wordpress it is such a widespread CMS that it has become the target of many hackers and attackers, that is, the market share of WordPress is so high that right now there are many attackers looking for vulnerabilities and security flaws. This means that security problems appear much faster in WordPress than in other platforms and CMS, but it also means that we have to be very strict with security, since the slightest mistake or carelessness can cause a security hole through which they can attack us. You want to know what is malware in WordPress and how you should protect yourself? In this post of We tell you everything you need to know to avoid these dreaded attacks.
What is malware?
Malware means “malicious software”. It is a term that encompasses any malicious software that hackers use to gain unauthorized access or damage your WordPress website. It can negatively affect your site in many ways and poses a serious security risk to both you and your website visitors. If malware is present on your website, you will usually know about it. You might notice signs like:
- Your website performance has slowed down.
- Visitors to your website see a “This site contains malware” error.
- There are unknown files or scripts on your server.
- Your pages are defaced or full of harmful links.
- You can’t log in.
- Your website generates unwanted pop-ups.
Although all of these problems can have multiple causes, if you notice one or more of them, it’s worth investigating the possibility that the malware has infected your site.
How does malware enter your website?
Surely many of you who write blogs use wordpress, since it is perhaps the most famous platform for blog editing that exists on the network. And normally, the most used software and applications on the Internet are the ones that tend to have the most “enemies”, mainly because an attack on these Internet giants has much more repercussion.
The malware it can be installed on WordPress sites in many ways. Typically, a hacker or bot exploits some security vulnerability. For example, if you don’t have security measures in place to prevent repeated bad login attempts, or if your password is weak, a hacker can gain access to your site. Then they can install the malware through a brute force attack. This occurs when a bot walks through hundreds of username and password combinations on your login page until it finds the correct one.
The outdated plugins and themes they are also security vulnerabilities that hackers can exploit. Botnets search the Internet for websites with these vulnerabilities and use them to install malware.
Malware can also infiltrate your website through phishing links. It can happen if you accidentally click on a phishing link in an email or visit a compromised website. In doing so, you can inadvertently download software malicious on your computer. This can reach your WordPress server.
How to protect your website from malware attacks
Many say that wordpress It is NOT safe, but this really is a lie. Simply, as we said before, we are talking about the most used CMS in the world and, therefore, it is normal that more vulnerabilities are found in it. But that does not mean that there are more, but rather that they meet more “fluidly” and regularly.
From , we have made a compilation of recommendations to protect your wordpressso you can see which of these actions you can take to be much more protected.
1. Do not use the wp_ prefix for the database
From the first moment of the WordPress installation you have to specify a series of information that you have to enter so that WordPress communicates with the database.
Most of this information is provided by your hosting provider, such as the name of the database, the username and password of the same. But there is a decision to make: decide the prefix of the tables that will be created for WordPress. By default, on this screen the prefix offered is wp_, so your tables will look like wp_options, wp_comments, wp_posts, etc.
And, of course, this is something that every hacker knows, and it is free information that we give to any possible attacker, who knows that if you don’t do a secure installation, the WordPress tables – which are standard – will have those full names if you don’t change the prefix.
2. Do not use the admin user to access WordPress
Another of the decisions that we have to make during the installation of WordPress is the name of the first user to access the administration of our website, a user that by default will have full management permissions.
For years WordPress has offered a default username which, of course, you should not use. So when choosing the name of your first user to access WordPress, do not choose those common names for this task, such as admin, Admin, root, etc., since they are the first ones that a hacker who wants to take possession of will check. your website.
3. Use a strong password
It is essential that you are aware that the easier a password is to remember (for you), the easier it will also be for automatic brute force access systems of attackers to obtain it.
WordPress, in its latest versions, incorporates a strong password generator and “suggests” you to use them. This will always be the best option. You can, however, skip that recommendation and put a simple, insecure password, but you would be making the main and most important security mistake of all possible ones.
Currently it is unnecessary to use easy passwords, since all browsers offer the possibility of remembering them for you on your computer. So always use strong passwords, containing lowercase letters, uppercase letters, numbers and special characters.
4. Always use the latest version of WordPress
If there is something dangerous, it is working on a network with obsolete or insufficiently updated software. Hackers usually attack mainly sites with old versions, not updated, as they are usually more vulnerable by not incorporating sufficient protection to known types of attack.
Fortunately, WordPress offers an automatic update system, both for the WordPress core itself and for plugins and themes.
5. Update installed plugins
WordPress is safe, and it is normal that it is so because there is a large community that takes care of its maintenance, development and growth, but the same does not happen with plugins.
No matter how widely used a plugin is, many times behind it there is a single programmer who, for obvious reasons, does not have the resources or the time to always have his plugin up to date.
It is for this reason that the main route of entry for attacks on a WordPress installation is mostly through unupdated plugins.
6. Update the active theme
Equally important is to always use an up-to-date version of the active theme, as hackers know that they don’t change very often, which gives them time to learn from your code and invent ways to make your life more complicated and even get you into trouble.
If you use a theme from the official directory, again, WordPress will notify you of updates. And if you use a plugin that you have acquired on another site, you must be aware of the news of its creator to update it when there is news.
7. Download plugins and themes from safe sites
The safest place to download plugins and themes is the official directory, in whose addresses you have updated, verified and safe versions of the latest developments. They are the themes and plugins that you can install from the installer included in your WordPress.
Of course, never download plugins and themes from P2P networks like Torrent or eMule, they are usually all infected with viruses and malware.
8. Protect the WordPress configuration file
The WordPress configuration file, the wp-config.php file, contains very sensitive information about your server. For this reason it is vital to protect it from outside eyes and, of course, from unwanted modifications.
→ We remind you that in What We perfectly know all the tips that you must follow so that your WordPress site does not suffer any damage. malware. If you want more in-depth information about how to protect your wordpress website .
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