more. Finally, we’ll be going over the steps you’ll need to take in the case your WordPress site did get hacked.

1.1 Who am I and why am I qualified to instruct you on WordPress security?

My name is Brecht Ryckaert, I’m 30 years old and I live in Belgium (that little country in Europe that’s best known for its chocolate and beers). I started working with WordPress when version 1.5 was out, back in 2005.

At first, merely as a blogger using the platform, but as years passed by I started developing websites using WordPress. As of 2008 I am working part-time as a freelance WordPress wizard (via mediagraaf.be).

As of november 2008 I’ve been working at Combell.com, Belgium’s biggest independent hosting provider, as a part of the technical team. During my time there I’ve been specializing myself in Content Management Systems, focussing on WordPress and Concrete5 in particular.

Because of my work there, I deal with WordPress hacking on an almost daily basis and have become quite well informed on that matter.

I’ve also spoken at several WordPress-oriented events, among which, most notably, WordCamp Netherlands 2014 where I presented a talk about migrating WordPress sites.

Through this book I hope to make a difference for you. Of course, if this book was helpful to you or in case you have any remarks or questions, don’t hesitate to contact me at [e-mail].

1.2 WordPress hacking - far too common

WordPress is an awesome tool to build and maintain websites with. The world seems to agree with me on that one as the popularity of WordPress continues to increase year over year. While the usage of WordPress here in Belgium has exploded over the last 2 years (1 out of 2 CMS installs I do is a WordPress install), so has WordPress hacking. In fact, one could state that WordPress is becoming a victim of its own succes. But how does your WordPress site get hacked?

In fact there are 4 major ways your WordPress site might get hacked:

- The security of the server which is hosting your WordPress site isn’t set up securely enough

- There’s a leak in a plugin or theme you are using on your WordPress site

- You are running an outdated WordPress version

- Hackers obtained your FTP and/or WordPress login information via your PC

Fact: Over 50 percent of all WordPress hacks are realized through a leak in a plugin or template. This is a painfully large amount!

To avoid your website getting hacked, we’ll go over a number of steps we can take to improve security on your website. I’ve used

Reviews for WordPress Security 101 - How to secure your WordPress site against hackers

[Jitendra Chaudhary · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Excellent book on how to secure your WordPress site. A must for WordPress hosted bloggers.