Top 3 WordPress Security Plugins to Prevent Hacking That Actually Work
WordPress runs over 31% of the Internet; a CMS market share of 59.4%. And WordPress.com gets over 126 million visitors per month, more than Amazon. That’s a lot of websites relying on WordPress!
That said, WordPress also ranks as one of the top 3 hacked platforms, but the fault overall lies with webmasters and not the platform itself. Improper maintenance, configuration, and deployment are the main causes. Since WordPress is open source, keeping your website protected from hackers is a legitimate concern.
Keep reading to discover the top 3 WordPress security plugins that will help you lock down your website and keep hackers out.
Types of Hacks
First, let’s take a look at the hacking itself. Hackers take advantage of vulnerabilities which aren’t patched yet. This allows them to inject code into these websites and sometimes, hack into the entire server that hosts the website.
The most common types of hacks on WordPress sites are:
- SQL Injection
- Malware
- Brute Force Attacks
- Cross-Site Scripting
Why do hackers bother? They want to use WordPress sites for malicious redirects, to send spam, or for SEO spam. This is often referred to as blackhat SEO.
That’s where security plugins come in.
Top 3 WordPress Security Plugins
Here are our picks for the best security plugins based on features, number of downloads, and ratings.
1: Wordfence Security
Considered the best security plugin for WordPress by many users, Wordfence incorporates many security-based features into one plugin. According to Wordfence reports, there are 90,000 hacker attempts on WordPress sites every minute! You can use this plugin to watch and stop hackers in their tracks.
It includes the following:
- Malware scanning and detection
- Caching engine to make your site faster
- Bruteforce attack blocking
- SMS two-factor authentication
- A firewall to block bots, scanners, and fake traffic
- IP address and country-specific blocking
- Host scanning for backdoor vulnerabilities
- Scans for malicious code
- Real-time traffic monitoring
Wordfence is available at the official WordPress plugin site as well as at the Wordfence website.
2: BulletProof Security
Next on our list is the BulletProof Security plugin. It handles the same types of security issues as Wordfence and also includes a login security feature.
BulletProof’s firewall feature protects against over 100,000 types of malicious attacks. It doesn’t include the real-time traffic monitoring Wordfence does though.
It is available at the WordPress plugin website as well.
3: WebDefender
And last but not least, the newest WordPress security plugin on our list is WebDefender. Besides all the basic security bells and whistles listed above, this plugin includes Google Authentication which helps to eliminate vulnerabilities associated with your log-in area. It also includes automatic updates to keep up with current threats and a built-in malware removal tool.
WebDefender has an impressive list of features. It’s definitely one to keep an eye on and it might make it to our number one spot after gaining a track record first. It’s also in the WordPress plugin repository.
What’s the Bottom Line
WordPress is without a doubt the most popular content management system. This makes it a prime target for hackers. To avoid getting hacked, keep everything updated and use WordPress security plugins.
Need assistance with your CMS-based website development? Contact us, we’d love to help.
