WordPress Website Security

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WordPress Website Security

WordPress Website Security is very important.  Hackers are always scanning and looking for web exploits and vulnerabilities

Your site will be safe and protected with our 24/7 server-side proactive web monitoring services.

If anything out of the ordinary does happen, your site will be wiped out and restored back to normal in minutes.

WordPress Security Vulnerabilities

Check out some of the different types of WordPress security vulnerabilities below.

1. Authentication & Authorization Vulnerabilities
2. Core WordPress Vulnerabilities
3. Plugin & Theme Vulnerabilities
4. Injection Vulnerabilities
5. Server & Configuration Vulnerabilities
6. API & Integration Vulnerabilities
7. Content & Data Vulnerabilities
8. Hosting & Environment Vulnerabilities

Authentication & Authorization Vulnerabilities

1. Weak Authentication
   • Brute force attacks on login pages
   • Dictionary attacks on passwords
   • Weak password policies
   • Session hijacking
   • Password reset vulnerabilities
2. Authorization Bypass
   • Privilege escalation
   • Role-based access control (RBAC) bypass
   • Unauthorized access to private posts/pages
   • REST API permission issues
   • User enumeration vulnerabilities

Core WordPress Vulnerabilities

1. XML-RPC Related
   • Pingback attacks
   • XML-RPC brute force attacks
   • DDoS through xmlrpc.php
   • System enumeration via XML-RPC
2. File System Vulnerabilities
   • Arbitrary file upload
   • Remote file inclusion (RFI)
   • Local file inclusion (LFI)
   • Path traversal attacks
   • Unrestricted file upload in media library
3. Database Vulnerabilities
   • SQL injection
   • Database exposure
   • PHPMyAdmin vulnerabilities
   • Unsecured backup files
   • wp-config.php exposure

Plugin & Theme Vulnerabilities

1. Plugin-Related
   • Outdated plugin vulnerabilities
   • Abandoned plugin security holes
   • Plugin conflicts causing security issues
   • Malicious plugin code
   • Zero-day plugin exploits
2. Theme-Related
   • Theme file modification vulnerabilities
   • Malicious theme functions
   • Theme editor security risks
   • Remote code execution through themes
   • Outdated theme frameworks

Injection Vulnerabilities

1. Code Injection
   • PHP code injection
   • Remote code execution (RCE)
   • Object injection
   • Header injection
   • Email header injection
2. Script Injection
   • Cross-site scripting (XSS)
   • Stored XSS in comments
   • Reflected XSS in search results
   • DOM-based XSS
   • Cross-site request forgery (CSRF)

1. Backdoor vulnerability enables hacker with hidden backdoor passages bypassing security encryption to gain access to WordPress websites via abnormal methods – wp-Admin, SFTP, FTP, etc. Once exploited, backdoors enable hackers to wreak havoc on hosting servers with cross-site contamination attacks – compromising multiple sites hosted on the same server. In Q3 2017 Sucuri reported that backdoors continue to be one of the many post-hack actions attackers take, with 71% of the infected sites having some form of backdoor injection.  Canton Becker has an amazing post on how you can clean up the backdoor mess on your WordPress website.
2. Pharma Hack exploit is used to insert rogue code in older versions of WordPress websites and plugins, causing search engines to return ads for pharmaceutical products when a compromised website searched for. The vulnerability is more of a spam menace than traditional malware, but gives search engines enough reason to block the site on accusations of distributing spam. You resolve it by cleaning up using the following the instructions from this Sucuri blog.
3. The most common Brute-force login attempts use automated scripts to exploit weak passwords and gain access to your site. Two-step authentication, limiting login attempts, monitoring unauthorized logins, blocking IPs and using strong passwords are some of the easiest and highly effective ways to prevent brute-force attacks.
4. Malicious redirects create backdoors in WordPress installations using FTP, SFTP, wp-admin, and other protocols and inject redirection codes into the website. The redirects are often placed in your .htaccess file and other WordPress core files in encoded forms, directing the web traffic to malicious sites
5. Cross-Site Scripting (XSS) is when a malicious script is injected into a trusted website or application. The attacker uses this to send malicious code, typically browser-side scripts, to the end user without them knowing it. The purpose is usually to grab cookie or session data or perhaps even rewrite HTML on a page.
6. Denial of Service (DoS) vulnerability exploits errors and bugs in the code to overwhelm the memory of website operating systems. Hackers have compromised millions of websites and raked in millions of dollars by exploiting outdated and buggy versions of WordPress software with DoS attacks.

How do you check if your WordPress Website is at risk?

• Online WordPress Security Scan for Vulnerabilities | WP Sec
• Sucuri SiteCheck – Free Website Security Check & Malware Scanner
• WordPress Security Scan | HackerTarget.com
• VirusTotal Malware Scan

WordPress Security Checklist 2025

The checklist below is how to secure wordpress website from hackers.

Hosting & Server Security

• Choose a reputable hosting provider with:
  • Regular security updates
  • Automated backups
  • DDoS protection
  • Malware scanning
  • SSL/TLS support
  • PHP version management
• Configure server-level security:
  • Enable ModSecurity WAF if available
  • Implement proper file permissions:
    • Directories: 755 or 750
    • Files: 644 or 640
    • wp-config.php: 600
  • Enable PHP security settings:
    • disable_functions = exec,shell_exec,system,passthru,popen
    • expose_php = Off
    • display_errors = Off
    • max_execution_time = 30
    • memory_limit = 64M
• Use SFTP instead of FTP
• Enable and configure server-level firewall
• Implement rate limiting for login attempts
• Block access to sensitive files:
  • .htaccess
  • wp-config.php
  • install.php
  • wp-includes
  • debug.log

WordPress Core Security

• Keep WordPress core updated to latest version
• Install security updates automatically
• Remove unused themes and plugins
• Delete default “admin” account
• Delete unused themes (including Twenty Twenty etc.)
• Remove version information from scripts and styles
• Disable XML-RPC if not needed
• Disable file editing in wp-config.php:
  • define(‘DISALLOW_FILE_EDIT’, true);
• Disable PHP file execution in sensitive directories
• Change default database prefix from “wp_”
• Hide WordPress version number
• Disable directory browsing
• Configure WP_DEBUG to false in production

Login Security

• Implement strong password policy:
  • Minimum 12 characters
  • Mix of upper/lowercase, numbers, symbols
  • Regular password rotation
• Enable two-factor authentication
• Limit login attempts
• Use custom login URL
• Implement CAPTCHA on login page
• Set up IP-based login restrictions
• Enable SSL for login pages
• Implement session timeout
• Log out idle users automatically
• Block access to wp-login.php from unauthorized IPs
• Use secure password reset mechanism

Plugin & Theme Security

• Only install plugins/themes from trusted sources:
  • WordPress.org repository
  • Reputable commercial vendors
• Regularly review and remove inactive plugins/themes
• Verify plugin/theme compatibility with current WP version
• Check plugin/theme reviews and last update dates
• Monitor plugins/themes for:
  • Security updates
  • Vulnerability announcements
  • Developer reputation
• Implement plugin access controls
• Use security-focused plugins:
  • Web Application Firewall (WAF)
  • Security scanning
  • Activity monitoring
  • File integrity checking

Database Security

• Regular database backups
• Use strong database passwords
• Implement database encryption
• Regular database optimization
• Remove unused database tables
• Secure database connection
• Implement database access controls
• Use prepared statements for queries
• Enable binary logging
• Regular security audits of database
• Monitor database for unauthorized changes
• Backup database before updates

What you can do if your WordPress Website is infected? You can try these Top 5 WordPress Security plugins

• Wordfence Security – Firewall & Malware Scan
  • Wordfence includes an endpoint firewall and malware scanner that were built from the ground up to protect WordPress. Our Threat Defense Feed arms Wordfence with the newest firewall rules, malware signatures and malicious IP addresses it needs to keep your website safe. Rounded out by 2FA and a suite of additional features, Wordfence is the most comprehensive WordPress security solution available.
• iThemes Security (formerly Better WP Security)
  • The iThemes Security setup and onboarding experience is designed to allow anyone to secure their WordPress website in under 10 minutes, without needing a degree in cybersecurity. Knowing that you have enabled all the right security settings for your website will leave you feeling like your site has never been more secure.
• Sucuri Security – Auditing, Malware Scanner and Security Hardening
  • Sucuri Inc. is a globally recognized authority in all matters related to website security, with specialization in WordPress Security. The Sucuri Security WordPress plugin is free to all WordPress users. It is a security suite meant to complement your existing security posture. Currently the ownership of this plugin was transferred to GoDaddy. It offers its users a set of security features for their website, each designed to have a positive effect on their security posture.
• BulletProof Security
  • • BulletProof Security is a proactive security plugin that automatically fixes 100+ known issues/conflicts with other plugins. WordPress Security Protection: Malware scanner, Firewall, Login Security, DB Backup, Anti-Spam… View Security feature highlights below. It is an effective, reliable & easy to use WordPress Security Plugin.
• WPScan – WordPress Security Scanner
  • The WPScan WordPress security plugin is unique in that it uses its own manually curated WPScan WordPress Vulnerability Database. The vulnerability database has been around since 2014 and is updated on a daily basis by dedicated WordPress security specialists and the community at large. The database includes more than 21,000 known security vulnerabilities. The plugin uses this database to scan for WordPress vulnerabilities, plugin vulnerabilities and theme vulnerabilities, and has the options to schedule automated daily scans and to send email notifications.

How Can We Can Help?

• Proactively updating of WordPress Core, Plugins and Theme
• Adopt Market Proven Best Practices for WordPress Security
• 24/7 Monitoring of Website Availability and Service Anomalies.
• Scheduled Regular Security Penetration Test for WordPress Website
• In case of unforeseen circumstances, we will be able to restore backup copy of the website back in a few minutes