Are you running your WordPress site while you are on the go? Maybe you’re at your favorite coffee shop in Edinburgh while digital nomad-ing, working from a coworking space, or using your office WiFi to get things done. It sounds pretty safe, but it doesn’t work that way, and I have learned it the hard way.
Let me explain.
Well, here’s the catch: every time you log into your WordPress dashboard over a shared internet connection, you’re risking your WordPress site. It’s a known fact that WordPress sites are not that secure. Shared networks, whether it’s public WiFi or even a busy office router, are literally hunting grounds for hackers looking to intercept your credentials.
And it doesn’t take much for these hackers on the same network to make your online business struggle.
But take a sigh, as you don’t need to be a cybersecurity expert to protect your WordPress site. With a few smart precautions, you can keep your WordPress safe. Well, what are those precautions?
In this guide, I’ll walk you through the most effective ways to secure your WordPress site when you’re working on a shared network. These are simple techniques that anyone can easily implement. So, let’s get started.
- Why Shared Connections Are a Risk to Your WordPress Site
- Always Use HTTPS on Your WordPress Site
- Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
- Use a VPN When Connecting to Your Site
- Limit Admin Access to Specific Ips
- Install a WordPress Security Plugin
- Use Strong, Unique Passwords (and a Password Manager)
- Log Out and Clear Cookies When You’re Done
Why Shared Connections Are a Risk to Your WordPress Site
Before we get to how you can save your WordPress site, let us first understand the root of the problem: shared internet connections.
These are the internet networks that are available publicly. I mean, multiple people have the password to that connection, or it isn’t even safeguarded by the password. This makes the network highly vulnerable because hackers can easily hack into such networks and intercept the traffic on that network.
The most common threats posed by hackers are malware injection, hijacking of your internet session, or even stealing the credentials that are used to and from that network. These threats, when they become an issue, cause a great deal of damage to your business that relies on your WordPress site.
So, it is better to avoid the shared networks in the first place and rely on secure home WiFi, the way I do on Xfinity Internet, which is one of the most secure internet connections in the US. If you can’t do that, here is how you can secure your WordPress site while being connected to a shared network.
How to Keep Your WordPress Site Safe and Protected
· Always Use HTTPS on Your WordPress Site
HTTPS protocol makes a huge difference when it comes to securing your WordPress site.
Let me explain what the HTTPS protocol is. When websites and browsers are in communication, they use certain communication code to keep the data safe. HTTPS is considered more secure because it either uses SSL or TLS encryption for its communication.
When your data, especially the sensitive one, is being transferred after encryption, it saves you from big trouble down the road. Even if someone intercepts the data, they will be faced with another problem of decrypting the data, which is a huge task in itself. So, it generally safeguards your website from hackers.
The bottom line is that you should always use the HTTPS protocol with your WordPress site for an extra layer of security.
· Set Up Two-Factor Authentication (2FA)
Have you ever come across the two-factor authentication suggestion when using Instagram? 2FA or two-factor authentication is actually one of the best ways to keep your WordPress site safe.
Even if someone hacks your password via interception or any other way, it would be of no use to them because they will need another factor of authentication to log in to your WordPress site’s dashboard. So, enable the two-factor authentication. It won’t take more than a minute, but will surely save you from bigger troubles in the long run of the things.
· Use a VPN When Connecting to Your Site
We have established the fact that shared networks are essentially more vulnerable to attacks from hackers, but there is an exception. Shared networks become secure when you are connected via a virtual private network (VPN).
Here is how a VPN works and makes your network secure: it reroutes your network traffic via a server that is placed somewhere in the world, and on top of that, it encrypts your data that is going to and from that network. This gives an extra layer of security when you are using the dashboard of your WordPress site. You should try using a reliable VPN.
The ones I have found the most reliable are ProtonVPN, ExpressVPN, and more. You can use any of your choice, just make sure that they are reliable.
· Limit Admin Access to Specific IPs
This one is going to be a pro tip that most WordPress users don’t even know about.
Do you know that you can lock the admin access to your WordPress site to a specific IP address? This comes in super handy if you always log in from the same IP address every time you want to work with something related to your WordPress site. Whether it is a shared network or your home WiFi.
To turn it on, just log in to your dashboard and turn it on in the admin panel. Before turning it on, ask yourself whether you always log in from the same IP address, because if not, and if this setting is turned on, you will have trouble logging in while traveling or in any other place.
· Install a WordPress Security Plugin
Sometimes you just can’t avoid the public network, and you urgently need to log in to your WordPress site. In such moments, WordPress plugins that are related to security will come in handy.
Tools like Wordfence, Sucuri, or iThemes Security can help you keep tabs on any suspicious activities, block brute-force attempts, or add extra firewalls to make your WordPress site more secure. They don’t cost much but will save you from hassles when the time comes, so do use them.
· Use Strong, Unique Passwords (and a Password Manager)
Every other security measure you take will be useless if your password is easily guessable or if you are using the same passwords on multiple platforms.
So, what you should do instead is use a unique, high-strength password that can’t be guessed. One way to do this is by using a mix of numbers, letters, and a mix of special characters. Keep in mind that you don’t need to repeat the numbers or letters. Make it random, and make it complex. This way, you will have your password secure at least.
If you have an easily guessable password, then change it.
· Log Out and Clear Cookies When You’re Done
WordPress users often ignore this, especially on a shared network, but just don’t do it.
Leaving your dashboard logged in on a shared network will pose a threat. Let me explain why: when you are using a browser, it sometimes stores some information in the cache memory, especially for those sites that you visit often. And your browser will know that you visit your WordPress dashboard quite often, so it will save information about that. This might open a pathway for hackers to get that information.
What you should do is log out of your dashboard when you are done working, and then remove all the cache from the browser’s memory. This is a simple step, but it will prove to be pretty helpful in the future when you hear the news of someone’s WordPress site being hacked because of leaving log information as is on a shared network.
So, these were the tips that I personally use to make my WordPress website safe. They are proven to be helpful for many, and will be for you too, so do use them.