WordPress is a customizable software platform that you can use to build a website in very little time.
It is popular with affiliate marketers who want the ease of use for their sites.
But, as with all web usage there can be security risks.
So what about employing plug-ins?
When you set up shop on the internet then you have to assume some risk.
Yes, I said risk!
Have you ever heard of hackers? If not, then you have most definitely have heard of viruses and Trojan horses.
Those things don’t just find their way to websites by themselves – someone has to put them there!
And while WordPress is easy to set up, it is what is termed “open source” software and that means that the entire public has access to it.
So, someone who has less than admirable intentions could hack your site.
Now, it could be something as simple as leaving improper comments on your blog and while people do that all the time, that comment could be embedded with viruses that can infect your entire infrastructure, which would be bad for you and any potential visitors.
People can also steal your content and in the age of intellectual property disputes, it is hard to retrieve something once it has been stolen without going through a lot of red tape.
Hackers can do that as well by gaining access to your WordPress site so why not protect yourself from the beginning?
You may never have a problem with such things on any of your WordPress sites but why take that chance?
WordPress Security Plug-Ins
Plug-ins are additional codes that you can add that will do things behind the scenes on your site.
There are free plug-ins, premium ones that you might have to pay a small fee for and also ones that function specifically for affiliate programs.
If you are running an affiliate site, the last thing that you want is for someone else to hijack it.
So, using the security plug-ins that are available may be a wise choice for your protection.
Below I have listed 13 free plug-ins that I think may be helpful that you might want to check into…
Security Plug-In # 1: Akismet
Akismet is probably the world’s most popular spam filter and there’s no cost for you to use it!
It works by connecting to their servers and comparing a comment’s content to identify patterns that reveal a spam comment.
It is a very reliable plugin and is a definite must on all WordPress sites which accept comments.
Security Plug-In # 2: AntiVirus
An anti virus plugin installed within WordPress can scan your system for any malicious code and this is exactly what this plugin does.
You can either run a scan manually or schedule a daily scan, with results being mailed directly to an email address of your choice.
Security Plug-In # 3: Bad Behavior
Bad Behavior is an open source solution for eliminating link spam, and is available natively for multiple platforms including WordPress.
Providing plug and play functionality (just install and activate), it will complement Akismet and act as a gatekeeper by preventing spammers from even gaining access to your site.
Security Plug-In # 4: Lockdown WP
When you set up WordPress you are given a generic login page and this can be used to gain access to your blog so by employing this plug-in, you can hide your login page.
Security Plug-In # 5: Firewall
This WordPress plugin investigates web requests and tries to identify and stop the most obvious attacks.
There are a few powerful, generic modules that do this but they’re not always installed on web servers and they are usually very difficult to configure.
Security Plug-In # 6: WP reCAPTCHA – WP reCAPTCHA integrates reCAPTCHA anti-spam methods wіth WordPress including note, registration аnԁ email spam protection.
Security Plug-In # 7: Ultimate Security Checker
Ultimate Security Checker lists the issues and then explains the cause of the issue and how to fix it in another tab and for this reason it is a great learning tool if you want to actually learn about the issues and know how to fix them yourself.
It has a clean interface and works by running a test and listing its results, with suggested fixes in a separate tab.
Security Plug-In # 8: Limit Login Attempts
This software limits login attempts by blocking an internet address from making further attempts after a specified limit on retries is reached, making a brute-force attack difficult or impossible.
Security Plug-In # 9: Login Lockdown
Just like with password encrypted pages, if someone tries to find your URL with too many failed attempts they will be shut out.
Security Plug-In # 10: WP-Database Backup
Just in case one day the server may crash, you can be sure that all of your information is stored somewhere else. Use this plug-in to restore your blog database.
Security Plug-In # 11: Admin SSL
Single socket layer is your security protection to encrypt all information transmitted across your site and most web hosts offer shared SSL for their users.
With this plug-in, that encryption is available across all of your web pages, but you must own a SSL certificate.
Security Plug-In # 12: BulletProof Security
The BulletProof Security WordPress Security plugin is designed to be a fast, simple and one click security plugin to add .htaccess website security protection for your WordPress website.
Security Plug-In # 13: Secure WordPress
Secure WordPress beefs up thе security οf уουr WordPress installation bу removing error information οn login pages, adds index.html tο plugin directories, hіԁеѕ thе WordPress version аnԁ much more.
Protecting what’s yours is paramount when it comes to your online business and using these WordPress plug-ins will greatly help you protect your online business.
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Pam Lawhorne
