Website Security: How to Secure & Protect Your Site in 2024

When it comes to getting the most out of your website, there’s one aspect that is far too often neglected: security. You wouldn’t leave your physical store unlocked overnight, and you shouldn’t risk leaving your website unprotected either.

Cyberthreats are a serious, ever-present issue — whether you’re an individual, small business, or global enterprise.

Year over year, malware, data breaches, and other forms of cybercrime are surging. One study found cyberattacks increased 38% in 2022. And that trend shows no signs of reversing.

To protect against the cyberthreats, you first have to know what you’re up against. From the basics of maneuvering your defenses to services like Jetpack Security that automate the process, this post covers everything you need to protect your hard work.

Why website security matters

Imagine waking to find a nightmarish sight: someone breached your site.

Perhaps it’s been horribly defaced, injected full of spam or malware. Maybe it’s gone completely, with a bare server and blank pages to mark where it used to be. 

The result doesn’t change based on what your website actually is — it’s your livelihood, your source of income, or a passion project you’ve put your heart and soul into realizing. 

If you have a large audience, their personal information could be at risk, or they could have their computers infected with malware and not even know why.

For business owners, it’s even worse. A breach can have a catastrophic effect on your brand’s image, halt sales completely, potentially ruin your audience’s trust in you and any future prospects you may have had with them, or even result in lawsuit and legal action taken against you.

Unfortunately, most people believe it would never happen to them and don’t act to save their website. But the truth is that the majority of cyberattacks aren’t targeted. They come from bots that sweep the web, looking for websites with any weaknesses in their security. 

One study found that 57% of all ecommerce cyberattacks are caused by bots. And that number increases all the time as cyberthreats evolve. When a data breach costs an average of $9.48 million, if you store sensitive data, you can’t afford to do nothing.

By understanding how these threats work and taking measures into your own hands, you can mitigate any possible damage or prevent issues from ever occurring.

Common website security threats

From ransomware to spam to DDoS attacks, there are plenty of ways bad actors may choose to target your website.

Their motivations are varied — they may wish to steal user credentials, get free backlinks to their spam sites, or just bring down your website out of malice. What matters is understanding the methods they employ and how you can stop them.

1. Malware and ransomware

Malware — the short, catch-all term for a collection of harmful programs — is a serious threat. You’re probably familiar with many of them already, like viruses, worms, trojans, and spyware. And just like your personal computer, the servers that host your website and store your data need to be protected, too. 

Otherwise, your data is at risk of being damaged, deleted or leaked, and your website turned into a malware-spreading factory that could affect thousands of people.

One particularly nasty type of malware is called ransomware. This encrypts your website’s files and demands money in exchange for their release. If you don’t pay within a few days, the data is typically deleted. And unfortunately, many people do pay. It’s the most common type of cyberattack worldwide (68% of cyberattacks in 2022 alone).

Malware and ransomware can enter your website and infect it many ways, but some of the most common are through vulnerable plugins, themes, and outdated software.

2. Brute force attacks

Brute force attacks are a very blunt and often effective method for “guessing” user passwords and gaining unauthorized access to a website. This type of cyberattack usually involves using a botnet (an automated program) to systematically enter, or “guess,” passwords until it stumbles across the correct one.

The moment a hacker cracks your unique password and infiltrates your site, they can start wreaking havoc. Whether they’re stealing data, defacing your website, deleting files, or using their administrator privileges to lock you out and give them full control — the game is over. 

And it’s not just administrator accounts at risk. Even lower-level user roles may give a hacker just enough control to do what they want. Or an exploit may allow the hacker to “pivot” their way into an admin account.

These kinds of attacks often exploit weak, default, or easily guessed passwords. With enough time and the right attack method, a password — no matter how secure — can eventually be cracked. 

Unless, of course, you employ security measures that prevent brute-force attacks. Techniques such as two-factor authentication, limiting login attempts, and simply making everyone use super-strength passwords can work wonders in keeping hackers at bay.

3. SQL Injection

SQL injection has been a prevalent threat to WordPress security for years. This type of attack can manipulate database queries from a website that uses a SQL database, allowing a hacker to access information they don’t have permission to see. Then they can insert, update, or delete as they see fit. 

Consider a contact form on your website. If a page or a script does not properly sanitize input and allows anyone to update inputs on your site, hackers can submit code to inject SQL into your database. The outcome? Anything from data leakage to data modification, or a complete database take over.

The best way to prevent SQL injection is to sanitize inputs from forms and file uploads. But even if hackers can compromise accounts through this vector, access control and user management defenses help lessen the impact of these attacks.

4. Cross-site scripting (XSS)

Cross-site scripting (XSS) is an ongoing cybersecurity concern that’s a risk to both website visitors and site owners. XSS gives hackers the ability to embed malicious scripts directly into a webpage. Scripts can access client-side (browser) information, as well as carry out a host of other attacks.

These scripts can hijack user sessions, steal sensitive information and user credentials, or simply deface your website.

Despite web security’s advancements, XSS vulnerabilities persist largely due to insecure coding practices and lack of input validation.

Protection from this kind of attack requires you to adopt good coding practices and only install plugins that also do so. Don’t want to worry about working with code? You can install a security plugin that takes care of everything for you.

5. Distributed denial of service (DDoS)

Unlike your run-of-the-mill malware, DDoS attacks are particularly insidious because they don’t need to break into your website to cause chaos.

Anyone with the resources can decide to launch a DDoS attack on your website, overwhelming your server or network with a deluge of fake traffic to make it inaccessible in a matter of milliseconds. 

In a DDoS attack, a network of compromised devices, or “botnet”, launch an all-out assault on a particular target: your website. By bombarding it with more traffic than the server can process, they place an immense load on your server, slowing it down to a crawl or crashing it completely.

Their motivations are varied. They could want a ransom to stop the attack, or they could just dislike you. Fortunately, while they’re inexpensive and easy to launch, DDoS attacks also require a lot of money and resources to continue running, so they’re rare and usually short-lived — no longer than a few days to a week.

But that’s still long enough to irritate your users, tarnish your good name, and lose you a lot of money.

To defend against DDoS attacks, you should install a reliable web application firewall that has rate limiting and AI to distinguish bad from good traffic. You should also install a CDN, as these include DDoS protection.

6. SEO spam

When an attacker breaks into your website, you’ll usually know pretty quickly. They either lock you out of your account, or deface every page with unpleasant messages and malicious code.

SEO spam is a bit different: attackers use your website to harm others. They do this through an under-the-radar attack involving your website, in order to manipulate search rankings — and they actively try to avoid detection. 

Hackers exploit vulnerabilities in your website to inject hidden links, keywords, and other content. These are used to leverage your existing SEO authority to improve the search engine rankings of malicious sites. Because these kinds of attacks are often obscured, it can be months before you notice the damage.

Eventually, though, Google penalizes the sites that maliciously cheat this way, and soon enough your site will be penalized as well. You’ll be quickly shoved to the bottom of the search results, and when users click the spam- and virus-filled links peddled from your site, your credibility and reputation take a dive.

Strong user access controls and regular website auditing will minimize the damage SEO spammers can do, thankfully.

Foundations of website security

If you operate any type of website, there are a number of security foundations you’ll need to have in place. Let’s explore the key pillars of website security — the core, essential aspects such as choosing a secure host and installing a CDN.

1. Choose a reliable hosting provider

Security starts with choosing a reliable hosting provider with secure infrastructure.

It doesn’t matter how many measures you implement to safeguard your website — if your host leaves a door open with poorly secured infrastructure, then it will provide a major vector for malware infiltration, and all your hard work will be for nothing.

Look at the security measures a hosting provider has in place. Does it have a built-in web application firewall to protect against attacks? 

In addition to their own security measures, consider their track record. How many times have they been breached? What protections have they put in place to stop it from happening again? 

When it comes to website security, you have to consider that there’s an obligation on you and your hosting provider to keep your website secure. Make no mistake, you may have a lot of responsibility, but your hosting provider has to pick up their fair share, too.

2. Keep all software and plugins updated

The simplest thing you can do for your WordPress site is keep everything up to date.

WordPress, PHP, and other software required for running a website is continually being improved. As security vulnerabilities are discovered, updates supply patches so they can no longer be exploited. 

As a site owner, the biggest mistake you can make is not applying an update. Make it an ongoing priority to check and apply updates (or enable them to run automatically) for all software, including:

• WordPress core
• All WordPress plugins
• WordPress themes
• Your PHP version and server’s operating system

Remember, a high percentage of cyberattacks are completely automated. Bots scan sites indiscriminately for known software vulnerabilities and exploit any that haven’t been patched. Don’t let this be you!

3. Change your default CMS settings

One of the simplest (yet often overlooked steps) in enhancing website security is to change default settings within your CMS. These days, WordPress is well secured by default, but there are a few things you might want to do:

• Change the default username. One thing brute force attacks rely on is not having to guess the default administrator username — it’s just “admin”. Change it to something else (not your first name, username, or something that could be guessed), and you significantly reduce the risk of being hacked through brute force.
• Change the login page URL. Brute force attacks usually succeed because the login page for most WordPress installations is the same. If it’s an automated attempt, the bot will usually give up after trying a few obvious URLs. You could also restrict access except to your or your trusted contributors’ IPs.
• Enable WordPress updates. WordPress automatic updates are on by default now, but if you have an older installation (which you shouldn’t if you’re keeping things updated), make sure plugin and Core updates are enabled.
• Change the default table prefix for WordPress. This makes it less easy for attackers to target the well-known wp_ prefix.
• Disable dashboard file editing. Editing files from the WordPress dashboard is very convenient, but it also makes it much easier for a hacker to ruin your website if they manage to break in.
• Hide your WordPress version. Hide this info, so hackers can’t easily exploit known vulnerabilities within specific versions of WordPress.
• Change file permissions. If you’re familiar with Linux file permissions, you may want to review your site’s permissions and make sure nothing is too easily accessible.
• Turn off PHP execution in user-writable directories. This lets your plugins keep working, while shutting down attackers who upload malicious files and attempt to execute them.

By making a few small adjustments to your settings, you can significantly reduce the risk of security breaches.

4. Install an SSL certificate sitewide

An SSL certificate encrypts the data transmitted between a user’s browser and your website’s server, preventing unauthorized access or interception by malicious third parties.

Not only is securing your website with an SSL certificate a fundamental step in protecting sensitive data (and may be legally required if you’re running something that processes sensitive data, like user logins or credit card details), but sitewide HTTPS ensures that all data (from login credentials to payment information to personal details) is encrypted during transmission.

Even if you don’t handle any such information, it’s a must. People often aren’t comfortable without it. Browsers loudly announce the absence of an SSL certificate with a big red warning symbol. And Google penalizes sites that lack an SSL certificate.

Installing one is usually quite straightforward, and your hosting provider or domain registrar will often give you a free SSL certificate. After installing, you just have to ensure that your website’s URLs are configured to use HTTPS rather than HTTP to enforce secure connections across your site.

5. Install a CDN

A content delivery network, or CDN, can give your website a big performance and security boost. CDNs are networks of servers distributed across the globe that are designed to deliver content to your users more quickly.

That has implications for security, as it turns out. One particular threat that CDNs are very good at thwarting are DDoS attacks, where a website is hacked by being flooded with too much traffic.

CDNs thwart these relentless cyberattacks by distributing the load across lots of different servers, rather than having to bear the brunt on just one website.

For your website, a CDN can be extra helpful because many CDNs come with great added security features like web application firewalls and bot mitigation.

Installing a CDN is usually just a matter of signing up for the service and configuring your DNS settings to route your traffic through the network of the CDN provider. Some plugins, like Jetpack, even have a CDN specifically for WordPress that you can use.

Access control and user management

One common vulnerability hackers will try to exploit is poor user access control. Even if the admin account is locked down tight, breaking into a lower-level account can give them the leverage they need for a site takeover. 

As such, you’ll need strong access control policies and to clamp down on user permissions.

Here are five ways to improve access control and user management for greater security:

1. Implement strong password policies and practices

Visitors are the foundation of your site and often want to use the simplest login credentials possible. But failing to require them to use strong passwords could allow even a novice hacker to take down your site for everyone. Weak or easily guessable passwords are a huge security risk, as they can give unauthorized access to your website’s back end.

Especially for users with high-level roles and capabilities, like those who can directly edit your site, you should not just encourage but mandate strong, complex, difficult-to-guess passwords. The more complicated the better. Avoid common and easily guessable words, phrases, or patterns. Use a long combination of capital letters, lowercase letters, numbers, and symbols that aren’t based on information that’s available to others online.

You can also implement password expiration policies so that once a password is compromised, it’s rotated out quickly.

2. Require two-factor authentication (2FA)

Implementing two-factor authentication on all critical user accounts can stop breaches in their tracks. Even if an attacker has a user’s password, they would still need access to the secondary authentication method to gain entry.

Popular two-factor authentication methods include time-based codes that are often sent to a secondary email or phone, and authentication apps like Google Authenticator or Authy. Some services go as far as to require a fingerprint or other biometric identifier.

Jetpack’s secure authentication feature allows you to require sign-in through a WordPress.com account, and require the WordPress.com account to use two-factor authentication. For the right WordPress sites, it’s a convenient way to add this level of protection for many WordPress sites. 

3. Be careful with user roles and permissions

In WordPress, user roles restrict access to various features within your website, like the ability to add new pages or edit existing ones.

By assigning specific roles to users and defining their permissions, you can ensure that each person has the appropriate level of access based on their responsibilities.

WordPress offers several predefined user roles:

• Super Admin. Has full administrator access to all websites on a multisite setup.
• Administrator. Has full control over a single website.
• Editor. Can create, edit, and publish posts.
• Author. Can create, edit, and publish only their own posts.
• Contributor. Can create and edit their own posts, but not publish them.
• Subscriber. Can leave comments and change their user profile.

Additionally, you can create custom roles, or edit the existing roles so they have different capabilities. Some plugins may also add their own roles, or new functionality you can turn on or off for each one.

Assigning appropriate roles helps limit access to sensitive data and prevents anyone who gains unauthorized access to a low-level role from doing too much damage.

4. Limit login attempts

Putting limits on the number of times a user can try (and fail) to log in is an excellent way to safeguard your site.

Ultimately, you have the final say on how long a ban is placed for, how many requests are performed, how many requests are necessary to block a specific IP, and whether a ban on a specific account will be lifted only if 2FA is enabled — a feature included in some plugins.

5. Use secure file transfer connections (SFTP or SSH)

At some point, you’ll probably need to edit your website’s files. While FTP (file transfer protocol) is quick and easy, it leaves all the data you’re transmitting unencrypted and available for anyone to intercept.

This could include FTP login credentials, website files, and configuration settings — access to which will make it incredibly easy for hackers to infiltrate your website.

To prevent this, use SFTP (secure file transfer protocol) or SSH (secure shell; command line access) when managing files in your back end. These protocols encrypt data in transit, protecting it from being viewed or intercepted.

To use SFTP or SSH for file transfers, you’ll need to configure your FTP client or server to support these protocols. Most web hosts support this as well.

Real-time scanning and backups

Despite all your best efforts, malware can still slip in. When something goes wrong, real-time scanning can detect an intrusion, while backups allow a fallback if malware manages to damage your site.

1. Set up a security plugin or monitoring system

You should not be running your website without a security plugin or monitoring platform. It should be continuously monitoring for suspicious real-time user activity, failed login attempts, malware, and other indicators of risk.

Jetpack Scan will monitor your site 24/7 and send instant out alerts if anything seems wrong. A one-click fix is all it takes to eliminate most threats. Scan also comes with a web application firewall and is available on its own or as part of the Jetpack Security bundle that includes Jetpack Backup and Akismet, among other features.

Most web hosts also offer built-in security monitoring that tracks server-level malware and brute force attacks that complement the security measures at the application layer.

Make sure to frequently review the security audit logs you’re getting from the tools and plugins for any signs of trouble that the automation isn’t flagging.

2. Install a web application firewall (WAF)

A web application firewall acts as a shield between your website and the internet, and can monitor and filter any malicious traffic in real time. This can include anything from SQL injection attempts and cross-site scripting (XSS) attacks to DDoS attacks.

WAFs act as a line of defense that can help safeguard against many of the most common website security threats you will encounter. It can be fully installed directly onto your web server, or through cloud-based services like Jetpack’s web application firewall. 

Regularly review the logs it generates to stay ahead of any threats coming your way.

3. Regularly back up your website

Regular website backups are your failsafe against data loss, compromise, and anything else that might go wrong.

You should perform backups at regular intervals. In fact, though some infrequently updated sites may be okay with daily backups, most sites should use real-time backups that save every change made. 

These backup files should be stored off your website’s server to ensure your data won’t be lost in the event of a server failure or security exploit. That’s why relying on host-provided backups alone is not a safe strategy. 

Jetpack VaultPress Backup offers the most robust solution, with real-time backups stored securely in the cloud through the same high-end infrastructure used by WordPress VIP. 

The best part is that, if your website ever goes down, you can recover it with one click. Using the Jetpack app or your WordPress.com account, you can restore a site from nearly anywhere in the world. 

It’s that simple. You don’t want your website to be offline or your data to be lost. You need an automated solution that will perform regular website and database backups so you don’t have to worry about it. 

You simply need to get Jetpack Backup. You can get backups alone through the dedicated VaultPress plugin or benefit from a more comprehensive solution with a Jetpack Security plan.

Spotlight on Jetpack Security for WordPress sites

For WordPress users seeking a complete security package, Jetpack Security offers a full suite of powerful tools designed to protect against a wide range of threats and help you recover in the case of an emergency. 

Real-time vulnerability scanning is one major feature, providing 24/7 monitoring of your website for any vulnerabilities or breaches underway. The always-on web application firewall is perfectly tuned to catch potential threats before they do damage.

Additionally, Jetpack Security provides automated, real-time backups stored securely in the cloud. If anything ever happens, restoration is a click away.

Finally, Jetpack Security detects and protects against a range of other threats, from brute force attacks to exploitable shell vulnerabilities.

Protecting a website is no easy task on your own, but Jetpack Security automates the most difficult parts, letting you take the workload off your mind.

Bonus tip: Avoid CAPTCHA for spam protection

While CAPTCHA has been used for over two decades to prevent spam, you know how annoying they can be to fill out. Why would you put your visitors through that? More importantly, CAPTCHAs can result in high bounce rates and poor conversions.

Worse yet, bots are getting better at solving them. One study saw an AI solve the “robot-proof” CAPTCHA almost 100% of the time.

Consider using Jetpack Akismet Anti-spam, a powerful spam filtering service specially designed for WordPress.

Akismet taps into the power of machine learning to analyze incoming comments and form submissions, saving your site from publishing malicious content without needing any involvement from users.

By detecting and blocking spam automatically, Akismet keeps your site looking seamless and free from spam without hindering your marketing goals. 

It’s available as a standalone plugin or through a qualifying Jetpack plan (including Jetpack Security!).

How to respond to website security breaches

Despite all of these proactive measures, it can be hard to stop a hacker who really wants in. Knowing how to respond swiftly and effectively is crucial to minimizing the impact of a breach.

1. Prepare an incident response plan

Before a cyberattack hits, you should have a detailed incident response plan in place. This will establish the procedures for when you experience different security breaches, ensuring a swift and organized response.

If your business or project is very small, or if you’re the only person working on it, simply drafting up that plan can help guide you through the series of immediate steps you need to take to fix up your website and show intruders the door.

Here are some considerations for creating and managing an incident response plan:

• Assign roles and responsibilities for each person or group of people. Who gets contacted immediately? Who restores the backups? Who deals with malware removal?
• Make sure there are clear lines of communication to get in touch with any of those people, regardless of what level of the organization they are.
• Develop a step-by-step response plan to guide your actions for multiple types of security incidents, from site defacement to DDoS attacks. You should also have procedures for containing a security breach so you don’t allow more damage in the panic of the moment.
• Regularly review your incident response plan to ensure it’s still up to date and can be put into action if needed.
• Test out your incident response plan, just like your coding, regularly to make sure that it’s cohesive and easy to follow. 

Taking proactive measures like this can minimize downtime dramatically. This can spell the difference between a website that’s down for days and one that’s only down a few hours.

2. Scan your website 

Once you become aware of a security breach, scan your website fully with a tool such as Jetpack Scan in order to identify any remaining malicious files, backdoors, abnormal code, suspect file permissions, unauthorized users, or any other signs of compromise.

3. Contain and fix the breach

Once you’ve identified the source and extent of the security breach, take immediate action to remove all traces of the threat.

If you have Jetpack Security or something similar installed, this is usually a one-click ordeal. If nothing else, this should remove the majority of the malware.

Unfortunately, malware can leave remnants behind, opening up vulnerabilities, so hackers can get back in. Automated scanners will usually catch these too, but it doesn’t hurt to manually look through your website to see if there’s anything unusual there.

Here are a few potential actions to take:

• Consider taking your website offline temporarily if it’s defaced or actively spreading malware and spam to visitors.
• Change any compromised passwords immediately.
• Restore a backup.
• Run through your website code looking for malicious code snippets that weren’t there before.
• Check your website files for any new files. Examine existing files for unauthorized changes.
• Check your users for any who are unauthorized, especially those with high-level permissions.
• Patch whatever vulnerability led to the infection in the first place. Automated scanners should be able to point out the issue.

At worst, you may need to hire a developer to look through your website and remove any lingering malicious code.

The role of website backups in mitigating a breach

If there’s one security measure you should take, it’s installing backups. Should everything go wrong, you’ll at least be able to restore your website to a previous, uncompromised state.

This isn’t a catch-all solution, as some forms of malware can dig their claws in and re-infect your website. Additionally, issues like DDoS attacks or compromised passwords won’t be solved at all.

But if you’ve lost a lot of data or had your website ruined, backups can absolutely save your business.

That’s why it’s essential to maintain regular backups in the cloud.

Frequently asked questions

Let’s wrap everything up with a few of the questions that may still be on your mind.

What is website security?

Website security is the various strategies and protocols implemented to protect websites from cyberthreats. It ranges from choosing a secure host to setting up a web application firewall.

What are the risks of not securing a website?

Failing to secure your website leaves it open to malware, data breaches, DDoS attacks, and even having your website deleted entirely. Besides ruining your hard word, it can also endanger your visitors with malware and spam. Malware removal can also be very difficult.

Why are backups important for website security?

Backups allow you to restore your website to a previous state. This is useful in the event of malware infection, glitches, or data loss.

Are there specific security concerns exclusive to WordPress websites?

Insecure plugins and themes may provide vectors for attack, though software that integrates with any type of site can be vulnerable if not kept up to date.

How does Jetpack Security help in protecting my WordPress site?

Jetpack Security offers comprehensive website protection specifically designed to safeguard WordPress from various threats. From real-time cloud backups to a powerful web application firewall, Jetpack Security helps you stay ahead of common issues.

How can I set up Jetpack Security on my WordPress site?

To gain the benefits of Jetpack Security, you’ll need to install the free Jetpack plugin and create a WordPress.com account to connect it to. From there, you can purchase Jetpack Security or any individual components you want in order to protect your WordPress site.

Where can I learn more about Jetpack Security?

If you want to learn more about securing your website with Jetpack, the ultimate WordPress plugin, you can read all about Jetpack Security on the website. The plugin was designed as a comprehensive solution to all your security needs.

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