Are you running a website for your business? If yes, then stay careful from attacks on your site. The technology has grown high, and much software was implemented for various factors and for creating websites. Since websites have played a major role in online business, maintain it from various attacks. Technology provides both good things and bad things to you, and one of the bad things is brute force attack. In this post, you will see how you prevent brute force attacks against WordPress on Website/Reseller hosting.
What is WordPress?
WordPress is open-source software, and it is a factory for making various web pages by storing various contents as it is a content management system (CMS). It allows its users to create and publish web pages on their wishes. This WordPress requires you a domain name and a hosting service, and it also has a web template system. It includes many features and themes that make the users engage more with WordPress to create their websites. The plugins in this are great to extend the functionality of a blog or website. The mobile application of WordPress has various options like comments, reply comments etc. Generally, WordPress is completely SEO friendly and provides various features to its users.
What is a Brute Force attack?
Brute Force Attack is a hacking practice that employs trial and error to access a website, network, or computer system. Hackers use automated software to guess your login information to access your website. Password guessing is the most common type of brute force attack, which is very dangerous for others. These automated hacking tools can also hide by using different IP addresses and locations, making it more difficult to detect and block suspicious activity.
A successful brute force attack can grant hackers access to the admin area of your website. They can install malware, steal user information, and delete everything on your website. Even unsuccessful brute force attacks can cause disaster by sending too many requests to your WordPress hosting servers, causing your website to slow down or even crash. It is always important to prevent your WordPress website from brute force attacks or face heavy losses.
How to prevent Brute force attack?
Now you might be clear with what a brute force attack is and how it is dangerous, and here are some of the preventions for your WordPress from this attack and help to stop malware attacks.
Step1: Install a firewall plugin
The primary defence on WordPress is a firewall server, and the major role of this server is analysing each visitor of your site and blocking the bad bots. It filters the good traffic and allows that into view your sites, and there is no chance for a bad visit to your site. This firewall server is used for websites, and it has two types and they are
- Web application firewall – It is an entry gate for your website where it stands in front of your website for scanning each visitor who is trying to come in. This server is a little efficient only, but still, the hackers can focus on damaging your site since it has lower server-level protection.
- DNS level website firewall – It is also like the previous firewall, which sits in front of your website, but it is more effective than that one. This firewall server will better protect your website against hackers and maintain the website.
Many firewall server providers are there, and you can choose the best one that offers high-level features. Without affecting the users, they must block the brute force attacks. The attacker’s radars cannot recognize your website where the automated tools were blocked. Continuous monitoring is guaranteed with this firewall server.
Step2: Limit login attempts
One of the best ways to specifically block brute force attacks is to limit the number of attempts a user has to log in. When you allow a maximum of three attempts to enter with username and password, which is dangerous for your website. If they don’t get it right the first time, they can use the ‘Lost your password’ option to recover their credentials. Any user attempting to brute force your website will give up after three attempts and move on to the next target to better limit the login attempts.
Step3: Restrict access to the login page
The next prevention is allowing access to your website only to those people on whom you have trust. You can follow the allow listing, which means using a security plugin for blocking all IP addresses from access and making a whitelist for those who want. It is a successful step for keeping the hackers out of your website.
Step4: Expire passwords regularly
The primary way to protect anything on the internet is to use strong usernames and passwords and change your password regularly. When you suspect an attack on your website, change your password without any delay. You can even set a reminder for regular password changes.
Step5: Add 2- factor authentication
It is always good to have two-factor authentication, as you may have in your email. Set the one-time passcode, which would be sent to your email or mobile, and you will receive the code in the form of SMS or by an authenticator app. It helps prevent the hacker’s action since the codes are sent to verify themselves. It is very difficult for hackers to gain these accesses. The hackers need the passcode sent to your mobile device after cracking your password. So enabling the 2-factor authentication is great prevention for your WordPress from brute force attacks.
Step6: Add HTTP authentication
The last and final step to protect your WordPress from attacks is adding a login page to your login page. It may seem slightly heavy, but it is like extra layer protection for your website by blocking hackers trying to enter your sites. A blank page with a login box will appear over your login page, which is hidden, and this work is an HTTP authentication.
Bottom line:
It is always necessary to protect your WordPress from various hackers on the internet. They always wait for their chance to steal your information and bring several attacks to your website. Thus, use the preventions listed earlier and protect your WordPress from brute force attacks.