Website Security: Essential Measures for Every Site | Knowledge Base

Website security is not a luxury but a necessity. Thousands of websites are hacked daily. In this guide, we cover all the essential security measures for your website.

Why Security is Important

The Risks

When hacked, you can:

Lose customer data
Lose your Google ranking (blacklist)
Face legal problems (GDPR)
Damage your reputation
Lose money

Who is the Target?

Everyone. Hackers use automated tools that scan websites en masse for vulnerabilities. Size does not matter - small sites are often easy targets.

Most Common Attacks

Brute force: Guessing passwords
SQL Injection: Database manipulation
XSS: Injecting malicious scripts
Malware: Infecting website files
DDoS: Overwhelming site with traffic

SSL/HTTPS

What is SSL?

SSL (Secure Sockets Layer) encrypts the connection between visitor and server. Recognizable by the padlock and https:// in the browser.

Why is it Required?

Security: Data is encrypted
SEO: Google ranking factor
Trust: Visitors expect it
Legal: Required for forms and payments

Implementing SSL

1. Obtain certificate:

Let's Encrypt: Free, automated
Commercial: DV, OV, or EV certificate
Via Cloudflare: Free edge certificate

2. Install on server:

Most hosts do this automatically
Verify everything loads via HTTPS

3. Set up redirect:

# .htaccess
RewriteEngine On
RewriteCond %{HTTPS} off
RewriteRule ^(.*)$ https://%{HTTP_HOST}%{REQUEST_URI} [L,R=301]

4. Fix mixed content: All resources (images, scripts, styles) must load via HTTPS.

Strong Passwords

Password Requirements

Minimum:

12+ characters
Uppercase and lowercase letters
Numbers
Special characters

Example:

Bad: welcome123
Good: K9#mP2$nL7@xQ4
Better: Correct-Horse-Battery-Staple-42!

Password Manager

Use a password manager:

1Password
Bitwarden (open source)
LastPass

Benefits:

Unique password per site
Strong generated passwords
Secure storage
Autofill functionality

Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)

What is it? Extra verification step besides your password.

Methods:

Authenticator app (recommended)
SMS code (less secure)
Hardware key (most secure)

Implement 2FA for:

Website admin panel
Hosting account
Domain registrar
Email account

WordPress Security

Basic Measures

1. Keep everything up-to-date:

WordPress core
Themes
Plugins

Updates often contain security patches.

2. Remove unused plugins/themes: Inactive code is still a risk.

3. Change default admin username: admin is the first thing hackers try.

4. Hide WordPress version:

// functions.php
remove_action('wp_head', 'wp_generator');

5. Limit login attempts: Install a plugin like "Limit Login Attempts Reloaded"

Security Plugins

Recommended options:

Wordfence:

Firewall
Malware scanner
Login security
Free version available

Sucuri:

Website firewall (paid)
Malware scanning
Security hardening

iThemes Security:

Many options
Beginner-friendly
Free version available

Securing wp-config.php

// Generate unique keys via:
// https://api.wordpress.org/secret-key/1.1/salt/
define('AUTH_KEY', 'unique-value');
define('SECURE_AUTH_KEY', 'unique-value');
// etc.

// Change database prefix from wp_
$table_prefix = 'xyz123_';

// Disable file editing
define('DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT', true);

// Turn off debug on production
define('WP_DEBUG', false);

.htaccess Security

# Protect wp-config.php
<files wp-config.php>
order allow,deny
deny from all
</files>

# Protect .htaccess
<files .htaccess>
order allow,deny
deny from all
</files>

# Prevent directory listing
Options -Indexes

# Block access to sensitive files
<FilesMatch "^.*(error_log|wp-config\.php|php.ini|\.[hH][tT][aApP].*)$">
Order deny,allow
Deny from all
</FilesMatch>

Backups

Why Essential?

Backups are your last resort for:

Hacks
Malware infection
Accidental changes
Server problems
Human errors

Backup Strategy

3-2-1 Rule:

3 copies of your data
2 different media types
1 off-site location

What to Backup?

Database: All content and settings
Files: WordPress core, themes, plugins, uploads
Configuration: .htaccess, wp-config.php

Backup Frequency

| Site Type | Frequency | |-----------|-----------| | Static site | Weekly | | Blog | Daily | | Online store | Continuous/Hourly | | High-traffic | Continuous |

Backup Solutions

WordPress Plugins:

UpdraftPlus (free/paid)
BackWPup (free)
VaultPress/Jetpack Backup (paid)

Server Level:

Hosting provider backups
Server snapshots
Rsync scripts

Cloud Storage:

Google Drive
Dropbox
Amazon S3
Backblaze B2

Test Your Backups

A backup is only reliable if you have tested it:

Download the backup
Set up in test environment
Verify everything works
Do this regularly

Firewall

Types of Firewalls

Network Firewall: Protects the server at the network level.

Web Application Firewall (WAF): Protects specifically against web attacks.

WAF Options

Cloud-based:

Cloudflare (free tier available)
Sucuri (paid)
AWS WAF

Plugin-based:

Wordfence
NinjaFirewall

What a WAF Blocks

SQL injection attempts
XSS attacks
Known malicious IPs
Bot attacks
Suspicious request patterns

Server Security

Software Updates

Keep up-to-date:

Operating system
Web server (Apache/Nginx)
PHP version
Database server

File Permissions

Correct permissions:

Directories: 755
Files: 644
wp-config.php: 400 or 440

Check with:

find /path/to/wordpress/ -type d -exec chmod 755 {} \;
find /path/to/wordpress/ -type f -exec chmod 644 {} \;

Disable Directory Listing

# .htaccess
Options -Indexes

Security Headers

# .htaccess
Header set X-Content-Type-Options "nosniff"
Header set X-Frame-Options "SAMEORIGIN"
Header set X-XSS-Protection "1; mode=block"
Header set Referrer-Policy "strict-origin-when-cross-origin"
Header set Content-Security-Policy "default-src 'self';"

Monitoring

Uptime Monitoring

Services:

UptimeRobot (free)
Pingdom
StatusCake

Set up alerts for:

Site down
Slow response time
SSL problems

Security Scanning

Regularly scan for:

Malware
Outdated software
Vulnerabilities
Blacklist status

Tools:

Sucuri SiteCheck (free)
Google Safe Browsing
VirusTotal

Log Monitoring

Review regularly:

Access logs (suspicious traffic)
Error logs (attack attempts)
Login logs (brute force detection)

Incident Response

If You Have Been Hacked

Step 1: Isolate

Take site offline or in maintenance mode
Change all passwords
Revoke all sessions

Step 2: Analyze

When did it happen?
How did they get in?
What has been affected?

Step 3: Clean

Restore from clean backup
Or manually remove malware
Update all software

Step 4: Strengthen

Fix the vulnerability
Implement missing security
Document the incident

Step 5: Monitor

Extra monitoring after incident
Check for re-infection
Analyze logs

In Case of Data Breach

GDPR requirements:

Report within 72 hours to Data Protection Authority
Inform affected persons if necessary
Document the incident

Security Checklist

Basic (Everyone)

[ ] SSL certificate active
[ ] Strong, unique passwords
[ ] 2FA enabled
[ ] Software up-to-date
[ ] Daily backups
[ ] Backup test performed

Intermediate

[ ] WAF implemented
[ ] Security headers set
[ ] Login attempts limited
[ ] Admin username changed
[ ] File permissions correct
[ ] Uptime monitoring active

Advanced

[ ] Security audit performed
[ ] Penetration testing
[ ] Incident response plan
[ ] Log monitoring
[ ] Malware scanning
[ ] Zero-trust architecture

Frequently Asked Questions

How do I know if my site has been hacked?

Google warning
Unknown files/users
Slow performance
Strange redirects
Spam in comments/messages

Is a free SSL good enough? Yes, Let's Encrypt offers the same encryption as paid certificates.

How often should I update? Security updates: Immediately. Regular updates: Within a week.

Are free security plugins sufficient? For most sites: yes. Basic protection is better than no protection.

Conclusion

Website security is a continuous process, not a one-time action:

Prevention: Updates, strong passwords, firewall
Detection: Monitoring, scanning
Recovery: Backups, incident response plan

Start with the basics and build from there. Perfect security does not exist, but you can make it as difficult as possible for hackers.

Want a security audit of your website? Contact us.

Website Security with Cloudflare - DDoS and firewall
Website Maintenance - Updates and backups
Website Monitoring & Uptime - Detection and alerts