WordPress CMS is built to be safe by default. Plus, WordPress developers are constantly working on “hardening” the CMS. That means the platform is continuously evolving to reduce vulnerabilities and protect against potential cyber threats.

Still, there are some WordPress security issues that you should be aware of. Here are the most common problems:

• Outdated software. Out-of-date software can pose a severe risk to your site. This can include the core WordPress software, themes, and plugins. Security updates resolve critical issues so that an outdated site can become a target for hackers. For instance, when a site is vulnerable, cyber attackers can inject its database with malware. This is called a SQL injection.
• Insecure login credentials. WordPress users creating profiles with weak passwords and usernames can put your site at risk. The more users you have, the higher the danger becomes. The most common threat in this scenario is the “brute force attack,” in which a hacker attempts to guess usernames and passwords using trial and error.
• Direct Denial of Service (DDoS) attacks. A DDoS attack is when cyber criminals attempt to disrupt a website’s day-to-day functioning by sending it a sudden surge of traffic. While there are different DDoS attacks, the overall goal is to overwhelm the website’s resources and infrastructure, causing it to crash. Specific security features, like firewalls, can mitigate the risk of a DDoS attack.

The good news is that most WordPress security threats aren’t all that sophisticated and can be easily reduced when you follow some best practices like updating software, using a firewall and enforcing strong passwords. However, depending on the size of your website and the number of users, this task can become unmanageable, even for the tech-savvy individual.

Additionally, if you accept payments or collect any sort of user data on your site, you’re also subject to certain compliance rules. For instance, the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) has 2 requirements that make security features like firewalls and encryption mandatory for most businesses.

While you don’t have to be an expert, it’s important to have a basic understanding of common WordPress security issues. That way, you’ll know how to look for a WordPress hosting provider that can safeguard your site, users, and data.

There are many factors to consider when choosing a WordPress hosting provider. But since safety is of the utmost importance, let’s zero in on some standard WordPress security features you’ll want to look for:

• Web Application Firewalls (WAFs). These can protect your site by blocking malicious traffic. This is the primary defense against DDoS attacks.
• Secure Sockets Layer (SSL) / Transport Layer Security (TLS) certificates. When you have one of these certificates, your site will run on HTTPS instead of HTTP. That means your connections will be protected by encryption, making them much harder to intercept and disrupt.
• Automatic backups. If your host can manage this task, you’ll always have a complete (and recent) copy of your site in case of emergency.

It’s worth noting that these are the bare minimum requirements for WordPress security features. Ideally, you’ll want your web hosting provider to provide enterprise-grade security. For instance, you might want to look for added features such as updates, vulnerability scanning, and database and filesystem security.

Protecting your digital presence with a secure WordPress hosting company is a smart course of action. For example, there are 26B+ attacks per year with continuous monitoring, automated updates, proactive threat detection, and edge protection.

In addition, our dedicated security team scans the risk and compliance landscape to ensure that your site is never compromised. We are SOC 2 compliant and meet the Security and Availability Trust Services Categories standards.

We are also ISO 27001-2013 certified. We offer many layers of protection, including managed Web Application Firewall (WAF), advanced DDoS Mitigation, Cloudflare CDN, and SSL. If your web host isn’t SOC 2 compliant, it may be in time to consider a new WordPress hosting provider.

If you’re unhappy with your current web host, you can always find another one. It’s possible to take your existing website and migrate it over to a brand-new hosting provider.

However, if you don’t have much technical knowledge, manually migrating a WordPress site to a new host can be difficult and time-consuming. The good news is that most quality WordPress web hosting providers can complete this task for you, often at no extra cost.

For example, you might get access to a proprietary plugin and a step-by-step WordPress migration guide. Ideally, you’ll also be able to call on a dedicated team of WordPress experts if you need help.