Keep Your Site Secure

• WordPress Specialist, Site Cleaner, and Trainer for WP Security Lock

• WordPress Evangelist for InMotion Hosting

• Geek behind Can’t Speak Geek

• Beginners and Intermediate WordPress Instructor

Michele Butcher

Why is security important?

Many do not think security is important until

it is too late.Every single day hackers find new ways to get your information.

Todays features are tomorrow’s vulnerabilities.

Stop them before they stop you

• Make bank

• build a zombie army

• Share their nasty code with the world

• Get your information

• They are bored

• They want to see if they can do it

Why do hackers hack?

But…Why are they hacking me?

There is rarely ever a targeted hacking attack.

Typically all sites are considered targets. The big and the small.

• They guess your login information

• Denial of Service Attack (DDoS)

• Through a file in a theme, plugin, or anything on your server where they found an exploit

• Through your FTP and/or cPanel configuration

And how do they get in?

Here is the only scary thing I will say in this talk

You are NEVER 100% secure

A test site or a site that might get 5 visitors a day

can be hacked.

It happened to me and it can happen to you.

Don’t Let Security Make you like this

guy!

There are some simple steps to keep the hackers

out

WordPress Security Basics 101

Never ever never use “admin” as a username or “password”

as password. NEVER!!!!

Any questions?

Adm1n and Pa55w0rd do not count either!

Always use SFTP

“S” is for safe!!!

Only give users the access they need

Just because they want to be an admin does not mean they should.

Guest bloggers should rarely every be anything more than a contributor.

If it is a temporary login, delete the user when the job is done

If they do have posts, you can convert them to different users or make them a subscriber with limited access.

Set up file detection

Many security plugins like iThemes Security and WordFence will alert you when files have been changed

Only keep the theme you are using and one backup

theme on your site.

The more themes that are on a site, the more open chances you have to a vulnerability

Only keep the plugins you have active on your site.

An uninstalled plugin is not a potential vulnerability.

Use the plugins repo favorites option to keep a list of your favorite plugins

• iThemes Security (Free and Pro version

• Sucuri Firewall

• WordFence Security

• Jetpack with Brute Protect and Vault Press

Security Plugins

• Backup Buddy, UpDraftPlus, BackWPUp

• Always save to someplace OTHER than your server

• Save them to Dropbox, AWS, email, or your local machine

• Have them scheduled to be made daily or at least weekly

Always make backups!

Malware Scanning? Do I need it?

• Google Webmaster Tools

• Sucuri Scanner

• VirusTotal

If you feel your site could be infected, first do a malware scan

What else can I do to protect my site?

Update! Update! Update!

Update core. Update themes update plugins!

The biggest reasons of updates is typically security or feature related.

The biggest source of nearly all hacks is due to lack of updating.

If you use Envato products (ThemeForest and CodeCanyon)

always check the box in the downloads to be notified of updates.

That is the only way you will know if any of their products need to be updated.

This is why the RevSlider infection was so widespread. Many did not even know the plugin was built into their theme.

Don't ever let your site get too lonely.

That is when the zombies come.

Nobody wants the zombies to come

If the unthinkable happens and you do get hacked, it is not the end of the world.

It can and will be fixed.

Who can clean my hacked website?

Well I can!

And so can Sucuri and HackRepair

Great! Are there any other ways I can be secure?

Always use complex passwords

Never email passwords

Never use the same password twice

• Last Pass

• One Password

• KeePass

Use a Password Keeper

If a login has a Two-Factor Authentication,

USE IT!

Anti-virus!Use it on all the things.

Yes, even a Mac!

Be conscious when using public WiFi

• Torguard

• Site Social

• Hide My Ass

Use a VPN if you use Public WiFi

Update! Update! Update!

Back everything up and back it up often!

No one wants to lose their information stored on their computer.

Bitcasa Caronbinte External Harddrives

Questions?

Thank you!!!

Michele Butcher

CantSpeakGeek.com WPSecurityLock.com

@michele_butcher

Slides can be found at http://mlb.pw/wcnc2015