Why WordPress Sites Get Hacked? (Reasons and Solutions)

WordPress powers a considerable percentage of websites on the internet. This means that this popular CMS is not going anywhere and will only develop further. WordPress is an open-source blogging platform that allows you to create different Types of WordPress Websites that can be customized according to your business needs. However, its popularity makes way for hackers hitting a jackpot. But why do WordPress sites get hacked? WordPress sites get hacked for the platform’s sheer popularity. Yes! Though it is not just WordPress, it can happen to any website. 

Have you ever thought about why WordPress sites are a popular target? Well! Owing to its vulnerabilities, WordPress is a common victim of hacking. WordPress, being the most popular CMS in the world, is the primary reason for hacking. Apart from that, a lot of WordPress websites don’t follow basic security practices. Weak passwords, plugins, outdated software, etc., are other issues.

Now, let us go through pointers that best describe why WordPress sites get hacked.

Why is WordPress Hacked easily? Reasons

• Weak security will be a boon for hackers. Make sure that you follow and implement security best practices to protect your website. 
• You may use two-factor authentication, 2FA. Check the WordPress 2FA plugin. It will drastically reduce the chances of attackers gaining access to your website, even if they’ve stolen user credentials.
• Installing and configuring the WordPress security plugin doesn’t take long. Firewalls are a great option for enhanced security.
• A great WordPress security best practice is to keep a WordPress activity log to track practically everything that happens on your website, from unsuccessful login attempts to changes in your site’s files.
• The first line of defence from a hacking attack is strong WordPress users’ passwords. Educate your users on creating strong passwords. For example, focus on length rather than a complex mix of characters. Lengthy passwords are much harder to guess and crack. Always use a password manager so that your users and you don’t have to remember long passwords.
• You may use the Melapress Login Security plugin, which enables you to configure password expiry, password history, password complexity, and several other policies.
• Strong password policies are an effective way to keep your website safe and teach your visitors to use secure passwords.
• Do away with outdated WordPress core, plugins & other software
• When you use WordPress’s outdated core, plugins, themes, and other software, they present an opportunity for hackers to exploit the security loopholes. Outdated, vulnerable software is one of the most common causes of hacked WordPress websites.
• Hackers have plenty of free scanning tools and scripts to identify and hack WordPress websites.

What are the consequences of WordPress Hacks? 

• Hackers may hack your website and infect your files and folders with malicious code that can cause some/all of your pages to redirect visitors to nefarious websites.
• Hackers may dupe visitors into buying illegal products or trick them into giving up personal (like medical and financial) information.
• Some visitors may recognize these malicious activities, but their perception of your brand turns negative. They bring disrepute to your brand and your company. 
• The exploited visitors may declare your website as a fraud in different online forums and social media groups.
• Your traffic may drop considerably. 
• With the increase in bounce rates, search engines may decide to lower your rankings. When it comes to light that your website is hacked, the search engines will penalize your site and prevent users from accessing it.
• Your hosting provider may suspend your website altogether when it detects malware infection on your WordPress website.
• Most importantly, once your website is hacked, the hackers will have access to all your confidential information: information about your business, user data, trade secrets, pricing information, etc. The hackers may sell this information to your competitors.

How do you prevent WordPress sites from being hacked?

• Ensure that WordPress core software, plugins, and themes are regularly updated. Use strong passwords and management services. Add two-factor authentication to your site for enhanced security. 
• Keep your site updated. You can enable automatic updates either yourself or through a plugin. Create a backup and test updates on a staging server. 
• Beware of insecure Plugins or Themes. When you instantly use WordPress plugins, ensure that they’ve been tested with your version of WordPress. Also, make a note that you download them from a reputed site. Never install a plugin or a theme from a third-party source. 
• Clear inactive plugins or themes. If you have installed a plugin or a theme but have not activated it, delete those. If there are any unused, old WordPress installations or files in your hosting environment, remove those, too. You may also delete any databases if not used. 
• Use firewalls
• Do away with shared server hosting. If you share server space with other clients, it may pose a threat to your security; it may also slow down your site. 
• Install SSL on your site. SSL will further enhance your site’s security. 
• Opt for a Security Service. You may consider picking a security service for your site’s security. It will monitor your site and fix it if it’s hacked again. 
• Install a security plugin on your website. It will inform you about any suspicious activity. 

Conclusion

WordPress is an extremely popular and highly versatile medium, and you can create amazing websites with it. It is SEO-friendly and has an easy-to-use interface, making it the most popular CMS in the world. However, many WordPress sites get hacked easily if they don’t follow basic security practices. Outdated software, weak passwords, plugins, themes, etc., are the main culprits behind hacks. Hacking has serious consequences sometimes. 

Being the most popular CMS, thousands of users may be affected. If your website carries some vital and sensitive information about your customers or your company, the hackers may sell it to competition to make money. Sometimes, payment details may be compromised and leaked. It has been observed that hackers don’t specifically target a website; they usually identify a vulnerability and target websites susceptible to it. Once the hackers come to know of a loophole, they target it, and companies with those loopholes fall into the trap. 

Now that you know why WordPress sites get hacked, use this handy guide and protect & prevent your website from being hacked. You may also rope in experts to do this for you. Digital Tokri, an emerging Indian company in digital marketing, has a team of experts who will help you create a secure website for your business.